1.   The federal cartel office in Berlin is hinting that it will forbid the takeover of MBB.

2.   But before they can buy the local operators, they need approval from the cartel office.

3.   In its action Friday, the German cartel office accused Wal-Mart along with Lidl Markets and Aldi Nord of what amounts to predatory pricing.

4.   Juergen Kiecker, a spokesman for the German cartel office, said it is too soon to say whether the alliance will face any problems from anti-trust authorities.

5.   Neither the companies nor the cartel office were immediately available for comment.

6.   The cartel office opened investigations of several other big retailers earlier this year, but dropped the cases after deciding that the reductions were justified.

7.   The cartel office in December sent the European Commission a recommendation on the TV venture, which it said would give the companies an unfair advantage over competitors.

8.   The German cartel office has forbidden a buyout, and analysts said the decision smacked of German protectionism of engineering assets.

9.   The German cartel office ruled earlier this year that the combined companies would be too dominant in the piston ring market.

10.   The opposition Christian Democrats have already voiced support for the cartel office, and will almost certainly accuse Schroeder of cronyism if he allows the decision to be overridden.