PARIS, March 19 (Reuters) - Below are leading stories from the French press and company-related news which could have an impact on the French market or individual stocks.
BNP PARIBAS
France's biggest listed bank BNP Paribas said on Wednesday it had decided not to pursue a possible tie-up with rival Societe Generale , which has been hit by a trading scandal.
IPSOS
French market research and opinion poll firm Ipsos reported a 20 percent rise in 2007 net profit to 46.7 million euros, and predicted further revenue and profit growth this year.
OBERTHUR
Smart-car maker Oberthur posted a net profit of 32.5 mnillion euros, an operating profit of 52.2 million euros and repeated it expected a strong growth of its revenue and a consolidation of its margins in 2008.
SCOR
Reinsurer Scor posted net profit of 407 million euros, an operating profit of 576 million euros and a dividend of 0.80 euros per share.
AIR FRANCE-KLM
Italy's opposition -- leading in opinion polls ahead of April's vote -- said on Tuesday it opposed Alitalia's takeover by Air France-KLM, considered the carrier's last shot at avoiding bankruptcy.
In more bad news for Alitalia, Air France-KLM said it would exclude 6,600 workers or roughly 35 percent of the carrier's work force from the deal, angering its strike-prone unions. Talks between unions and the carriers on Tuesday ended in a stalemate with neither side willing to concede ground.
SAINT-GOBAIN
Saint-Gobain and its biggest shareholder, investment company Wendel , appear to have reached an agreement on boardroom representation, French daily La Tribune reports.
Glass-maker Saint-Gobain declined to comment and Wendel could not be immediately reached for comment.
2007 EARNINGS
Cosmetics group Clarins
Payment systems group Ingenico
For pan-European market data and news, click on codes in brackets: European Equities speed guide...................
Main stock markets: Dow Jones................DJI Wall Street report .....[.N] Nikkei 225..............N225 Tokyo report............[.T] FTSE 100................FTSE London report...........[.L] Xetra DAX..............GDAXI Frankfurt market stories[.F] CAC-40..................FCHI Paris market stories...[.PA] World Indices......................................<0#.INDEX> Reuters survey of world bourse outlook..........EQUITYPOLL1 Western European IPO diary...........................WEUIPO European Asset Allocation.........................[EUR/ASSET]
Reuters News at a Glance: Equities...............[TOP/EQE]
Main currency report:...............................[FRX/]