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Honda designs car friendly for dogs
Oct 4 2005 10:19PM (CT)
WAKO, Japan (AP) - Honda Motor Co. has designed a car that's friendly for dogs _ part of the Japanese automaker's ongoing effort to create vehicles that are easy to use and comfortable to ride in.
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Judge strikes down part of Calif. law
Oct 4 2005 10:16PM (CT)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A federal judge on Tuesday struck down part of a California law that restricts banks from selling consumers' private information to their affiliates, ruling that the state law is pre-empted by federal rules.
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Japanese stocks dip, dollar lower vs yen
Oct 4 2005 10:01PM (CT)
TOKYO (AP) - Japanese stocks dipped in Tokyo trading Wednesday after reaching a four-year high in the previous session. The dollar was lower against the yen.
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Survey foresees $34.4B in Katrina claims
Oct 4 2005 9:56PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - Hurricane Katrina is likely to result in at least $34.4 billion in personal and commercial property loss claims, according to the first publicly released survey of the nation's insurers.
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BP forecasts $700 million 3rd-quarter hit
Oct 4 2005 9:52PM (CT)
LONDON (AP) - BP Group PLC said Tuesday that damage and disruption caused by hurricanes in the United States would cost the energy company more than $700 million in the third quarter.
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Continental Airlines sees small 3Q profit
Oct 4 2005 9:42PM (CT)
HOUSTON (AP) - Continental Airlines Inc. forecast a modest third-quarter profit as it and some other airlines reported stronger passenger traffic for September, though the outlook for the industry remains troubled.
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Gemstar asks judge to reject plea deal
Oct 4 2005 7:11PM (CT)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. asked a judge Tuesday to reject a plea deal for former CEO Henry C. Yuen, arguing that the executive deserved a harsher sentence for obstructing a federal investigation into company accounting practices.
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Freddie Mac expects huge hurricane losses
Oct 4 2005 6:51PM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Mortgage giant Freddie Mac said Tuesday that it expects to report a third-quarter loss of $150 million to $300 million as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
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Express Scripts to raise cost for Lipitor
Oct 4 2005 6:35PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Inc. is recommending clients remove cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor from their preferred drug lists next year to promote the use of a rival product, Zocor, which will become significantly cheaper in June when it loses patent protection.
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Couple sues insurers over Katrina losses
Oct 4 2005 6:16PM (CT)
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi couple sued insurers on Tuesday, saying the companies refused to pay for the damage to their home caused by Hurricane Katrina.
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Sprint Nextel claims patent infringement
Oct 4 2005 5:58PM (CT)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A subsidiary of Sprint Nextel Corp. on Tuesday sued three Internet telephone providers, claiming they're infringing on Sprint's patents.
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Microsoft out of online music talks
Oct 4 2005 5:55PM (CT)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - After weeks of negotiations, Microsoft Corp. has suspended talks with the four major record companies over the licensing terms for a new online music subscription service, according to music industry people familiar with the talks.
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La-Z-Boy to 'significantly miss' earning
Oct 4 2005 5:45PM (CT)
MONROE, Mich. (AP) - La-Z-Boy Inc. late Tuesday said it will "significantly miss" its earnings and sales forecasts for the current quarter due to a shortage of foam padding, a continued soft retail environment and the effects of Hurricane Rita.
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Clorox narrows first-quarter view
Oct 4 2005 5:44PM (CT)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Clorox Co. Tuesday cut its earnings forecast for the current fiscal year due to rising energy-related costs driven by recent hurricanes.
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Autodesk to buy Alias for $182 million
Oct 4 2005 5:43PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - Software maker Autodesk Inc. Tuesday said it agreed to buy Alias, a privately held developer of three-dimensional graphics technology, for $182 million in cash.
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Delta cuts flights to conserve fuel
Oct 4 2005 5:42PM (CT)
ATLANTA (AP) - Delta Air Lines Inc., buffeted by high fuel costs in the wake of Katrina and Rita, said it is reducing its domestic flight schedule.
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McDonald's, Best Buy reprise Monopoly game
Oct 4 2005 5:34PM (CT)
OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) - McDonald's Corp. launched what it called its biggest promotion ever Tuesday, reprising a version of its Monopoly game for a third straight year with partner Best Buy Co. Inc.
