American Electric Power is planning the largest demonstration yet of capturing carbon dioxide from a coal-fired power plant and pumping it deep underground.

Reuters - An Ohio representative is planning to release information on Thursday that suggests Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s ambitions into consumer banking may extend beyond what the retail giant had previously disclosed, The New York Times reported.

Asian stock markets rebound, after a global sell-off sparked by concerns about the US economy.

Criminal charges against a former Hewlett Packard chairwoman over a spying scandal are dropped.

US banana firm Chiquita says it will plead guilty to doing business with a terror group in Colombia.

Black and Asian women are ignored by many employers, despite labour shortages, equality watchdogs say.

Cadbury Schweppes confirms it is going to split itself up into two businesses, separating confectionery and drinks.

Reuters - Influential proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. urged shareholders in Japanese brewer Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (2501.T) to vote against their company's defense against hostile takeovers, hedge fund Steel Partners said on Thursday.

AFP - India's Reliance Industries has named two investment bankers to negotiate the purchase of a strategic minority stake in French-based Carrefour, the world's second largest retailer, according to a report Thursday.

The word from many sleep experts was that, despite the federal warning, prescription sleeping pills are relatively safe drugs if taken as directed.

Global markets show some recovery signs, after a global sell-off sparked by concerns about the US economy.

Russia's President Putin signs a deal in Athens to build a Balkan oil pipeline with Bulgaria and Greece.

Morrisons unveils plans to rebrand itself, with a new logo, new staff uniforms and a new slogan.

Prudential says 3,000 of its staff will be affected by its latest round of cost-cutting plans.

Reuters - Investors sent European and Japanese stock prices sharply higher on Thursday, a day after taking steep losses, while some calm returned to currency markets and demand for riskier bonds jumped.

Reuters - Cadbury Schweppes Plc on Thursday confirmed it planned to split its confectionery and American drinks businesses, sending its shares higher, but analysts said it will make both more vulnerable to predators.

Reuters - OPEC is ready to keep existing output curbs when it meets on Thursday, balancing rapidly declining oil stocks in consumer nations against the risk recent selling in share markets could herald an economic downturn.

Reuters - Influential proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. said on Thursday it urged shareholders in Japanese brewer Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (2501.T) to vote against the company's defense against hostile takeovers.

Imperial Tobacco is in talks about buying Altadis, which makes Gauloises and Fortuna cigarettes.

Mobile phone provider Vodafone agrees with Essar over how to run the Indian wireless company.

Former US vice president Al Gore calls on investors to consider climate change factors when buying stocks.

Gordon Brown is reportedly planning to sell student debt to raise money to spend on education in the Budget.

Reuters - IntercontinentalExchange Inc. said on Thursday it has proposed a merger with CBOT Holdings Inc. thorough a stock-for-stock transaction.

Reuters - Britain's Imperial Tobacco Plc has made an unsolicited bid approach for Altadis , the Franco-Spanish tobacco firm said on Thursday, announcing a cash bid valuing the firm at 11.53 billion euros ($15 billion).

Reuters - OPEC on Thursday raised slightly its forecast for world oil demand growth, although it voiced concern about possible economic weakness that could erode oil demand.

The prices that businesses charge one another rose 1.3 percent, a sign that inflation remains a threat.

February US producer prices jump by more than forecast, boosted by food, toy and energy costs, data shows.

IntercontinentalExchange makes a surprise $9.9bn bid for commodities market Chicago Board of Trade.

US oil giant Exxon Mobil mulls its future in Venezuela as the country's president drives through nationalisation plans.

The US ends a Macau banking inquiry, paving the way for N Korea to access frozen funds, one of its key demands.

Reuters - Higher energy costs pushed producer prices up by a bigger-than-expected 1.3 percent in February and there was a large drop in the number of initial jobless claims filed last week, Labor Department data on Thursday showed.

Reuters - Upstart energy exchange IntercontinentalExchange Inc. on Thursday offered to buy options market CBOT Holdings Inc. , for $9.9 billion, challenging an existing bid by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. .

