Reuters - A Japanese court handed out its second jail term in the Livedoor accounting fraud on Thursday, sentencing the Internet firm's former finance director, Ryoji Miyauchi, to 20 months in prison.

Reuters - The Boston Globe's newsroom will shrink by 6 percent after 24 journalists, including two Pulitzer Prize winners, agreed to voluntary buyouts, New England's largest-circulation newspaper said on Wednesday.

EU ministers are to vote on a deal to ease curbs on transatlantic air travel, amid some UK airline concerns.

A second senior executive at the disgraced Japanese internet firm Livedoor is jailed for accounting fraud.

Hutchison Whampoa reports a 40% jump in profits, boosted by narrowing losses at its 3G telecoms operations.

Fashion retailer Next reports a 6.5% rise in annual profits but admits it needs to revitalise its stores.

Reuters - Starbucks Corp. said on Wednesday it remained in talks with the Ethiopian government to settle a dispute over the trademarking of the nation's coffee beans.

Reuters - Dutch retailer Ahold beat market expectations on Thursday as it more than doubled fourth-quarter net profit, thanks to its domestic activities, and said it would buy back 50 percent more of its shares.

Reuters - Mazda Motor Corp. (7261.T) said on Thursday it aims to boost operating profit by more than 27 percent to over 200 billion yen ($1.70 billion) and targets annual global sales of more than 1.6 million vehicles by the year ending March 2011.

Retail sales grew at their fastest rate for two years in February as shops discounted their products further.

Standard Life announces that it is to cut 1,000 jobs after reporting its first set of full-year results since its flotation.

Reuters - Dutch retailer Ahold NV beat market forecasts on Thursday as it more than doubled fourth-quarter net profit and said it would buy back more shares, suggesting it expects a good price for a U.S. unit.

AP - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has awarded bonuses totaling more than a half-billion dollars to more than half the giant retailer's hourly employees in the U.S., the company said Thursday.

EU ministers back a deal to ease curbs on transatlantic air travel, amid some UK airline concerns.

Japan's land prices rise for the first time in 16 years, in a further sign that the country's economy is recovering.

Retail sales grew at their fastest rate for two years in February as shops discounted their products further.

Gordon Brown says his Budget tax changes are reforms in the long term national interest rather than a 'con trick'.

Reuters - Lufthansa and a U.S fund have asked to look at Iberia's books as a first step toward a possible deal with the Spanish airline, newspaper El Pais reported on Thursday, quoting sector sources.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced new initiatives on Thursday to recognize performance and service among its employees, including a bonus plan to recognize store workers who have been with the company for 20 years or more.

AP - U.S. stock futures hinted at a flat opening on Wall Street on Thursday, a day after comments from the Federal Reserve set off a big rally.

AP - Book retailer Borders Group Inc. swung to a fourth-quarter loss on Thursday as it disclosed plans to close nearly half of its Waldenbooks stores and the possible sale of some international businesses as part of a restructuring plan.

Gaps on issues like beef and automobiles are delaying a deal the Bush administration calls the most sweeping since Nafta.

The deal will increase flights to the U.S. by opening up restricted routes to rivals, but it probably won?t take effect for another year.

British-based Algerian businessman, Abdelmoumene Rafik Khalifa, is sentenced to life in prison in absentia.

Reuters - KB Home , the No. 5 U.S. home builder, said on Thursday net profit fell 84 percent and warned that higher foreclosures and tighter lending standards in the broader market could prolong weakness in the sector.

Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly fell 4,000 last week to its lowest in six weeks, government data showed on Thursday in a report underscoring a healthy labor market.

AP - Book retailer Borders Group Inc. announced a fourth-quarter loss on Thursday as it disclosed plans to close nearly half of its Waldenbooks stores and the possible sale of some international businesses as part of a restructuring plan.

Two US groups are to create a portal for TV shows and movies in an attempt to hit back against video sharing sites.

Brussels accuses the US of supporting plane maker Boeing to the tune of nearly $24bn over the past two decades.

The DTI suspends a popular subsidy for households wanting to install small scale generation such as solar panels.

Shares in Rank Group fall after it warns changes to casino gaming duty in the Budget will cost it £8m a year.

Reuters - A surprise drop in the number of new claims filed for jobless aid pointed to a healthy U.S. labor market, but a forward-looking measure of the economy showed momentum has slowed, data released on Thursday showed.

