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Ad sales boost Time Warner profit
Quarterly profits at US media giant TimeWarner jumped 76% to $1.13bn (£600m) for the three months to December, from $639m year-earlier.
The firm, which is now one of the biggest investors in Google, benefited from sales of high-speed internet connections and higher advert sales. Time... | business |
Dollar gains on Greenspan speech
The dollar has hit its highest level against the euro in almost three months after the Federal Reserve head said the US trade deficit is set to stabilise.
And Alan Greenspan highlighted the US government's willingness to curb spending and rising household savings as factors which may ... | business |
Yukos unit buyer faces loan claim
The owners of embattled Russian oil giant Yukos are to ask the buyer of its former production unit to pay back a $900m (£479m) loan.
State-owned Rosneft bought the Yugansk unit for $9.3bn in a sale forced by Russia to part settle a $27.5bn tax claim against Yukos. Yukos' owner Menate... | business |
High fuel prices hit BA's profits
British Airways has blamed high fuel prices for a 40% drop in profits.
Reporting its results for the three months to 31 December 2004, the airline made a pre-tax profit of £75m ($141m) compared with £125m a year earlier. Rod Eddington, BA's chief executive, said the results were "res... | business |
Pernod takeover talk lifts Domecq
Shares in UK drinks and food firm Allied Domecq have risen on speculation that it could be the target of a takeover by France's Pernod Ricard.
Reports in the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times suggested that the French spirits firm is considering a bid, but has yet to contac... | business |
Japan narrowly escapes recession
Japan's economy teetered on the brink of a technical recession in the three months to September, figures show.
Revised figures indicated growth of just 0.1% - and a similar-sized contraction in the previous quarter. On an annual basis, the data suggests annual growth of just 0.2%, sug... | business |
Jobs growth still slow in the US
The US created fewer jobs than expected in January, but a fall in jobseekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years.
According to Labor Department figures, US firms added only 146,000 jobs in January. The gain in non-farm payrolls was below market expectations... | business |
India calls for fair trade rules
India, which attends the G7 meeting of seven leading industrialised nations on Friday, is unlikely to be cowed by its newcomer status.
In London on Thursday ahead of the meeting, India's finance minister, lashed out at the restrictive trade policies of the G7 nations. He objected to s... | business |
Ethiopia's crop production up 24%
Ethiopia produced 14.27 million tonnes of crops in 2004, 24% higher than in 2003 and 21% more than the average of the past five years, a report says.
In 2003, crop production totalled 11.49 million tonnes, the joint report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food... | business |
Court rejects $280bn tobacco case
A US government claim accusing the country's biggest tobacco companies of covering up the effects of smoking has been thrown out by an appeal court.
The demand for $280bn (£155bn) - filed by the Clinton administration in 1999 - was rejected in a 2-1 decision. The court in Washington ... | business |
Ask Jeeves tips online ad revival
Ask Jeeves has become the third leading online search firm this week to thank a revival in internet advertising for improving fortunes.
The firm's revenue nearly tripled in the fourth quarter of 2004, exceeding $86m (£46m). Ask Jeeves, once among the best-known names on the web, is n... | business |
Indonesians face fuel price rise
Indonesia's government has confirmed it is considering raising fuel prices by as much as 30%.
Millions of Indonesians use kerosene for basic cooking, and prices have been heavily subsidised for years. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government has said it wants to curb fuel subsi... | business |
Peugeot deal boosts Mitsubishi
Struggling Japanese car maker Mitsubishi Motors has struck a deal to supply French car maker Peugeot with 30,000 sports utility vehicles (SUV).
The two firms signed a Memorandum of Understanding, and say they expect to seal a final agreement by Spring 2005. The alliance comes as a badly... | business |
Telegraph newspapers axe 90 jobs
The Daily and Sunday Telegraph newspapers are axing 90 journalist jobs - 17% of their editorial staff.
The Telegraph Group says the cuts are needed to fund an £150m investment in new printing facilities. Journalists at the firm met on Friday afternoon to discuss how to react to the su... | business |
Air passengers win new EU rights
Air passengers who are unable to board their flights because of overbooking, cancellations or flight delays can now demand greater compensation.
