Tokyo  - Canon Inc on Thursday reported a 15.9-per-cent fall in its net profit during the first half of the year as a stronger yen and higher material costs offset robust sales of digital cameras and copiers.

Net profit fell, for the first time in six years to 214.49 billion yen (2.02 billion dollars) from the same period last year.

Operating profits - or a company's earnings minus interest payments and taxes, which are seen as a measure of its earnings power from ongoing operations - declined
14.9 per cent to 331 billion yen, Canon said.

Stockholm - Nordic telecommunications group Telia Sonera on Thursday posted higher pre-tax income for second quarter 2008.

The group said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was 7.97 billion kronor (1.3 billion dollars), compared to 7.51 billion kronor in the corresponding business period 2007.

Sales in the quarter increased 5.7 per cent to 25.27 billion kronor.

Chief Executive Lars Nyberg said operations in Eurasia developed "strongly."

IDBI Bank, a leading public sector lender, has reported a net profit of Rs 160 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2008, up 4% as against Rs 153 crore in the corresponding quarter ended June 30, 2007.  

The total income for the reporting quarter rose 24.94% to Rs 2,740 crore from Rs 2,193 crore in the year-ago period.

Recently, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL) has signed a pact with IDBI Bank for issuing of stamp certificates and collection of money on its behalf as Authorised Collection Centre.  

New York - US phone giant AT&T dialed in a 30 per cent increase in second quarter profits Wednesday as mobile phone revenue more than compensated for a steep drop in home land lines.

The Dallas-based telecommunications company reported net income of 3.77 billion dollars, or 63 cents a share, compared with a profit of 2.9 billion dollars, or 47 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue rose 4.7 per cent to 30.87 billion dollars from 29.48 billion dollars a year ago.

AT&T said that wireless revenue was up 16 per cent in the quarter with revenue from data services such as text messages and mobile email up 52 per cent.

Berlin  - Europe's biggest carmaker Volkswagen AG reported Wednesday a 35-per-cent jump in second-quarter earnings as demand for new models helped to offset surging fuel costs and growing economic uncertainty.

Net profit for the German-based auto group rose to 1.643 billion euros (2.58 billion dollars) compared to 1.22 billion euros posted in the same period last year, with key emerging economies expected to power the company's business growth during the rest of the year.

"This shows that we are on the right track," said VW chief Martin Winterkorn, releasing the results. "Our innovative products are meeting with an enthusiastic response from our customers."