- France: The French government decided to increase by 2 million additional shares the THOMSON MULTIMEDIA share offer, which it wanted to sell to the public in the framework of the privatisation of the electronics company (see EI of 18&19 September). Furthermore, it set at EUR 80 per share the minimum price offered to individuals. The final sale price for the group's shares will be announced on 5 October after the subscription period having started on Monday 2 October. - United Kingdom: four candidates remain on the table on the eve of the privatisation offer for 46% of NATS - NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES, the British air traffic control, after the defection of BAE SYSTEMS, BOEING and THOMSON CSF. It concerns the Americans RAYTHEON and LOCKHEED MARTIN, from the equipment management group SERCO and the consortium AIRLINE GROUP made up of eight British airlines. The government will publish a first list of two or three candidates next November. Following the procedure, the State will retain 49% of NATS and 5% of the employees. The privatisation should enable to air traffic control to finance its considerable investment needs, or GBP 1.3 billion over ten years. - Italy: the public holding IRL, put into liquidation last June has, on the one hand decided on the total privatisation, by 2002, of the FINCANTIERI ship yards (losses of ITL 458 billion in 1999) and, on the other hand, postpone until a later date the planned sale of the 53% still held in the airline ALITALIA. According to IRI, the liquidation of the last stakes it holds should still take three years. Since 1992, the IRI has already carried out 160 privatisation operation for a total value of EUR 55.4 billion. - South Korea: the South Korean steel group POSCO - POHANG IRON AND STEEL completed its last phase of privatisation with the sale, by the Korean Development bank (KDB) of the 6.84% it held, announced the bank. The foreign holdings now hold 46.1% of POSCO.