New EU rules set compensation at between 250 euros (£173) and 600 euros, depending on the length of the flight. The new rules will apply to ... | business |
China keeps tight rein on credit
China's efforts to stop the economy from overheating by clamping down on credit will continue into 2005, state media report.
The curbs were introduced earlier this year to ward off the risk that rapid expansion might lead to soaring prices. There were also fears that too much stress m... | business |
Parmalat boasts doubled profits
Parmalat, the Italian food group at the centre of one of Europe's most painful corporate scandals, has reported a doubling in profit.
Its pre-tax earnings in the fourth quarter were 77m euros (£53m; $100m), up from 38m in the same period of 2003. Less welcome was the news that the firm... | business |
India's rupee hits five-year high
India's rupee has hit a five-year high after Standard & Poor's (S&P) raised the country's foreign currency rating.
The rupee climbed to 43.305 per US dollar on Thursday, up from a close of 43.41. The currency has gained almost 1% in the past three sessions. S&P, which rates borrowers... | business |
India widens access to telecoms
India has raised the limit for foreign direct investment in telecoms companies from 49% to 74%.
Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran said that there is a need to fund the fast-growing mobile market. The government hopes to increase the number of mobile users from 95 million to betwe... | business |
Call centre users 'lose patience'
Customers trying to get through to call centres are getting impatient and quicker to hang up, a survey suggests.
Once past the welcome message, callers on average hang up after just 65 seconds of listening to canned music. The drop in patience comes as the number of calls to call cen... | business |
Rank 'set to sell off film unit'
Leisure group Rank could unveil plans to demerge its film services unit and sell its media business, reports claim.
Rank, formerly famous for the Carry On series, will expose the shake-up at the announcement of its results on Friday, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Advisors Goldman Sac... | business |
Sluggish economy hits German jobs
The number of people out of work in Europe's largest economy has risen for the tenth straight month as growth remains stubbornly slow.
German unemployment rose 7,000 in November to 4.464 million people, or 10.8% of the workforce. The seasonally adjusted rise showed a smaller rise tha... | business |
Mixed signals from French economy
The French economy picked up speed at the end of 2004, official figures show - but still looks set to have fallen short of the government's hopes.
According to state statistics body INSEE, growth for the three months to December was a seasonally-adjusted 0.7-0.8%, ahead of the 0.6% f... | business |
US trade gap hits record in 2004
The gap between US exports and imports hit an all-time high of $671.7bn (£484bn) in 2004, latest figures show.
The Commerce Department said the trade deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record - 2003's imbalance of $496.5bn. The deficit with China, up 30.5% at $1... | business |
Yukos loses US bankruptcy battle
A judge has dismissed an attempt by Russian oil giant Yukos to gain bankruptcy protection in the US.
Yukos filed for Chapter 11 protection in Houston in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the auction of its Yugansk division by the Russian authorities. The court ruling is a blow to effort... | business |
Safety alert as GM recalls cars
The world's biggest carmaker General Motors (GM) is recalling nearly 200,000 vehicles in the US on safety grounds, according to federal regulators.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the largest recall involves 155,465 pickups, vans and sports utility vehic... | business |
Steel firm 'to cut' 45,000 jobs
Mittal Steel, one of the world's largest steel producers, could cut up to 45,000 jobs over the next five years, its chief executive has said.
The Netherlands-based company is due to complete its $4.5bn acquisition of US firm ISG next month, making it one of the largest global firms of ... | business |
Strong demand triggers oil rally
Crude oil prices surged back above the $47 a barrel mark on Thursday after an energy market watchdog raised its forecasts for global demand.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned demand for Opec's crude in the first quarter would outstrip supply. The IEA raised its estimate of ... | business |
UK firm faces Venezuelan land row
Venezuelan authorities have said they will seize land owned by a British company as part of President Chavez's agrarian reform programme.
Officials in Cojedes state said on Friday that farmland owned by a subsidiary of the Vestey Group would be taken and used to settle poor farmers. ... | business |
Soaring oil 'hits world economy'
The soaring cost of oil has hit global economic growth, although world's major economies should weather the storm of price rises, according to the OECD.