Reuters - Bear Stearns Cos. Inc. , Wall Street's leading underwriter of mortgage-backed securities, posted an 8 percent rise in quarterly earnings on Thursday, but problems in the risky subprime loan sector curbed revenue.

Reuters - Telecommunications equipment maker Cisco Systems said on Thursday it reached an agreement to buy WebEx Communications Inc. , which specializes in software applications that allow businesses to collaborate, in a deal valued at $3.2 billion.

Reuters - OPEC agreed on Thursday to keep oil output restraints in place, balancing rapidly declining oil stocks in consumer nations against the risk recent selling in share markets could herald an economic downturn.

US technology giant Cisco Systems is to acquire web conferencing firm WebEx in a deal worth $3.2bn.

Struggling planemaker Airbus is set to get a boost with a major order for new planes from Russian carrier Aeroflot.

IntercontinentalExchange makes a surprise $9.9bn bid for commodities market Chicago Board of Trade.

Reuters - General Motors Corp. has concluded that its internal controls on financial reporting are "ineffective," after a six-week delay in reporting 2006 results prompted by repeated accounting errors.

The company, facing pressure from shareholders, including the billionaire Nelson Peltz, said a split would help it focus on expanding its confectionary unit.

Barclays says it does not expect to be seriously hurt by the woes of the US sub-prime lending market amid fears of a fallout in the UK.

Reuters - Upstart energy exchange IntercontinentalExchange Inc. on Thursday offered to buy futures market CBOT Holdings Inc. for $9.9 billion, besting an existing takeover offer from Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. .

Reuters - Bear Stearns Cos. Inc. , the No. 1 U.S. underwriter of mortgage-backed securities, posted an 8 percent rise in quarterly earnings on Thursday and calmed a jittery U.S. stock market when it said problems with risky subprime mortgages were largely contained.

Reuters - CBS Corp. has reached a deal with YouTube to show highlights, press conferences and other content from the NCAA basketball tournament on the video-sharing site, the broadcaster said on Thursday.

FT.com - Latvia's central bank hiked interest rates by 50 basis points to 5.5 per cent on Thursday in an attempt to take some of the steam out of the country's overheating economy.

The decision could send oil prices into a fresh upswing this spring as demand for gasoline picks up.

Reuters - The financial markets grew calm on Thursday for the first time since the subprime mortgage crisis erupted earlier this week, but government officials stepped up the effort to find out what went wrong in the home finance market and how it could be fixed.

Reuters - U.S. producer prices rose sharply in February and new claims for jobless aid fell last week, data showed on Thursday, but sluggish factory activity in the Northeast suggested the economy was only limping along.

Reuters - House prices could tumble 10 percent this year and raise the chances the United States may slip into recession unless the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates to cushion the fall in economic growth, Merrill Lynch said in research notes this week.

Reuters - Shareholders of CVS Corp. , the No. 2 U.S. drugstore chain, on Thursday approved the company's $23.9 billion plan to buy pharmacy benefits manager Caremark Rx Inc. .

A verdict is due in the trial of Japanese tycoon Takafumi Horie, accused of fraud at the Livedoor internet firm.

The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith sets up a working group to consider a formal plea bargaining system for fraudsters.

Reuters - Global financial markets on Thursday emerged from two days of turmoil sparked by a crisis in the U.S. housing finance sector, and government officials stepped up efforts to find out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Reuters - CBOT Holdings Inc. , holding company for the Chicago Board of Trade, confirmed on Thursday it received an unsolicited merger proposal from Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE).

Reuters - A failed bid by US Airways Group Inc. for bankrupt Delta Air Lines Inc. has not dimmed the outlook for airline mergers, the chief executive of UAL Corp.'s United Airlines said on Thursday.

New protests against job cuts planned at planemaker Airbus are due to take place across Europe on Friday.

A labelling scheme is to show products' carbon footprint and help people make green shopping decisions.

Reuters - Upstart energy exchange IntercontinentalExchange Inc. on Thursday offered to buy futures market CBOT Holdings Inc. for $9.9 billion, besting an existing takeover offer from Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. .

