IBT Staff Reporter

The Monty Python comedy team, the world-renowned British troupe celebrating its 40th anniversary, was honored with a special award on Thursday for its contribution to film and television.

Mattel Inc expects its top toys to be popular for the holidays and said it sees some hope among its retail partners for improved sales, sending its shares up nearly 5 percent.

Merrill Lynch & Co's brokerage, the crown jewel that lured Bank of America Corp's chief executive into a takeover that ultimately cost him his job, is showing signs of a revival.

Top mobile phone maker Nokia Oyj installed new leaders at its struggling cellphone business on Friday, bringing in a manager from rival Apple, a day after posting its first quarterly net loss.

Tata Consultancy Services beat forecasts with a 29 percent rise in quarterly net profit helped by demand from recession-hit financial customers, but said a sharp growth rebound in the near term was unlikely.

Cadbury, under siege from a bid by Kraft, will look to paint a picture of growth at next week's update to try and see off the predator with analysts focusing on sales, volumes and margin trends.

Wall Street fell on Friday after disappointing quarterly results from Dow components General Electric Co and Bank of America Corp threatened a weak end to an otherwise strong, earnings-fueled week.

Kraft Foods Inc is in talks to sell its Maxwell House coffee business to Sara Lee Corp in a move that would give it more money to increase its bid for Cadbury Plc, the New York Post reported on Friday, citing one source.

A bid for J Sainsbury Plc may not be imminent, but its property assets, growth plans and uncertainty over the intentions of its top investor could keep it a focus of speculation, and its stock in demand.

Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, a huge Manhattan apartment complex that became the largest residential deal in New York's history, could be headed for default as early as December, according to Trepp, a firm that tracks commercial mortgage securities.

China Real Estate Information Corp about $216 million on Thursday with an initial public offering of American Depositary Receipts that priced within expectations.

It is taboo for Thais to publicly voice their fears about what might happen when the reign of their ailing 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej ends. But the reaction of Thai markets this week spoke louder than words.

Chinese developer Excellence Real Estate Group Ltd plans to raise up to $1 billion from a Hong Kong initial public offering, according to a term sheet obtained by Reuters on Friday, as it joins the ranks of real estate firms queuing to cash in on the country's property boom.

U.S. homebuilders' bonds have surged on hopes the housing downturn has reached a bottom, however the debt's prices may reflect too much optimism over what is likely to be a long, slow recovery.

Oil retreated from a year-high above $78 touched early on Friday after a renewed focus on brimming inventories, disappointing corporate earnings and a slip in consumer confidence chipped away at bullishness across financial markets.

Travel extending beyond 6 months is associated with health risks not usually encountered among short-term travelers, new data indicate.

The new pandemic H1N1 flu may cause blood clots and other unusual damage in the lungs and doctors need to be on the lookout, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

Falcon Heene, the 6-year-old balloon boy who was never inside a helium balloon, appeared on NBC's Today Show on Friday morning with his parents and brothers to talk about the flight that captured national attention yesterday.

Two major European banks shed assets for little return on Friday, trading revenue for a chance to get unwanted properties off their books as they contend with pressure to bolster balance sheets and restructure.

Lloyds Banking Group said it agreed to sell its loss-making Halifax estate agency business to LSL Property Services for 1 pound ($1.6) following a strategic review.

North Korea has renewed an invitation to U.S. special envoy Stephen Bosworth to visit Pyongyang, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported, in a signal that it wants to return to nuclear talks, albeit on Pyongyang's terms.

World powers will seek to finalize an agreement with Iran next week on processing its uranium abroad to help allay Western fears it is developing nuclear weapons.

General Electric Co is considering several scenarios for the future of NBC Universal, to be ready for the possibility that its minority partner Vivendi SA chooses to sell its 20 percent stake.

I confess, my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, the latest version of Microsoft's Windows franchise, was just that: a copy.

It's not all in the mind -- the so-called placebo effect is real and reaches right down to the spine, German scientists said on Thursday.

The U.N. Human Rights Council endorsed on Friday a Gaza report that accused both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas of committing war crimes.

Using arguments about the social benefits of healthcare reform may galvanize Democrats but they leave Republicans cold, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

Cadbury, under siege from a bid by Kraft, will look to paint a picture of growth at next week's update to try and see off the predator with analysts focusing on sales, volumes and margin trends.

Pakistani forces attacked a Taliban stronghold with aircraft and artillery on Friday, as a suicide bomber killed 12 people in the city of Peshawar in the latest in a wave of militant attacks.