31.   Executives close to the companies said they were working to reach a deal by the end of this week so they could proceed with the initial offering.

32.   Executives close to the company said it had conducted preliminary talks with several possible buyers, though no deal is imminent.

33.   Executives close to the company said Socol had clashed with Woods.

34.   Executives close to the deal would not disclose its precise terms Sunday.

35.   Executives close to the discussions said that all along, Lucent had been intent on casting the deal as a merger of equals.

36.   Executives close to the negotiations said the audit could be used as a lever by Canal Plus to back out of the deal without a court fight.

37.   Executives close to the negotiations said they expected talks between Lehman and Tyco would continue over the weekend.

38.   Executives close to the talks also said United Pan-Europe could take a big stake in Telewest as part of the deal.

39.   Executives close to the VoiceStream-Powertel deal said they hoped that both transactions would be completed in six to nine months.

40.   Executives close to Deutsche Telekom said it was in discussions with a number of other telecommunication companies about possible takeovers or mergers.