UNITED STATES

To LeRoy Zimmerman, the taste of chocolate will always mean Hershey's.

Most big U.S. banks may be forced to make public offerings soon if the Treasury demands payback of the funds it issued under the Troubled Assets Relief Program, veteran banking analyst Richard Bove said.

In people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, high-risk behavior, HIV infection itself, as well as late initiation and early discontinuation of anti-HIV therapy all contribute to substantial decreases in life expectancy, United States researchers report.

The IPO for Las Vegas Sands' Macau assets, set to be the world's seventh-largest this year, is likely to struggle in its market debut next Monday on high valuations and waning appetite for casino stocks.

Tamiflu resistance in some H1N1 patients with badly weakened immune systems does not seem to reflect a major change in the virus' susceptibility to the frontline drug, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

China Pacific Insurance (Group) Ltd received approval from the listing committee of Hong Kong's stock exchange for its $3.4 billion Hong Kong IPO, said a source close to the deal on Friday.

The costs to insure the debt of some big U.S. banks against potential default rose between 10 and 20 basis points on Friday amid a selloff in riskier assets on investors' concerns about Dubai's debt difficulties.

U.S. stocks pared losses on Friday as the U.S. dollar gave up earlier gains and global commodity prices regained ground, tempering concerns about a possible debt default at a Dubai state-owned conglomerate.

Banco do Brasil, Latin America's largest bank by assets, may seek acquisitions in the United States, looking to benefit from devalued prices among regional lenders, Chief Executive Aldemir Bendine said in an interview.

By 2034, nearly twice as many Americans will have diabetes and spending on the disease will triple, further straining the U.S. health system and testing the viability of Medicare and other government health insurance programs, U.S. researchers said on Friday.

U.S. auto giant GM's Saab Automobile said on Friday it was talking to possible buyers, days after tiny Swedish sportscar maker Koenigsegg pulled out of a deal to take over the closure-threatened unit.

Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries continues to charge ahead in the key U.S. market with sales seen jumping by a fifth this month, but it faces a lot of work to boost its earnings power, its CEO said on Friday.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has agreed with Ford Motor on intellectual property rights issues in its bid for Volvo, clearing a major barrier to acquire the Swedish luxury car brand, state media reported.

Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, plans to invest up to 6.2 billion reais ($3.5 billion) in Brazil from 2010 through 2014 as it aims to become the country's biggest carmaker, the company's Brazilian head said on Thursday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai reached out to the Taliban on Friday, part of a call for reconciliation that the palace says will be the main focus of his second term that began last week.

Australia's parliament delayed a final vote on a government carbon trade plan on Friday, missing a key deadline, throwing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's climate change policy into doubt and raising the possibility of a snap election.

The United States risks souring relations with much of Latin America if it recognizes upcoming elections in Honduras, the foreign policy adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in an interview on Wednesday.

Prices for benchmark European Union carbon emission permits fell 2 percent on Friday, as traders viewed the previous session's gains as short-lived.

Most big U.S. banks may be forced to make public offerings soon if the Treasury demands payback of the funds it issued under the Troubled Assets Relief Program, veteran banking analyst Richard Bove said.

U.S. stock dropped on Friday as a possible debt default at a Dubai state-owned conglomerate sparked fears of renewed financial turmoil.

Swiss authorities will not release Roman Polanski into house arrest at his luxury Alpine chalet until Monday at the earliest as bail conditions still have to be met.