February 5, 2006	Sunday	Muharram 6, 1427

MILAN, Feb 4: BNP Paribas won wide support for its bold 9 billion euro ($10.9bn) bid for Italy’s Banca Nazionale del Lavoro on Saturday with the target calling the bid “not hostile” and key BNL investors welcoming it. The French bank also seemed to have overcome the resistance of Italy’s tight-knit financial community. Its surprise cash bid of 2.925 euros per share came hot on the heels of the Bank of Italy’s rejection of a domestic bid at about 2.7 euros.—Reuters