updated Sun October 28, 2007

FCC Approves $24.7 Billion Buyout of Wireless Carrier Alltel Corp.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Communications Commission on Friday approved a $24.7 billion buyout of Alltel Corp., the nation's fifth-largest wireless carrier, to a private investment group.The agency approved...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Genworth Shares Climb After Reporting Increase in 3rd-Quarter Profit, Analysts Remain Positive

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Genworth Financial Inc. climbed Friday after the financial services firm reported a 12 percent increase in third-quarter profit and analysts remained positive about the stock despite ...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Digital River Shares Jump on 3rd-Quarter Results, Although Some Analysts Are Cautious

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Digital River Inc., which builds e-commerce sites for software publishers, jumped Friday after a BMO Capital Markets analyst upgraded the company on its earnings, although other analy...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

BEA Systems Shares Fall After Company Rejects Oracle's Buyout Offer of $17 Per Share

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of business software company BEA Systems Inc. dropped almost 6 percent Friday after the company rejected a takeover offer by Oracle Corp.In a letter to Oracle, BEA said Oracle's offer of...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Merrill Lynch's CEO Faces Tough Weekend, Many Expect a Change in the Boardroom

NEW YORK (AP) -- Merrill Lynch & Co. Chief Executive Stan O'Neal faced the potential loss of his job Friday over questions about his leadership of the world's largest brokerage -- and he may face a revolt l...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Leopard, Apple's New Operating System, Delayed 4 Months, Goes on Sale Worldwide

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Apple Inc.'s delayed update to the Mac OS X operating system is hitting store shelves as consumers are increasingly snapping up Macintosh computers to complement their iPods and iPhones...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Apple Imposes New Limits on iPhone Sales to Crack Down on Unauthorized Resellers

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Apple Inc. no longer accepts cash for iPhone purchases and now limits sales of the cell phone to two per person in a move to stop people from reselling them.The new policy started Thurs...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Utah NAACP Wants Apology From Overstock Founder After Youtube Video Posting

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The founder of Overstock.com rejected the NAACP's demand for an apology Friday after an Internet video surfaced of him saying that Utah minorities who don't graduate from high school migh...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Wall Street Rises on Strong Microsoft Profit; Bonds Up, Commodities Strengthen

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street closed an erratic week with strong gains on Friday as strong earnings from Microsoft Corp. and an optimistic outlook from Countrywide Financial Corp. outweighed investor concerns ab...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

AP Centerpiece: From Home to Handyman's Special, a House Goes Through Foreclosure Sale

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- At 14, Joan Cyman hauled wood and clutched a hammer with her father to build a deck on the back of their house.It was one of many projects to turn the already attractive four-bedr...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Bolivia's New State-Run Airline Expected to Begin Domestic Service Early Next Year

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- The Bolivian government announced plans to launch a new state-run airline that is expected to begin domestic service early next year.Boliviana de Aviacion, or BoA, aims to "democratize a...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

China Construction Bank Says 3Q Profit Rose $3 Billion

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- China Construction Bank, the country's biggest property lender, said Saturday its third quarter net profit was 22.8 billion yuan ($3 billion) on strong interest and fee income.The state-...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Waste Management's Profit Slips 7 Percent in 3Q on Labor Dispute Charge; Lowers Forecast

HOUSTON (AP) -- Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler, said Friday costs associated with a labor dispute and rising crude oil prices were mainly to blame for a 7 percent drop in its third-q...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Countrywide Financial Reports 3Q Loss of $1.2B on Mortgage Woes, Expects Profits in 4Q, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Countrywide Financial Corp. lost $1.2 billion in the third quarter, but its shares soared Friday after the nation's largest mortgage lender said it expects to be profitable this quarter and ...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Conn. Attorney General Subpoenas Debt-Rating Agencies Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut's attorney general said Friday that he has subpoenaed the nation's three largest debt-rating agencies as part of an investigation into possible anticompetitive practices. Att...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Oil Prices Close at Record on Supply Concerns, but Backs Off $92 Hit Overnight

NEW YORK (AP) -- Crude futures rose to record levels on Friday, supported by worries over political tensions in the Middle East where the U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran and Turkish troops remained massed at the...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Merrill Lynch's CEO Faces Tough Weekend, Many Expect a Change in the Boardroom

NEW YORK (AP) -- Merrill Lynch & Co. chief executive Stan O'Neal faced the potential loss of his job Friday over questions about his leadership of the world's largest brokerage -- and he may face a revolt l...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Efficiencies Help Wendy's Beat 3Q Estimates; Review of Company Continuing

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Wendy's International Inc. said changes at its restaurants are paying off, but that a decision about the possible sale of the nation's third-largest hamburger chain is taking longer than ...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

Volkswagen's 3Q, 9-Month Profits Soar on 4 Percent Sales Boost

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- Automaker Volkswagen AG said Friday that its third-quarter profit soared higher on improved sales in Asia, Europe and South America, along with lower costs for building cars. The Wolf...

updated Sat October 27, 2007

US Private Equity Firm JC Flowers in Talks to Bid for Troubled British Lender Northern Rock

LONDON (AP) -- U.S. private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Co. said Friday that it is in talks with Northern Rock PLC about a possible takeover bid and named a proposed management team for the troubled British ...