In its latest bi-annual report, the OECD cut its growth predictions for the world's main industrialised regions. US growth would rea... | business |
Irish markets reach all-time high
Irish shares have risen to a record high, with investors persuaded to buy into the market by low inflation and strong growth forecasts.
The ISEQ index of leading shares closed up 23 points to 6661.89 on Thursday, fuelled by strong growth in banking and financial stocks. A fall in the... | business |
Japanese banking battle at an end
Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial has withdrawn its takeover offer for rival bank UFJ Holdings, enabling the latter to merge with Mitsubishi Tokyo.
Sumitomo bosses told counterparts at UFJ of its decision on Friday, clearing the way for it to conclude a 3 trillion yen ($29bn) deal wi... | business |
Rich grab half Colombia poor fund
Half of the money put aside by the Colombian government to help the country's poor is benefiting people who do not need it, a study has found.
A total of 24.2 trillion pesos ($10.2bn; £5.5bn) is earmarked for subsidies for the poor, the government department for planning said. But it... | business |
Rover deal 'may cost 2,000 jobs'
Some 2,000 jobs at MG Rover's Midlands plant may be cut if investment in the firm by a Chinese car maker goes ahead, the Financial Times has reported.
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp plans to shift production of the Rover 25 to China and export it to the UK, sources close to the neg... | business |
Ad firm WPP's profits surge 15%
UK advertising giant WPP has posted larger-than-expected annual profits and predicted that it will outperform the market in 2005.
Pre-tax profits rose 15% from a year ago to reach £546m ($1.04bn), ahead of average analysts' forecasts of £532m. Revenues were £4.3bn while the firm's oper... | business |
US gives foreign firms extra time
Foreign firms have been given an extra year to meet tough new corporate governance regulations imposed by the US stock market watchdog.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has extended the deadline to get in line with the rules until 15 July 2006. Many foreign firms had protested ... | business |
Japanese mogul arrested for fraud
One of Japan's best-known businessmen was arrested on Thursday on charges of falsifying shareholder information and selling shares based on the false data.
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was once ranked as the world's richest man and ran a business spanning hotels, railways, construction and a ba... | business |
Deutsche Telekom sees mobile gain
German telecoms firm Deutsche Telekom saw strong fourth quarter profits on the back of upbeat US mobile earnings and better-than-expected asset sales.
Net profit came in at 1.4bn euros (£960m; $1.85bn), a dramatic change from the loss of 364m euros in 2003. Sales rose 2.8% to 14.96bn... | business |
Chinese wine tempts Italy's Illva
Italy's Illva Saronno has agreed to buy 33% of Changyu, the largest wine maker in China.
Changyu said in a statement to the Shenzhen stock exchange that Illva will pay 481.42m yuan ($58.16m; £30.7m), once the government approves the deal. The Italian liqueur maker will acquire the sh... | business |
Umbro profits lifted by Euro 2004
UK sportswear firm Umbro has posted a 222% rise in annual profit after sales of replica England football kits were boosted by the Euro 2004 tournament.
Pre-tax profit for 2004 was £15.4m ($29.4m). Umbro, which recently lost sponsorship deals with Chelsea and Celtic, said on Thursday ... | business |
Fed chief warning on US deficit
Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has warned that allowing huge US budget deficits to continue could have "severe" consequences.
Speaking to the House Budget Committee he urged Congress to take action to cut the deficit, such as increasing taxes. While the US economy is growing a... | business |
UK Coal plunges into deeper loss
Shares in UK Coal have fallen after the mining group reported losses had deepened to £51.6m in 2004 from £1.2m.
The UK's biggest coal producer blamed geological problems, industrial action and "operating flaws" at its deep mines for its worsening fortunes. The South Yorkshire company,... | business |
Saudi ministry to employ women
Women will be employed in Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry for the first time this year, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has been reported as saying.
The move comes as the conservative country inches open the door to working women. Last year, Crown Prince Abdullah, the de-facto ru... | business |
Japan economy slides to recession
The Japanese economy has officially gone back into recession for the fourth time in a decade.
