from today's Nikkei

損保各社　火災保険料引き上げ　マンションは３４都道府県　台風被害など反映　４月改定一部地域下げ　価格競争も本格化
Indemnity insurance companies are to raise fire insurance premiums in April for the first time in 9 years. This is because benifits the companies have to pay have been increasing due to significantly incresed damage,such as that caused by typhoons hitting Japan.In 34 prefectures, they raise the premiums for the houses like condominium apartments. But in some regions,some companies are expected to reduce them. In these circumstances, price competition is likely to begin and come to the peak.
参考：損害保険はその他には、property and casualty insurance, nonlife insurance,accident insurance など。be ＋動詞は、将来のことで、すでに明らかになっていること、公表されていることなどの、未来のことを言う場合に使える。「・・・・ということになっている」という感じの言葉に対応する。９年ぶりは、for the first time in 9 years のほかは、after a 9-year interval、（after a nine year interval). ９をnine とするか、-を使うか使わないかは、かなり恣意的か？
be expected は、望ましくない事柄であっても、将来起こりそうだとすれば使われる。感情は入らない。

from today's Nikkei

デジタル印刷機事業　リコー、米IBMから買収　８５０億円　企業向け　世界首位に
Ricoh likely will take over the digital-printer for corporate clients business from IBM United States for estimated 8.5 bilion yen by around April this year. This makes Ricoh the top runner in the world in the business of supplying the digital printers for corporate clients.

from today's Nikkei

株式持ち合い一段と増加　事業会社の保有１７％増　昨年９月末　買収防衛を狙う
Cross-shareholding between companies,which had been rapidly declining since the collapse of the bubble economy,has recently showed a sign of increasing again.Business-operating firms' shareholding reached the amount of 12.8 trillion yen as of the end of September 2006,up 17 % than a year earlier.This increase means that companies have been taking measures for preventing the hostile M&As.

from today's Nikkei

三菱重が自動車用電池　環境規制に対応　３年後メド量産
It is learned that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will compete in the vhicle-use battery business. It plans to start to mass-produce the rithium-ion battery used for electric cars or hybrid vehicles by 2010,and supply them to car makers at home and abroad.The demand for vehicle batteries is expected to increase in the circumstance that environmental regulation is strenghthen worldwide.

from today's Nikkei

特許・技術買収に減税　経産省秋にも　事業創出を支援　産業再生法を改正
The Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry intends to support firms' M&As,which are aimed at getting other firms' intellectual property rights,such as patents and cutting-edge technologies.For doing so, the ministry will revise the Industries Revitalization Law, by which it has been bolstering the firms' restructuring efforts,such as reducing their capacity excess or debts.It is to submit the draft bill for the law's revision to the next ordinary Diet session covened on January 25,and expects that it will be effective from this autumn.With the law revised like this,it will be possible that capital investment,following a M&A, can be depreciated especially up to 30% of it. Through these measures, the ministry wants to generate the new business a lot.