News In Brief

General Motors will buy the remaining 50 percent of Saab it doesn't already own, the US automaker announced in Detroit. Terms of the deal, which is expected to completed by the end of the month, were not disclosed. GM bought a half-interest in the Swedish luxury automaker in 1990; the other half has been owned by a holding company, Investor AB, since 1991. Saab produced about 129,000 cars last year, selling two models - the 9-3 and the 9-5 - in the US.

Telephone company Nextlink Communications Inc. said it will buy Internet-access provider Concentric Network Corp. of San Jose, Calif., for about $2.9 billion in stock. They plan to offer small- and medium-sized businesses a one-stop source for communications services that are related to voice, data, and the Internet. Concentric also is expected to complete an acquisition this quarter of Internet Technology Group Plc., based in Britain. Nextlink is based in McLean, Va.

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