Reuters - Top U.S. book retailer Barnes & Noble Inc. on Thursday posted slightly higher quarterly net income, but forecast a loss for the current period.

Reuters - KB Home , the No. 5 U.S. home builder, said on Thursday net profit fell 84 percent and warned that higher foreclosures and tighter lending standards in the broader market could prolong weakness in the sector.

AP - Book retailer Borders Group Inc. announced a fourth-quarter loss on Thursday as it disclosed plans to close nearly half of its Waldenbooks stores and the possible sale of most of its international businesses as part of a restructuring plan.

The networks hope to offer high-quality versions of entire TV episodes on the Web on an advertising-supported basis.

The deal, which opens up restricted routes across the Atlantic to rivals, probably won?t take effect until 2008.

Reuters - Countrywide's subprime mortgage defaults for 2006 loans may exceed the company's highest on record, a company executive told a government panel examining mortgage lending.

Reuters - A U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled on Thursday that Delphi Corp. may pay up to $37.4 million in bonuses to executives for the first six months of 2007, despite objections from the auto parts maker's unions.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , which has battled criticism that it pays inadequate wages, said on Thursday that it was paying almost $530 million in bonuses to hourly U.S. store employees, marking the first time the retailer has disclosed such figures.

Carrefour, the world?s second-largest retailer, faces a dynastic squabble and pressure from powerful investors hunting for profit.

The networks hope to offer high-quality versions of entire TV episodes on the Web on an advertising-supported basis.

A software giant said its German rival gained access to its password-protected customer support Web site in order to copy products.

European Union governments backed a deal with the United States that would open restricted airline routes to new rivals.

The 1998 law made it a crime for commercial Web sites to allow children to gain access to ?harmful? material.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is to pay out $529m in annual bonuses to 800,000 of its US workers.

Reuters - Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP filed with regulators on Thursday for an initial public offering of up to $4 billion of common units.

AP - A strong job market appears to be propping up an economy suffering from slumping home prices and a slowdown in manufacturing, two economic reports suggested Thursday.

Andres Martinez said his publisher undermined him by canceling a special section because the guest editor of the section, a Hollywood producer, was represented by Mr. Martinez?s girlfriend.

Blackstone, one of the private equity firms considering a bid for Sainsbury's, is to raise $4bn by selling some shares.

Software giant Oracle is suing bitter rival SAP, accusing it of hacking in its computers and stealing product information.

The boss of oil giant Total is placed under judicial investigation as police look into alleged bribes to Iran.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is to pay out $529m in annual bonuses to 800,000 of its US workers.

Reuters - Nike Inc. reported on Thursday quarterly net profit growth of nearly 8 percent, topping Wall Street estimates, as improved performance in its difficult European market helped offset disappointing U.S. results.

The New York Times Company announced that it would raise its quarterly dividend by 31 percent.

A US Federal Reserve official admits it should have been aware of risks posed by the sub-prime mortgage market.

Reuters - Nike Inc. reported on Thursday an 8 percent rise in net profit, topping analysts' estimates, but soft sales at U.S. malls and a forecast of lower gross margins this quarter sent its shares down 3 percent.

Reuters - Office supplies maker Avery Dennison Corp. said on Thursday it would buy clothing label maker Paxar Corp. for $1.3 billion, in a bid to expand in the fragmented retail information and brand identification market.

Eli Lilly offers a free program only if states let doctors prescribe Zyprexa without first seeking permission from the state.

Andres Martinez said he had been undermined by his publisher over what Mr. Martinez described as a ?perception of a conflict of interest.?

The Federal Communications Commission is giving up on the idea of letting passengers use cellphones on planes.

The largest private equity firm in the nation will seek an initial public offering that would value the firm at as much as $40 billion.

Oracle has sued its rival SAP, accusing the big German software maker of intruding into its computer systems to carry out ?corporate theft on a grand scale.?

The networks hope to rival YouTube with a new venture to showcase their own programming across the Internet?s biggest Web sites.

A little-noticed tool of automated underwriting software helped fuel the recent subprime mortgage boom.

India?s drive to become a global economic powerhouse faces a huge roadblock in its inefficient, largely state-controlled financial system.

A new campaign for Consol Energy seeks to burnish the image of the company? and of coal as an energy source ? to help recruit employees.

Senators criticized banking regulators for failing to respond more quickly to curb the growth in risky home loans to people with weak credit.

Borders announced a new strategic plan to close nearly half of its Waldenbooks stores and start its own online retail site.

