updated Fri November 02, 2007

Report: ChemChina Makes Takeover Bid for Australian Pesticide Company Nufarm

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- China National Chemical Corp. and Blackstone Group have made a $3.2 billion unsolicited takeover bid for Australian pesticide company Nufarm Ltd., a newspaper reported Friday. Nufarm s...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Despite China's Draw, Japan Still Offers Big Opportunities, US Manufacturing Official Says

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan remains a hot business opportunity for American manufacturers, despite the world's growing interest in neighboring China, a top U.S. industry group official said Friday."The emergence of Chi...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Euro Edges Up Against the Dollar Before US Non-Farm Data Info

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- The euro edged back up against the dollar in early trading Friday as markets looked ahead to the release of non-farm payrolls data amid continuing worries about the credit crunch. The...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

British Airways' First-Half Profit Rises 21 Percent, Helped by Dollar's Weakness

LONDON (AP) -- British Airways on Friday reported that profit rose 21 percent in the first half, helped by the weakness of the dollar.The company reported net profit of 487 million pounds ($1 billion) in the si...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

British Sky Broadcasting 1Q Profit Falls 28 Percent As Company Feels Pain of Virgin Rupture

LONDON (AP) -- British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC said Friday profit fell 28 percent in the first quarter the company severed a distribution agreement with Virgin.BSkyB company reported a net profit of 84 milli...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Staffing Giant Adecco Posts 40 Percent Increase in 3Q Net Profits to $332 Million

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- Employment firm Adecco SA posted a 40 percent increase in third-quarter net profit Friday on strong margin growth and tax benefits.Total net income in the third quarter rose to euro2...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Report: Bangladesh Seeks World Bank Funding to Develop Gas Field

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- Bangladesh has sought $51 million in funding assistance from the World Bank to drill a gas field and construct a pipeline, a news report said Friday.The move is a part of the governmen...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Wall Street Expects September Factory Orders to Have Declined at a Slower Pace in September

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government figures are expected to show factory orders in September declined at a slower pace than in August, when turbulence in the financial markets depressed demand across the manufacturin...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Wall Street Expects Government Data to Show Unemployment Rate Remained Steady in October

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government data due out Friday is expected to show the nation's unemployment rate remained steady in October despite continued turmoil in the mortgage market and the worst U.S. housing slump ...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Officials, Experts to Testify on Efforts to Stem Surge in Home Loan Foreclosures

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Top Bush administration officials, along with an executive from embattled mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp. will testify Friday as House lawmakers discuss efforts to combat rising m...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

He's Back: Disgraced Shock Jock Imus Will Be Back on the Radio Dec. 3 on WABC-AM in New York

NEW YORK (AP) -- A little more than six months ago, Don Imus' career seemed doomed. The shock jock had been fired over a racist and sexist remark that ignited an uproar over the limits of taste and tolerance. B...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Kroger Avoids Cincinnati Region Strike, Reaches Tentative Pact With Union Representing 11,000

CINCINNATI (AP) -- A union representing nearly 11,000 grocery workers says its tentative three-year contract with Kroger Co. provides employees with quality health insurance, wage increases and no benefits cuts...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Mazda Says Quarterly Profit Jumps 29 Percent, Lifted by US Sales Growth

TOKYO (AP) -- Mazda, a rare bright spot in the Ford group, reported a 29 percent jump in profit for the second fiscal quarter Friday on brisk demand for its small cars in the U.S. and other overseas markets. Ma...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Investor Sheldon Adelson Loses About $6 Billion As Las Vegas Sands Shares Plummet on 3Q Loss

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Billionaire Sheldon Adelson is worth about $6 billion less than he was a day ago after shares in Las Vegas Sands Corp. plunged following the announcement of a surprise third-quarter loss. The ...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Electronic Arts Swings to 2nd-Quarter Loss As Revenue Slides; Company Sets Restructuring Plan

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Video-game software publisher Electronic Arts Inc. swung to a fiscal second-quarter net loss, hurt by an accounting change, but shares climbed 5 percent after the company outlined a pro...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

GM Sales Up 3 Percent in October From a Year Ago; Asian Automakers Also Report US Sales Gains

DETROIT (AP) -- The U.S. auto market is likely to remain sluggish until year-end discounting starts in December, but there were still bright spots in October for General Motors Corp. and its Asian rivals. GM's ...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Oil Prices Rise to Nearly $94 a Barrel in Asia on Investors' Beliefs That Supplies Are Tight

SINGAPORE (AP) -- Oil prices rose Friday in Asian trading after the previous session's decline prompted fresh buying amid expectations that crude futures will continue to test new records because of tight suppl...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Chrysler to Cut Up to 12,000 Jobs in Effort to Slash Costs in Wake of Recent Contract Pact

DETROIT (AP) -- Chrysler's U.S. hourly workers, worried about job security, barely passed a new four-year contract with the automaker in votes that concluded last weekend. It turns out their fears were well-fou...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

F5 Networks Expected to Discuss Acquisition, Pipeline at Meeting

NEW YORK (AP) -- F5 Networks Inc., which makes computer network traffic management software, is expected to talk about a recent acquisition, as well as its product pipeline, at a Friday analyst and investor mee...

updated Fri November 02, 2007

Furniture Brands Declares Regular Quarterly Dividend of 16 Cents Per Share

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Furniture Brands International Inc. declared a regular quarterly dividend of 16 cents per share.The home furnishings company said Thursday it will pay the dividend on Nov. 23 to shareholders o...