Reuters - Shareholders of CVS Corp. , the No. 2 U.S. drugstore chain, on Thursday approved the company's $23.9 billion plan to buy pharmacy benefits manager Caremark Rx Inc. .

Reuters - Subprime mortgage lenders could lose up to a third of their business if proposals to scrap some types of loans to high-risk borrowers, currently under consideration by federal regulators, go into effect, a leading underwriter said on Thursday.

Reuters - An increase in U.S. homes for sale as a result of subprime loan borrowers defaulting on their mortgages, in addition to less construction of new homes, is likely to depress gross domestic product growth, Standard & Poor's said on Thursday.

Intercontinental Exchange made a $10 billion bid to wrest the Chicago Board of Trade away from its planned merger partner, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

How do makers of implanted medical devices react when one of their products starts breaking? Some case studies are revealing.

A jury is selected for the US trial of media tycoon Lord Conrad Black on charges including racketeering.

Controversial Japanese tycoon Takafumi Horie is found guilty of fraud at the Livedoor internet firm.

Reuters - Arcelor Mittal , the world's biggest steel maker, could be interested in making a hostile takeover of South Korean steel maker POSCO Co. Ltd. (005490.KS), the Korea Economic Daily said on Friday.

Richard F. Scruggs, the lawyer representing homeowners affected by Hurricane Katrina has turned the case into a nightmare for the insurance industry.

This may not be a good time to borrow money if you are a homeowner with a poor credit history, but it is a fine time if you are a company with such a problem.

Some technology investors that portray themselves as green-friendly are inconsistent with their marketing message.

General Motors warned investors that its performance was threatened by ?ineffective? controls over financial reporting.

Madison Avenue?s ability to contribute phrases to the vernacular has always been prized as a way to amplify an ad campaign.

The country?s largest black financial institution is teaming up with Merrill Lynch to help the firm entree into minority neighborhoods.

Kenneth D. Moelis, the president of UBS?s investment bank in New York, is threatening to leave the firm, according to people briefed on the matter.

The $3.2 billion deal to acquire the online meeting company WebEx furthers Cisco?s push into the business communications market.

The proposal from Sam Zell is said to be falling from favor, forcing management to reconsider how Tribune might restructure.

The finance minister of Germany said he favored an internationally accepted ?code of conduct? for the hedge fund industry.

Russia, Greece and Bulgaria signed an agreement to build an oil pipeline bypassing the crowded Bosporus in Turkey.

Takafumi Horie was found guilty by the Tokyo District Court of violating securities laws at his company, Livedoor.

Prices rose broadly and sharply for businesses in February as an array of goods, from children?s toys to tobacco, became more expensive.

Imperial Tobacco, a British cigarette maker, made a 11.5 billion euro ($15.2 billion) takeover bid for Altadis, its Madrid-based rival.

The Bear Stearns Companies, Wall Street?s largest underwriter of mortgage securities, said yesterday that its first-quarter profit rose 8 percent despite turmoil in the subprime lending sector.

Michael G. Oxley was named a nonexecutive vice chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market, a newly created position.

Signs of strength in corporate takeover activity, jobs and overseas markets allowed investors to stomach a sharp rise in wholesale inflation.

General Electric?s leasing, financing and asset management business plans to buy the PHH Corporation for about $1.8 billion.

A jury was selected in the racketeering trial of Conrad M. Black and jurors were instructed to return Monday for opening statements.

CVS shareholders voted to approve the company?s $23.9 billion plan to buy pharmacy benefits manager Caremark Rx.

A judge has barred Netsmart Technologies from polling shareholders on a $115 million offer to sell out to private equity firms.

As Mexico?s finance minister in the 1960s, Antonio Ortiz Mena was the architect of a period of remarkable growth known as the ?Mexican miracle.?

Nissan Motor plans to cut production at two plants in Japan from April 2 until the end of June because of weaker demand. Nissan will cut a shift on a production line in Kanagawa and in Tochigi Prefectures, a spokesman, Yuichi Nakagawa, said. Each plant has two lines. The plant in Kanagawa makes subcompacts like the March, and the Tochigi plant builds Skyline sedans and other vehicles. Nissan?s domestic vehicle sales, excluding minicars, fell for a 17th straight month in February.