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Nielsen to rate DISH Network
Oct 4 2005 5:23PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - EchoStar Communications Corp., the parent of satellite TV broadcaster DISH Network, Tuesday said Nielsen Media Research will measure the company's viewership.
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Gov't. gets $116M from America West stock
Oct 4 2005 5:20PM (CT)
PHOENIX (AP) - The federal government will pocket $116 million from the sale of stock options it received for guaranteeing an emergency loan package to the former America West Airlines after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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Navistar plans to make Caton new CFO
Oct 4 2005 5:14PM (CT)
WARRENVILLE, Ill. (AP) - Navistar International Corp. named Bill Caton executive vice president of finance, and plans to name him chief financial officer in December.
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El Paso proposes new pipeline
Oct 4 2005 5:08PM (CT)
HOUSTON (AP) - El Paso Corp. Tuesday proposed a natural-gas pipeline project, the Continental Connector, to link its western pipelines, which bring supply from the Rocky Mountain and mid-continent regions, with its pipelines in the south and east, which serve the East Coast and the Midwest. The project would also provide a link to production in north and east Texas.
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Treasury prices end modestly firmer
Oct 4 2005 5:06PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. Treasury prices posted modest gains late Tuesday, however, a negative outlook for government debt persists.
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Sprint Nextel files patent suit
Oct 4 2005 4:55PM (CT)
RESTON, Va. (AP) - Sprint Nextel Corp. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against two Internet telephone companies, alleging they infringed seven of its patents.
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Tuesday's commodities roundup
Oct 4 2005 4:54PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices fell Tuesday for the third straight session as traders worried that the spikes produced by recent hurricanes have damaged demand.
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Part of bankruptcy law waived for Katrina
Oct 4 2005 4:43PM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department temporarily waived a provision of a tough new bankruptcy law to aid people filing for bankruptcy in Louisiana and southern Mississippi because of Hurricane Katrina.
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New nickel features cheerful Jefferson
Oct 4 2005 4:42PM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - After nearly 100 years of depicting presidents in somber profiles on the nation's coins, the Mint is trying something different: The new nickel features Thomas Jefferson, facing forward, with the hint of a smile.
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Venezuela grants natural gas licenses
Oct 4 2005 4:28PM (CT)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela gave licenses Tuesday to Chevron Corp. and Russian oil company OAO Gazprom to explore for and extract natural gas from reserves off the coast of the South American country.
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Disabled golfers sue Mariott
Oct 4 2005 4:28PM (CT)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Disabled golfers sued Marriott International Inc. on Tuesday, accusing the lodging and travel chain of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing so-called "adaptive" golf carts.
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Chesapeake sees natural gas expansion
Oct 4 2005 4:20PM (CT)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - After agreeing to pay $2.2 billion in cash for Columbia Natural Resources LLC, Chesapeake Energy Corp. officials said Tuesday that they plan an aggressive expansion of Appalachian natural gas production.
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Lexmark slashes third-quarter outlook
Oct 4 2005 4:15PM (CT)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Shares of Lexmark International Inc. plunged almost 30 percent on Tuesday after the printer maker cut its third-quarter profit estimate by more than half because of declining sales.
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Strike limits Boeing's 3Q deliveries
Oct 4 2005 4:08PM (CT)
CHICAGO (AP) - Boeing Co. said Tuesday it delivered 62 commercial airplanes in the third quarter, its lowest total for the period in a decade due to the strike by assembly workers that ended last week.
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BP PLC's Russian venture: Back tax slashed
Oct 4 2005 4:06PM (CT)
MOSCOW (AP) - BP PLC's Russian joint venture said Tuesday that a court had slashed a $140 million back tax assessment _ a positive sign for investors rattled by the legal assault against the Yukos oil company.
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S&P weighs GM and Ford downgrades
Oct 4 2005 4:01PM (CT)
DETROIT (AP) - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services is reviewing the credit ratings of the nation's two biggest automakers, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., and could downgrade them further into "junk" status as early as mid-January.
