The sale of the educational unit brings to an end the Thomson corporation's participation in traditional publishing.

The sale of the unit resulted in a loss of $475,000 in the third quarter.

But he was careful not to suggest a sale of the unit - or to rule out the possibility of one.

They also did not rule out the possibility of an outright sale of the unit.

The sale of the launching unit would leave General Dynamics with only its military tank and submarine businesses.

Sometimes the tenant may prefer the buyout but is demanding more cash than the investor can readily raise prior to the sale of the unit.

On Wall Street, where investors had been hoping for a sale of the unit, the news was met with surprised disappointment.

A spokesman declined to speculate on a date for a sale of the unit.

The sale of the unit, the Family Life Insurance Company, was announced last month, but terms were not disclosed.

Geest said it would realize a one-time gain of L21.5 million from the sale of the unit, which had been losing money for the company.