French authorities are looking into whether Total paid kickbacks to win a gas contract in Iran during the late 1990s.

Investors seemed cautious, awaiting new data to assess whether the hopes of some analysts for an interest rate cut were justified.

Net profit for fell 84 percent and the company warned that foreclosures and tighter lending standards could prolong weakness in the sector.

The move that would mark a major milestone in the countries? trade relations and could improve Intel?s competitiveness.

General Mills posted higher quarterly earnings, helped by manufacturing cost cuts and increased marketing spending that bolstered sales.

The board gave Joseph P. Nacchio a raise and 7.25 million shares in stock options after acknowledging that it had used one-time transactions to help meet financial targets.

The maker of the Treo mobile phone posted a lower quarterly profit because of higher costs.

Quarterly profit grew 8 percent, helped by higher sales in Europe and a favorable rate of currency exchange.

A strong job market appears to be propping up an economy suffering from slumping home prices and a slowdown in manufacturing.

ConAgra reported a third-quarter profit as earnings from trading commodities overcame the cost to recall its Peter Pan peanut butter last month.

Andrés Martinez said he had been undermined by his publisher over what Mr. Martinez described as a ?perception of a conflict of interest.?

In the long run, analysts suggest that Motorola needs to turn away from the hit-driven business model.

A federal judge instead lent support to a plan that would require State Farm to reopen thousands of claims by working through regulators rather than the court.

Public disclosure over who owns what at least gives people a better idea of what to fight about.

Gaps on issues like beef and automobiles are delaying a deal the Bush administration calls the most sweeping since Nafta.

The move comes as the company is under increasing pressure from investors because of its stagnant stock performance.

French authorities are looking into whether Total paid kickbacks to win a gas contract in Iran during the late 1990s.

Wal-Mart said that about 80 percent of hourly workers would split more than half a billion dollars.

Gordon Paris, who succeeded Conrad M. Black as head of Hollinger International accused Mr. Black and his associates of running a ?corporate kleptocracy.?

Pfizer said that a court ruling upholding the company?s patent on the blood pressure medication Norvasc was reversed by a federal appeals court.

Hub International said its recently announced agreement to be acquired has been amended to increase the purchase price for each share to $41.50, from $40.

Brazil?s securities regulator said in a ruling late Wednesday that Arcelor Mittal, the world?s biggest steel maker, must pay about 49.75 reais ($24.17) a share for stock of a local unit, Arcelor Brasil. The regulator said the company must pay more than the 35 reais ($17) a share it originally offered. Arcelor was required to offer to buy out minority shareholders in Arcelor Brasil to comply with local legislation after Mittal Steel?s takeover of Arcelor last year.

Colombia, the world?s third-biggest banana shipper, filed a new complaint with the World Trade Organization against European rules that it said discriminated against banana exports. The trade organization first ruled against Europe in September 1997, backing claims brought by Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico almost two years earlier. The new request starts a fresh challenge to a tariff of 176 euros ($234) per metric ton.

Harris Associates rejected Citigroup?s $13.4 billion bid for Nikko Cordial, the Japanese brokerage firm, saying the price was still too low. Harris, which is Nikko?s largest shareholder, with a stake of about 7.5 percent, has no plan ?at this stage? to accept Citigroup?s bid of 1,700 yen ($14.47) a share, David G. Herro, Harris?s chief investment officer, said. Citigroup raised its offer to 1,700 yen a share from 1,350 after Harris and other funds opposed the bid.

Peter Mandelson, the European Union?s top trade negotiator, said he would not seek a second term after his current tenure ends in 2009. As European trade chief, Mr. Mandelson has been coordinating the bloc?s strategy in World Trade Organization talks and defending Airbus in a dispute with the United States government and the Boeing Company. He has held the post since November 2004 and said he would not leave before his term expires in November 2009.

Royal Ahold, the operator of the Stop & Shop grocery chain in the United States, reported a sharp rise in fourth-quarter earnings. The company, which is based in Amsterdam, earned 239 million euros ($318 million) for the last three months of 2006, up from 103 million euros a year earlier. Profit was helped by lower financing costs. In the United States, sales were flat at the Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover chains.

The boss of oil giant Total is placed under judicial investigation as police look into alleged bribes to Iran.

AP - Wal-Mart lawyers argued before the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday that the retailer should be allowed to break a multimillion-dollar retirement package with a former executive because he acknowledged defrauding the company.