Germany: Tire Maker Again Rejects a Suitor's Bid.

The German tire and auto parts maker Continental again declined a takeover bid by a privately held rival, Schaeffler, but left the door open to more talks. Continental, which is based in Hannover, said the offer of 70.12 euros ($104.48) a share was inadequate. With about 161 million Continental shares outstanding, the offer is worth about 11.3 billion euros ($17 billion). The company's supervisory board agreed to continue talks with Schaeffler ''in the short term'' with an eye toward reaching a solution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]