The All Nippon Airways Company had its offices in Los Angeles searched for nine hours yesterday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a statement from the carrier. The FBI declined to say why the office was searched. ?We don?t know why they raided the office, but we confirmed with our staff there that it wasn?t anything to do with the operation of the aircraft or terrorism,? a spokesman at All Nippon, Rob Henderson, said. The customer service center in Los Angeles is the headquarters of the airline?s North American operations and is responsible for passenger and cargo sales for the western and southern United States.

The Russian flag carrier Aeroflot will acquire 22 A350 Airbus wide-body jets and Qatar Airways is in talks with Airbus on a purchase of 80 A350s, the airlines said. Aeroflot also could soon sign a contract to buy 10 to 15 smaller A330s as part of a major upgrade of its fleet, a spokeswoman, Irina Dannenberg, said. Delivery of the A330s would begin by the end of 2008, while the A350s would be delivered starting in 2015, Ms. Dannenberg said. A final contract for both models will be signed in coming weeks. She declined to say how much the deal would be worth. A major A350 sale would help Airbus at a difficult time.

A bid by a private equity consortium to take over Qantas Airways appears to be in trouble after improvements in the airline?s earning prospects have left the offer looking inadequate. The Airline Partners Australia consortium, which includes the Texas Pacific Group, Macquarie Bank and Allco Equity Partners, made the takeover bid last year, valuing Qantas at 11.1 billion Australian dollars ($8.75 billion). At the time, many were surprised that the bidders believed the airline was worth so much, but with recently growing passenger loads and stable fuel prices, that view has changed. ?The underlying conditions in the airline market have improved and have made the original bid look a bit skinny,? said Matthew Crowe, the transportation analyst at JPMorgan in Sydney.

Luxury home prices in London rose at an annual rate of 31 percent in February, the fastest pace in 28 years. The average price of London?s most expensive houses and apartments gained 2.6 percent on a monthly basis, according to data compiled by Knight Frank, a real estate broker based in London. ?Prices in central London have for the past two years been growing at three times the rate? of the rest of Britain, said Liam Bailey, the partner in charge of residential research at Knight Frank.

Bayer, the drug and chemicals maker, said its fourth-quarter earnings surged, helped by growth in its health care business, and forecast a 5 percent increase in annual sales as it benefits from the acquisition of Schering. The company, based in Leverkusen, said it earned 311 million euros ($410 million) in the period, compared with 46 million euros a year earlier. Sales during the fourth quarter rose 25 percent, to 7.97 billion euros ($10.51 billion) from 6.37 billion euros. Sales in its health care unit rose 75 percent, to 3.78 billion euros ($4.98 billion). The company?s crop sciences unit posted fourth-quarter sales of 1.3 billion euros ($1.71 billion), down 5.4 percent. Bayer?s chief executive, Werner Wenning, above, said Bayer expects an increase in group sales this year of more than 10 percent, which would come to about 5 percent when adjusted for the rising euro.

Fiat said it would go ahead with plans to build a low-cost car, joining a growing number of automakers seeking to emulate Renault?s success with the Romanian-built Logan. ?This will be our answer to the Logan,? said Fiat?s chief executive, Sergio Marchionne. Mr. Marchionne said Fiat would build the car in Brazil and might expand its production to China, India and Turkey, where it has plants. Faced with flat growth and increasing competition in their home markets, Fiat and other automakers are expanding in the developing world, where markets are growing very fast.

Reuters - Upstart energy exchange IntercontinentalExchange Inc. on Thursday offered to buy futures market CBOT Holdings Inc. for $9.9 billion, besting an existing takeover offer from Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. .

Reuters - POSCO Co. Ltd., the world's third-largest steel maker, denied a newspaper report on Friday that a senior Arcelor Mittal executive expressed interest in POSCO's M&A strategy when he visited South Korea last month.