IBT Staff Reporter

Prudential said it was trying to negotiate a cut in the $35.5 billion it has agreed to pay for AIG's Asian unit, AIA, amid fears its shareholders might block the deal as too expensive.

Nokia sold less than 100,000 top-of-the-range N900 smartphones in its first five months on the market, researcher Gartner said, indicating it has yet to mount a serious challenge to the iPhone and Blackberry.

The euro dipped versus the dollar on Friday, paring hefty gains made the previous day, as investors squared positions ahead of the month-end while worries over the impact of the euro zone debt crisis capped rallies.

Royal Dutch Shell said it would pay $4.7 billion cash to buy privately held East Resources Inc, giving it substantially more exposure to natural gas plays in North America.

Opera Software said its Internet browser for Apple's iPhone was downloaded more than 2.6 million times last month after the Norwegian firm got access to iPhone as the first rival browser firm.

Global platinum production is set to face some crisis in the coming month as the world watches one of the biggest sports festivals in the world, the FIFA World Cup Soccer. It is strange that a sports event will help lift the prices of precious metals in the global markets. But this is not the first time sports events helped lift the prices of commodities. During the Beijing Olympics, several commodities witnessed a surge due to the increased demand from China for construction and other purposes....

After raiding iron ore mines across the world to make investments, China is now scouting for platinum producers in South Africa. Recently, China has decided to pump in $877 million into South Africa's platinum sector. In a deal backed by the China-Africa Development Bank, Chinese state-owned mining firm Jinchuan will acquire a 51 per cent stake in the small platinum developer and develop its Frischgewaagd-Ledig mine.

Global oil prices advanced past $75 a barrel mark in Asian trade Friday mainly after China denied reports of its Eurozone disinvestments. Light sweet crude for July delivery was seen trading at $75.01 a barrel at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while in London, the Brent crude July contact was up 8 cents to $74.74 on the ICE futures exchange.

India's wholesale price based food inflation eased to 16.23 per cent for the week ended May 15. According to official figure, Inflation declined by 0.26 percentage point from 16.49 per cent in the previous week mainly on price drops of masur, fruits and vegetables.

Gold prices eased in Asian trade Friday despite a recovery by the euro after China assured investors it was not losing confidence in euro zone assets. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1208.95 an ounce at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for June delivery was at $1208.01 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Prudential Plc halted trading in its Hong Kong listed shares on Friday as the British insurer sought to cut the $35.5 billion price tag it originally negotiated for AIG Inc's main Asian assets.

Asian stocks bolted on Friday posting their third straight day of gains after China's pledge to remain invested in Europe boosted confidence, but the euro dipped after rebounding from near four-year lows the previous day.

AUCKLAND (Reuters Life!) - Air New Zealand is planning to let some passengers send text messages and emails mid-flight by the end of the year but fellow travelers need not worry -- phone calls will not be allowed.

Technology companies feeling the pinch from Europe's debt crisis could face a tough sell when industry buyers gather in Taipei to examine the latest whizz-bang features at the world's No.2 computer fair.

Apple Inc's iPad launched in overseas store shelves on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to be among the first outside the United States to snap up the long awaited tablet PC.

Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry plans to raise workers' salaries by about 20 percent at its Foxconn unit in China, as it struggles to stop a spate of worker suicides and quell rising public anger.

Apple Inc's iPad hit overseas store shelves on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to be among the first outside the United States to snap up the long-awaited tablet PC.

Wall Street has long seen sense in Walt Disney Co selling or spinning off ABC, the low-rated TV network and the one piece that does not seem to fit well with the entire entertainment empire.

Ford Motor Co is considering a plan to drop Mercury, a brand developed in the 1930s that has seen sales and investment plunge in recent years, a person familiar with the discussions said.

Kenneth Starr, an investment adviser to celebrities and other wealthy New Yorkers, was coaxed from a darkened suit closet by U.S. agents at his apartment on Thursday to face charges of running a fraud of at least $30 million, prosecutors said.

Apple Inc's iPad made its overseas debut on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to be among the first outside the United States to snap up the long-awaited tablet PC.

Congressional Democrats floated more cuts on Thursday to a package of tax increases and safety-net spending as final passage of the measure looked likely to slip into June.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The stimulant drug Vyvanse improves attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents beginning as early as the first week of treatment, according to a new study.

(Reuters) - People who don't brush their teeth twice a day have an increased risk of heart disease, scientists said on Friday, adding scientific weight to 19th century theories about oral health and chronic disease.

A fire broke out in the old Roads and Traffic Authority building at the corner of Gurwood and Beckwith streets have prompted Fire Brigade authorities to sent urgent health warning this morning to the residents of central Wagga Wagga, in Southern NSW, about the release of deadly asbestos fibres.

Congressional Democrats on Thursday floated more cuts to a package of tax increases and safety-net spending as final passage of the measure looked likely to slip into June.

Health authorities reported that aboriginal people in Western Australia were up to 38 times more likely to undergo amputations because of diabetes-related complications than non-indigenous people.

Cellphone maker Nokia and browser firm Opera Software pledged on Thursday to support Adobe Systems' Flash software in its bitter row with Apple.

Zimbabwe-born Australian performer Godfrey Zaburoni, 31, was charged on Tuesday in the Southport Magistrates, Gold Coast for acts of intending to cause grevious bodily harm by infecting women with HIV through unprotected sex.