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Rita forces Goodyear to cut production
Oct 4 2005 3:58PM (CT)
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the world's biggest tire maker, has cut back production at its North American plants by 30 percent due to Hurricane Rita's disruption of the raw materials supply. Its shares sank 5 percent in afternoon trading.
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Prudential shutters tech research group
Oct 4 2005 3:56PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - Prudential Equity Group has shuttered its technical research group, laying off Wall Street veteran Ralph Acampora, who has been with the firm for 15 years.
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Abbott gets expanded Humira approval
Oct 4 2005 3:55PM (CT)
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. (AP) - Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s stock rose 3.6 percent Tuesday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its Humira drug to treat psoriatic arthritis and expanded the drug's use against another serious inflammatory disease.
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Google, Sun challenge Microsoft's Office
Oct 4 2005 3:54PM (CT)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) - Google Inc. took a step toward challenging Microsoft Corp.'s dominance of computer software with the announcement Tuesday of a collaboration agreement with Sun Microsystems Inc.
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Weyerhaeuser to close Canadian paper mill
Oct 4 2005 3:52PM (CT)
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. (AP) - Weyerhaeuser Co. plans to close a pulp and paper mill in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, early next year, eliminating 690 jobs, the U.S.-based forest products company said Tuesday. It blamed "poor market conditions."
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Reuters union rejects contract proposal
Oct 4 2005 3:36PM (CT)
NEW YORK (AP) - Members of a union representing about a quarter of U.S.-based employees at Reuters Group PLC have overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal from the company, signaling worsening labor relations at the financial news and data provider.
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Walgreens Health acquires Schraft's
Oct 4 2005 3:22PM (CT)
DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Walgreens Health Services, the managed care division of drugstore chain Walgreen Co., said Tuesday it is expanding its specialty pharmacy business with the acquisition of New Jersey-based Schraft's A Specialty Pharmacy LLC.
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Correction: Chevron-Outlook story
Oct 4 2005 2:40PM (CT)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - In a Sept. 29 story about Chevron Corp.'s earnings outlook for the third quarter, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the company's refining profit margins for the period had increased by $1.48 per barrel from the second quarter. That increase referred only to Chevron's West Coast refining profit margins; Chevron did not release information about its overall refining profit margins.
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SEC eases capital rules for insurers
Oct 4 2005 2:22PM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Securities and Exchange Commission is easing rules for insurance companies to raise capital, responding to concern that the billions of dollars of losses from Katrina and Rita could make it harder for the insurers to pay victims' claims.
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Ryanair expects rivals to cut ticket costs
Oct 4 2005 1:50PM (CT)
DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Ryanair Holdings PLC said Tuesday it expects rival European airlines to trim their ticket prices in a challenge to the no-frills carrier, but reaffirmed its forecasts of continued strong growth and profit.
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Bush preparing for Greenspan successor
Oct 4 2005 1:34PM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Now that he's tackled the Supreme Court openings, President Bush is preparing for another high-profile nomination: a successor to Alan Greenspan, whose 18-year run at the Federal Reserve comes to an end in just over three months.
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Minority firms getting few Katrina pacts
Oct 4 2005 1:17PM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Minority-owned businesses say they're paying the price for the decision by Congress and the Bush administration to waive certain rules for Hurricane Katrina recovery contracts.
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Georgia-Pacific to eliminate 1,100 jobs
Oct 4 2005 12:58PM (CT)
ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia-Pacific Corp., maker of Brawny paper towels and a variety of other paper and lumber products, said Tuesday it is cutting more than 1,000 jobs in a broad restructuring that aims to save $100 million a year.
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IMF concerned about Zimbabwe's economy
Oct 4 2005 12:29PM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The International Monetary Fund, which is weighing whether to expel Zimbabwe for being behind on payments to the lending institution, raised concerns about deterioration in the country's economic climate.
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Putin makes energy partnership pledge
Oct 4 2005 11:58AM (CT)
LONDON (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Tuesday to be Europe's reliable partner as an oil supplier and hailed an agreement on visas as a step toward free travel between his country and the European Union.
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U.S. drug makers to post modest 3Q gains
Oct 4 2005 11:56AM (CT)
LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) - Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are likely to continue modest earnings gains in the third quarter, aided by cutting costs.