Gross domestic product fell by 0.1% in the last three months of 2004. The fall reflects weak exports and a slowdown in consumer spending, and follows similar falls in GDP in the two previous... | business |
US crude prices surge above $53
US crude prices have soared to fresh four-month highs above $53 in the US as refinery problems propelled petrol prices to an all-time high.
US light sweet crude futures jumped to $53.09 a barrel in New York before closing at $53.03. The gains tracked a surge in US gasoline futures to a... | business |
Industrial output falls in Japan
Japanese industrial output fell in October while unemployment rose, casting further doubt on the strength of the country's economic recovery.
Production dropped 1.6% in October, reflecting a decline in exports, while unemployment levels edged up 0.1% to 4.7%, slightly higher than fore... | business |
Ryanair in $4bn Boeing plane deal
Budget airline Ryanair has placed an order for 70 Boeing 737-800 planes, in a deal valued at $4bn (£2.1bn) which should lead to 2,500 new Ryanair jobs.
It also has an option for a further 70 aircraft, a move which brings the Ryanair/Boeing order book up to 225 firm orders and options... | business |
Parmalat to return to stockmarket
Parmalat, the Italian dairy company which went bust after an accounting scandal, hopes to be back on the Italian stock exchange in July.
The firm gained protection from creditors in 2003 after revealing debts of 14bn euros ($18.34bn; £9.6bn). This was eight times higher than it had p... | business |
BMW cash to fuel Mini production
Less than four years after the new Mini was launched, German car maker BMW has announced £100m of new investment.
Some 200 new jobs are to be created at the Oxford factory, including modernised machinery and a new body shell production building. The result of the investment could be t... | business |
Bad weather hits Nestle sales
A combination of bad weather, rising raw material costs and the sluggish European economy has hit sales at Swiss food and drink giant Nestle.
Revenue dipped 1.4% to 86.7bn Swiss francs ($74.6bn; £39.1bn) in 2004 as sales of ice cream and mineral water were dampened by the wet summer. How... | business |
Fiat mulls Ferrari market listing
Ferrari could be listed on the stock market as part of an overhaul of Fiat's carmaking operations, the Financial Times has reported.
It said Fiat was set to restructure its business after reaching a $2bn (1.53bn euros; £1.05bn) settlement with GM about Fiat's ownership. Steps being c... | business |
Italy to get economic action plan
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will unveil plans aimed at kickstarting the country's sputtering economy on Thursday night in Rome.
He will present an "Action Plan for the Development of Italy" in a meeting with industrialists and trade union leaders. Mr Berlusconi is expect... | business |
Weak dollar hits Reuters
Revenues at media group Reuters slipped 11% during 2004, mainly due to the weakness of the dollar, the group said.
The company said it was optimistic about growth even as revenues slipped 11% from £3.24bn ($6.13bn) in 2003 to £2.89bn in 2004. Reuters beat profit forecasts, posting a 52% rise ... | business |
Hyundai to build new India plant
South Korea's Hyundai Motor has announced that it plans to build a second plant in India to meet the country's growing demand for cars.
The company didn't give details of its investment but it said the new plant would produce 150,000 cars a year. This will boost the annual production ... | business |
SA unveils 'more for all' budget
The South African government has put tax cuts and increased social spending at the centre of its latest budget.
Aiming to both stir economic growth and aid the country's poor, finance minister Trevor Manuel said the focus of the 2005 budget was "more for all". The tax cuts target firm... | business |
BMW drives record sales in Asia
BMW has forecast sales growth of at least 10% in Asia this year after registering record sales there in 2004.
The luxury carmaker saw strong sales of its three marques - BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce - in Asia last year after the launch of three new models. The company, which is vying with... | business |
Economy 'stronger than forecast'
The UK economy probably grew at a faster rate in the third quarter than the 0.4% reported, according to Bank of England deputy governor Rachel Lomax.
Private sector business surveys suggest a stronger economy than official estimates, Ms Lomax said. Other surveys collectively show a ra... | business |
Electrolux to export Europe jobs
Electrolux saw its shares rise 14% on Tuesday after it said it would be shifting more of its manufacturing to low-cost countries.
