News Today - May 25

* The nearly three-month-old rally in U.S. stocks will square off against possible a General Motors bankruptcy and new housing data during the holiday-shortened week.

* German Economic Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg says a trio of bids for General Motor's Opel division remain financially risky for the German government.

* PetroChina strikes a deal to acquire almost half of refiner Singapore Petroleum for about $1 billion and may soon buy the whole company.

* British Airways posted the airline's worst annual loss since its privatization in 1987 as its chief executive declared there were "absolutely no signs of recovery" in the industry.

* Satyam may sack 7,500-8,000 non-billable staff from June.

* South Korean officials detect an 'artificial earthquake' in North Korea, believed to be a fresh nuclear weapons test, reports say.

* Thailand's economy shrank 1.9% during the first quarter of the year, with the result 7.1% lower than the year-ago period, data from the National Economic & Social Development Board showed.