French and Benelux stocks - Factors to watch on March 31

PARIS, March 31 (Reuters) - Below are leading stories from
French and Benelux newspapers and company-related news which
could have an impact on the region's markets or individual
stocks.

FORTIS
Stricken financial group Fortis plunged to a mammoth 28.0
billion euro loss in 2008 due to huge negatives from banking
activities stripped out by the Belgian and Dutch states.
[nLV500195]

ALSTOM
France's Alstom will announce the purchase of a 25 percent
stake in Russian rail equipment maker TransmashHolding
[TRHLD.UL] on Tuesday, newspaper Le Figaro reported.
[nLV176460]

EADS
EADS is prepared to accept a limited reduction in the number
of orders for its delayed A400M military airlifter to save the
contract, although any significant cut would impact the price of
the aircraft, the Financial Times quoted EADS Chief Executive
Louis Gallois as saying. [nLU312553]

AREVA
Areva said it signed a memorandum of understanding for 80
offshore wind turbines with Wetfeet Offshore Windenergy GmbH in
a deal worth more than 700 million euros. [nWEA5150]

TOTAL
The new army-backed president of Madagascar, Andry
Rajoelina, said on Monday his administration was reviewing all
contracts with foreign investors because the country was
receiving too little revenue. The crisis has scared off tourists
and unnerved foreign investors in the booming mining and oil
exploration sectors.
They include Total , Rio Tinto and Sherritt
International , although their operations were not
affected by the unrest because they were located in rural areas.
[nLU47467]

EURAZEO
French financial holding firm Eurazeo posted a net loss of
61 million euros last year and kept its dividend at 1.20 euros
per share. [EURA.PA]

NICOX
NicOx said a study of its naproxcinod anti-inflammatory
agent showed a favorable blood pressure profile for the drug in
a large sample of patients with osteoarthritis taking
antihypertensive therapies. [NCOX.PA]

PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN
Outgoing CEO Christian Streiff said in an interview with Les
Echos that he does not understand why he had to go and added he
only heard the news by telephone on Sunday. He said the Peugeot
family was unlikely to sell its stake as his mission had been to
esnure the family maintained control over the group and that the
company would grow. [PEUP.PA]

TOMTOM
The Dutch navigation device maker and Microsoft Corp
have reached a settlement after more than a year of
squabbling over software patents.

U10
French home furnishing distributor U10 said it was
postponing its results pending further reviews of the accounts
of its C3M Spanish unit and said these could lead to a
significant rise in provisions. Shares in U10 have dropped 18
percent this year. [L3C.PA]

COUACH
French luxury yacht maker Couach applied for court
protection from creditors as it failed to secure a deal with
banks over the restructuring of its debt, the group said.
[nLU663952]

MAUREL & PROM
Exploration firm Maurel & Prom said it had made a new oil
discovery in Gabon in the so-called OMOC-1 well. [MAUP.PA]
The company added that its sale of Hocol Colombia will allow
it to pay a dividend for 2008 and repay its bond maturing in
early 2010. Operating profit more than quadrupled last year to
95.5 million euros, it added.

LAFARGE
Lafarge shareholders meet to approve a 1.5 billion euro
rights issue. [LAFP.PA]

________________________________________________________
For a diary of top European results and forecasts [EURO/DJSTX]
For the Itraxx Europe CDS index see
For blue-chip stocks news see [STXNEWS/EU]
For small- and mid-cap stocks news see [EU/SMALL]
For research on FTSEurofirst 300 companies [RCH/RESEARCH]
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