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Clash possible on new EU chemicals law
Oct 4 2005 11:52AM (CT)
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Environmentalists claimed victory in a key European Parliament vote on a new chemicals law Tuesday, paving the way for a clash with pro-business groups at a full legislative ballot next month.
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Turkey's Oyak Group buys stake in Erdemir
Oct 4 2005 11:35AM (CT)
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's Oyak Group, a large pension and investment fund, on Tuesday bought a 46.12 percent stake in the country's largest steel and iron company, Erdemir, for $2.77 billion.
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Government investigating Ford, GM models
Oct 4 2005 11:10AM (CT)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is investigating whether the rear coil spring can fracture and punch a hole in the rear tires of some models of the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable, federal auto safety officials said Tuesday.
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S&P considering GM, Ford downgrades
Oct 4 2005 10:56AM (CT)
DETROIT (AP) - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services is reviewing the credit ratings of the nation's two biggest automakers, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., and could downgrade them further into "junk" status as early as mid-January.
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Mylan gets final OK for generic of Norvasc
Oct 4 2005 10:31AM (CT)
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Mylan Laboratories Inc. said Tuesday it has received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a generic version of Pfizer Inc.'s Norvasc blood-pressure medicine.
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Japan moves closer to lifting U.S. beef ban
Oct 4 2005 10:21AM (CT)
TOKYO (AP) - Japan moved a step closer to lifting its 20-month ban on American beef imports Tuesday as the nation's food-safety panel roughly agreed the risk that U.S. beef is infected with mad cow disease is extremely low, an agricultural ministry official said.
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Joint venture plant begins making engines
Oct 4 2005 9:28AM (CT)
DUNDEE, Mich. (AP) - DaimlerChrysler AG, Hyundai Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. began production Monday at a new plant that will supply more fuel efficient engines for nearly two dozen vehicles worldwide.
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Reebok deal gets U.S. antitrust OK
Oct 4 2005 9:08AM (CT)
BERLIN (AP) - German sportswear maker Adidas-Salomon AG said Tuesday that its planned $3.8 billion takeover of Reebok International Ltd. has cleared the final U.S. regulatory hurdle, and the deal is expected to be completed next year.
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Parmalat seeks $8.47 billion from CSFB
Oct 4 2005 9:01AM (CT)
ROME (AP) - Parmalat Finanziaria SPA is seeking damages worth 7.1 billion euros ($8.47 billion) from Credit Suisse First Boston as part of its efforts to recover money after it went bankrupt two years ago, the Italian dairy company said.
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Russian Prime Minister OKs bid for group
Oct 4 2005 7:46AM (CT)
MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian government has approved state electricity monopoly Unified Energy Systems's plan to to buy a 22.43 percent stake in the Power Machines engineering group, which Germany's Siemens AG had unsuccessfully tried to buy.
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Japan to cut 10 percent of gov't jobs
Oct 4 2005 7:25AM (CT)
TOKYO (AP) - Japan decided Tuesday to cut about 33,230 jobs, or 10 percent of its current civilian work force, over the next five years.
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New British Airways exec warns on goal
Oct 4 2005 6:42AM (CT)
LONDON (AP) - The new chief executive of British Airways PLC warned Tuesday that the airline will not meet a key profitability goal this year due to rising fuel prices.
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Two Samsung executives are convicted
Oct 4 2005 6:28AM (CT)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A Seoul court on Tuesday convicted two Samsung executives of arranging shady deals to transfer corporate control of the country's largest conglomerate from father to son nearly a decade ago.
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Harvest hits high gear for farmers
Oct 4 2005 3:05AM (CT)
BEMENT, Ill. (AP) - Grain storage across the state is growing more scarce as more farmers keep storing their grain in hopes of a higher price. Shipping problems caused by both drought and hurricanes have added to the squeeze.
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GM, Ford sales tumble in September
Oct 4 2005 12:14AM (CT)
DETROIT (AP) - High gas prices and a summer of heavy discounting sent sales of sport utility vehicles plummeting last month for U.S. automakers. Asian manufacturers, who had avoided the employee-pricing lures Detroit offered, saw their results less affected.
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