21.   Analysts say that the resignation of David Wetherell could be a critical turning point in the proposed merger.

22.   Analysts say the proposed merger will give BP Amoco a step up in an oil industry that has been consolidating rapidly.

23.   And before that, Monti derailed a proposed merger between the Swedish truck makers Volvo and Scania.

24.   And fervent nationalists see the proposed merger as the loss of a revered national symbol and the last spike in the dream of an independent, sovereign Canada.

25.   And the proposed merger has prompted speculation about a new round of consolidation in the airline industry.

26.   And the proposed merger of Worldcom and Sprint was rejected by the Europeans as well as by Washington.

27.   And the standards board is hoping too that the change will aid investors who want to better evaluate whether a proposed merger makes sense.

28.   And that bodes ill for the proposed merger, some analysts believe.

29.   Antitrust lawyers regard it as likely that either the Justice Department or the Federal Trade Commission will review the proposed merger.

30.   AOL and Time Warner executives argue their proposed merger raises no serious anti-trust issues because their companies operate in different markets.