The Swedish firm, the world's largest maker of home appliances, said it is to relocate about 10 of its 27 plants in western Europe and North America. It di... | business |
Worldcom ex-boss launches defence
Lawyers defending former WorldCom chief Bernie Ebbers against a battery of fraud charges have called a company whistleblower as their first witness.
Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom's ex-head of internal accounting, alerted directors to irregular accounting practices at the US telecoms giant... | business |
Insurance bosses plead guilty
Another three US insurance executives have pleaded guilty to fraud charges stemming from an ongoing investigation into industry malpractice.
Two executives from American International Group (AIG) and one from Marsh & McLennan were the latest. The investigation by New York attorney genera... | business |
Further rise in UK jobless total
The UK's jobless total rose for the second month in a row in December, official figures show.
The number of people out of work rose 32,000 to 1.41 million in the last three months of 2004, even as 90,000 more people were in employment. Average earnings rose by 4.3% in the year to Dece... | business |
Wembley firm won't make a profit
Shares in Multiplex Group, which is building the new Wembley stadium, fell as much as 19% after it said it would not make any money on the project.
The Australian firm said it would only break even on the 1.2bn Australian dollars (£458m; $874m) rebuild, after a rise in costs on the wo... | business |
Cars pull down US retail figures
US retail sales fell 0.3% in January, the biggest monthly decline since last August, driven down by a heavy fall in car sales.
The 3.3% fall in car sales had been expected, coming after December's 4% rise in car sales, fuelled by generous pre-Christmas special offers. Excluding the ca... | business |
Lufthansa may sue over Bush visit
German airline Lufthansa may sue federal agencies for damages after the arrival of US president George W Bush disrupted flights.
Lufthansa said that it may lose millions of euros as a result of Air Force One landing at Frankfurt airport. Flights were affected for an hour on Wednesday... | business |
EU aiming to fuel development aid
European Union finance ministers meet on Thursday to discuss proposals, including a tax on jet fuel, to boost development aid for poorer nations.
The policy makers are to ask for a report into how more development money can be raised, the EU said. The world's richest countries have s... | business |
German business confidence slides
German business confidence fell in February knocking hopes of a speedy recovery in Europe's largest economy.
Munich-based research institute Ifo said that its confidence index fell to 95.5 in February from 97.5 in January, its first decline in three months. The study found that the o... | business |
FAO warns on impact of subsidies
Billions of farmers' livelihoods are at risk from falling commodity prices and protectionism, the UN's Food & Agriculture Organisation has warned.
Trade barriers and subsidies "severely" distort the market, the FAO report on the "State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2004" said. As ... | business |
India seeks to boost construction
India has cleared a proposal allowing up to 100% foreign direct investment in its construction sector.
Kamal Nath, Commerce and Industry Minister, announced the decision in Delhi on Thursday following a cabinet meeting. Analysts say improving India's infrastructure will boost foreign... | business |
Boeing unveils new 777 aircraft
US aircraft firm Boeing has unveiled its new long-distance 777 plane, as it tries to regain its position as the industry's leading manufacturer.
The 777-200LR will be capable of flying almost 11,000 miles non-stop, linking cities such as London and Sydney. Boeing, in contrast to Europe... | business |
Circuit City gets takeover offer
Circuit City Stores, the second-largest electronics retailer in the US, has received a $3.25bn (£1.7bn) takeover offer.
The bid has come from Boston-based private investment firm Highfields Capital Management, which already owns 6.7% of Circuit City's shares. Shares in the retailer we... | business |
Japan turns to beer alternatives
Japanese brewers are increasingly making money from beer-flavoured drinks rather than beer itself
Beer and spirits are heavily taxed in Japan, driving breweries to search for alternatives. Japan's long economic downturn helped drive the trend, as drinkers looked for cheaper opportunit... | business |
S Korean consumers spending again
South Korea looks set to sustain its revival thanks to renewed private consumption, its central bank says.
