UNITED STATES

September 11 victims who sued airlines and their security contractors will have their cases heard for the first time almost six years after the hijacked plane attacks on the United States, a federal judge has ruled.

Former media mogul Conrad Black is guilty of criminal fraud and obstruction of justice but innocent of racketeering, a U.S. jury found on Friday.

China, reeling from a series of health scandals, on Friday told food and drug companies to put safety first and urged the media to paint a rosier picture as the government scrambled to quell public alarm.

Oil climbed to a new 11-month high above $77 a barrel on Friday after the International Energy Agency added to global supply concerns with forecasts of no let-up in fuel demand next year despite near-record prices.

U.S. retail sales posted their biggest monthly decline in nearly two years during June, according to government data issued on Friday, indicating the housing market slump and soaring gasoline prices are depressing consumer spending.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. said on Friday it has written off its experimental hepatitis C drug after U.S. regulators ruled that the risks associated with the drug outweigh the benefits.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown denied on Friday a shift in foreign policy away from the United States after one of his ministers told an audience there that a country's strength depended on alliances not military might.

Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin said on Thursday his company would be happy to talk with Facebook about potential ties, but that the social network did not appear to be courting takeover bids.

Rio Tinto Ltd.'s $38.1 billion takeover of Alcan Inc. is set to reap benefits from not just China's appetite for aluminum, but also the bauxite and alumina needed to make it, analysts said on Friday.

Dutch bank ABN AMRO can proceed with its sale of U.S. unit LaSalle, the Dutch Supreme Court said, boosting the prospect Barclays will succeed in its near $90 billion takeover bid for ABN.

Australian engineering services firm United Group Ltd. said Wednesday it had acquired US-based UNICCO Service Company (UNICCO) for $477 million (US$411 million) in a cash and stock deal.

Consumer spending fuels about two-thirds of total economic output and a pullback could weigh heavily on an economy already pegged to grow below trend this year.

Sony Corp. will launch a slimmer model of its PlayStation Portable handheld game player in September, in its latest attempt to ignite demand for its game hardware and compete better with Nintendo Co. Ltd.

President George W. Bush admitted on Thursday his troop buildup in Iraq had made limited progress but said he would wait for a September security report before considering a change of course.

The dollar dropped to a record low against the euro on Thursday as troubles in the U.S. mortgage and credit markets continued to dampen the currency's appeal.

Oil hit new 11-month highs above $76 a barrel on Thursday, propelled by strong fundamentals and increased flows of fund money into the world's most actively traded commodity.

Stocks rallied on Thursday and drove the Dow to a record high after Wal-Mart reported better sales, allowing investors to put aside worries over costlier oil and cheaper housing.

HD DVD video players have outsold rival standard Blu-ray players by a three-to-one margin in Europe's main markets so far this year, according to a lobby group.

Marriott International Inc., the top U.S. hotel operator, said on Thursday that second-quarter profit rose a better-than-expected 11 percent, but concerns about slowing growth in North America led to a decline in its shares.

The U.S. trade deficit widened in May as rising oil prices pushed imports to an all-time high, outstripping record exports, a government report showed on Thursday.

M&T Bank Corp., the first large U.S. bank to report quarterly results, on Thursday said easing mortgage pressure contributed to higher-than-expected profit.