The country's economy has suffered from an overhang of personal debt after its consumers' credit card spending spree. Card use fell sharply last year, but is now picking up agai... | business |
German growth goes into reverse
Germany's economy shrank 0.2% in the last three months of 2004, upsetting hopes of a sustained recovery.
The figures confounded hopes of a 0.2% expansion in the fourth quarter in Europe's biggest economy. The Federal Statistics Office said growth for the whole of 2004 was 1.6%, after a... | business |
Turkey-Iran mobile deal 'at risk'
Turkey's investment in Iran's mobile industry looks set to be scrapped after its biggest mobile firm saw its investment there slashed by MPs.
Iran's parliament voted by a large majority to cut Turkcell's stake in a new mobile network from 70% to 49%. The move, which was justified on ... | business |
EU ministers to mull jet fuel tax
European Union finance ministers are meeting on Thursday in Brussels, where they are to discuss a controversial jet fuel tax.
A levy on jet fuel has been suggested as a way to raise funds to finance aid for the world's poorest nations. Airlines and aviation bodies have reacted strong... | business |
Palestinian economy in decline
Despite a short-lived increase in Palestinian jobs in 2003, the economy is performing well below its potential, said a World Bank report.
Unemployment stood at 25%, compared with 10% before the uprising against Israeli occupation four years ago. Young people are particularly hard hit wi... | business |
China had role in Yukos split-up
China lent Russia $6bn (£3.2bn) to help the Russian government renationalise the key Yuganskneftegas unit of oil group Yukos, it has been revealed.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the $6bn which Russian state bank VEB lent state-owned Rosneft to help buy Yugansk in turn came from Chi... | business |
Deadline nears for Fiat-GM deal
Fiat and General Motors (GM) have until midnight on 1 February to settle a disagreement over a potential takeover.
The deadline marks the point at which Fiat will gain the right to sell its car division to GM, part of an alliance agreed in 2000. GM, whose own European operations are lo... | business |
ID theft surge hits US consumers
Almost a quarter of a million US consumers complained of being targeted for identity theft in 2004, official figures suggest.
The Federal Trade Commission said two in five of the 635,173 reports it had from consumers concerned ID fraud. ID theft occurs when criminals use someone else'... | business |
Argentina, Venezuela in oil deal
Argentina and Venezuela have extended a food-for-oil deal, which helped the former to overcome a severe energy crisis last year.
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez signed the deal in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. Last April, Argentina signed a $240m ag... | business |
BMW to recall faulty diesel cars
BMW is to recall all cars equipped with a faulty diesel fuel-injection pump supplied by parts maker Robert Bosch.
The faulty part does not represent a safety risk and the recall only affects pumps made in December and January. BMW said that it was too early to say how many cars were a... | business |
Takeover rumour lifts Exel shares
Shares in storage and delivery firm Exel closed up 9% at a two-and-a-half year high on Tuesday on speculation it is to receive an imminent takeover bid.
The talk in the City is that US giant United Parcel Services (UPS) is the most likely bidder for the firm. Yet other names mentione... | business |
Yukos accused of lying to court
Russian oil firm Yukos lied to a US court in an attempt to stop the Russian government selling off its key production unit, the court has heard.
The unit, Yugansk, was sold to pay off a $27.5bn (£14.5bn) back tax bill. Yukos argued that since it had a US subsidiary and local bank accou... | business |
Mexican in US send $16bn home
Mexican labourers living in the US sent a record $16.6bn (£8.82bn) home last year.
The Bank of Mexico said that remittances grew 24% last year and now represent the country's second-biggest source of income after oil. Better records and greater prosperity of Mexican expatriates in the US... | business |
Home loan approvals rising again
The number of mortgages approved in the UK has risen for the first time since May last year, according to lending figures from the Bank of England.
New loans in December rose to 83,000, slightly higher than November's nine-year low of 77,000. Mortgage lending rose by £7.1bn in Decembe... | business |
Manufacturing recovery 'slowing'
UK manufacturing grew at its slowest pace in one-and-a-half years in January, according to a survey.
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) said its purchasing manager index (PMI) fell to 51.8 from a revised 53.3 in December. But, despite missing forecasts of 53.7, th... | business |
Worldcom boss 'left books alone'
Former Worldcom boss Bernie Ebbers, who is accused of overseeing an $11bn (£5.8bn) fraud, never made accounting decisions, a witness has told jurors.
David Myers made the comments under questioning by defence lawyers who have been arguing that Mr Ebbers was not responsible for Worldco... | business |
Metlife buys up Citigroup insurer
US banking giant Citigroup has sold its Travelers Life & Annuity insurance arm to Metlife for $11.5bn (£6.1bn).
The sale is a further move by Citigroup away from its 1990s strategy of offering every financial service - insurance, broking and banking. Profit growth in the insurance ma... | business |
Europe blames US over weak dollar
European leaders have openly blamed the US for the sharp rise in the value of the euro.
US officials were talking up the dollar, they said, but failing to take action to back up their words. Meeting in Brussels, finance ministers of the 12 eurozone countries voiced their concern that... | business |
French wine gets 70m euro top-up
The French government is to hand its struggling wine industry 70m euros ($91m) in aid to help it battle falling sales and damaging overproduction.
The financial package is aimed at assisting vintners in financial trouble and improving how its wine is marketed. The French wine industry... | business |
Russia gets investment blessing
Soaring oil sales and a budget surplus mean Russian debt is no longer a risky investment, one of the world's leading credit rating agencies says.
Standard & Poor's has classed Russian bonds as "investment grade", up from their former "speculative" rating. Russia's reputation among inve... | business |
Iranian MPs threaten mobile deal
Turkey's biggest private mobile firm could bail out of a $3bn ($1.6bn) deal to build a network in Iran after MPs there slashed its stake in the project.
Conservatives in parliament say Turkcell's stake in Irancell, the new network, should be cut from 70% to 49%. They have already give... | business |
Argentina closes $102.6bn debt swap
Argentina is set to close its $102.6bn (£53.51bn) debt restructuring offer for bondholders later on Friday, with the government hopeful that most creditors will accept the deal.
The estimated loss to bondholders is up to 70% of the original value of the bonds, yet the majority are ... | business |
US economy shows solid GDP growth
The US economy has grown more than expected, expanding at an annual rate of 3.8% in the last quarter of 2004.
The gross domestic product figure was ahead of the 3.1% the government estimated a month ago. The rise reflects stronger spending by businesses on capital equipment and a sma... | business |
Profits slide at India's Dr Reddy
Profits at Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy's fell 93% as research costs rose and sales flagged.
The firm said its profits were 40m rupees ($915,000; £486,000) for the three months to December on sales which fell 8% to 4.7bn rupees. Dr Reddy's has built its reputation on producing generic v... | business |
Burren awarded Egyptian contracts
British energy firm Burren Energy has been awarded two potentially lucrative oil exploration contracts in Egypt.
The company successfully bid for the two contracts, granted by government owned oil firms, covering onshore and offshore areas in the Gulf of Suez. Burren Energy already h... | business |
'Strong dollar' call halts slide
The US dollar's slide against the euro and yen has halted after US Treasury Secretary John Snow said a strong dollar was "in America's interest".
But analysts said any gains are likely to be short-lived as problems with the US economy were still significant. They also pointed out that... | business |
IMF 'cuts' German growth estimate
The International Monetary Fund is to cut its 2005 growth forecast for the German economy from 1.8% to 0.8%, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.
The IMF will also reduce its growth estimate for the 12-member eurozone economy from 2.2% to 1.6%, the newspaper reported. The German... | business |
GM, Ford cut output as sales fall
US car firms General Motors (GM) and Ford have been forced to cut production in the face of falling car sales.
US sales at GM sank 12.7% in February compared to a year ago while Ford sales dropped 3% as foreign rivals took a bigger share of the market. Meanwhile, Asian carmakers fare... | business |
Ebbers denies WorldCom fraud
Former WorldCom chief Bernie Ebbers has denied claims that he knew accountants were doctoring the books at the firm.
Speaking in court, Mr Ebbers rejected allegations he pressured ex-chief financial officer Scott Sullivan to falsify company financial statements. Mr Sullivan "made accounti... | business |
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