NY judge blocks higher fees for tobacco dealers
New York's fee increases for cigarette-selling shops were temporarily blocked by a state judge, a retail association said on Friday, leaving the current $100-a-year charge in effect for now.
Rare Konkani film gains Toronto festival spotlight
The Toronto International Film Festival has catapulted several well-known Bollywood movies to global prominence in recent years, but 2009's event has showcased one Indian movie that had audiences buzzing for its use of a rare language, Konkani.
Credibility gap sabotages thriller Glorious 39
Glorious 39 sends mixed signals. One minute it seems like a conspiracy thriller and the next one of those well-upholstered English melodramas about the privileged class pushing back against threats to their way of life. Either way, it's a lot of hokum that relies on contrivance and chance to move its dubious plot forward.
U.S. regulator to unveil open Internet plan
The top U.S. communications regulator plans to unveil proposals Monday for ensuring Web traffic is not slowed or blocked based on its content, sources familiar with the contents of the speech said on Friday.
Phil Spector says prison driving him insane
Music producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector says life behind bars is driving him insane.
Billboard CD reviews: Barbra Streisand, Monsters of Folk
ARTIST: BARBRA STREISAND
ALBUM: LOVE IS THE ANSWER
Ginnie Mae MBS seen vulnerable to FHA loan losses
Investors in U.S. mortgage bonds backed by the Federal Housing Administration own one of the safest bets on Wall Street, yet mounting defaults on the underlying collateral are seen posing risks.
Soap opera Guiding Light shuts off after 72 years
The U.S. soap opera Guiding Light -- the world's longest-running TV drama -- aired its final episode on Friday, ending a 72 year run.
G20 to seek unity on economic exit strategy
World leaders will probably agree next week to work together when the time comes to end their massive economic stimulus programs and they were also moving on Friday toward a stiffer line on bankers' pay.
Goofy premise falls flat in Leaves of Grass
Maybe Tim Blake Nelson just got tired of being so serious. The actor and writer -- whose previous films as a director have questioned the existence of God (Eye of God), retold Othello in a high school setting (O) and examined the conscience of Jews who worked with their oppressors in Nazi concentration camps (The Grey Zone) -- goes absolutely bonkers in Leaves of Grass.
U.S. regulator to unveil open Internet rules
U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will unveil in a speech on Monday new proposals that would force Internet providers to treat the flow of content equally, sources familiar with the speech said on Friday.
Groups call for EU scrutiny of Google book deal
EU regulators should look into the book settlement that Google Inc reached with a group of U.S. writers and publishers last October because the deal will create a de facto monopoly, European opponents to the book deal said on Friday.
Dollar rebounds from 1-year low versus euro
The dollar rebounded from a one-year low against the euro on Friday as waning risk appetite cut demand for higher-yielding currencies and boosted safe-haven demand for the greenback. Sterling declined across the board, hitting a near five-month low euro on renewed concerns about the UK banking sector.
US-China relationship mutually beneficial-Summers
President Barack Obama's top economic adviser said on Friday that China's massive holdings of U.S. government bonds are a source of mutual benefit to both countries.
Lockerbie bomber launches website claiming innocence
Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi launched a website on Friday with the aim of proving his innocence in the 1988 bombing of a U.S. airliner over Scotland in which 270 people died.
Google revamps DoubleClick exchange
Google Inc unveiled a new advertising exchange that draws on its search prowess to challenge Yahoo Inc's grip on the market for online display ads.
LVMH says eBay ordered to pay $118,000
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA said on Friday that a Paris tribunal found eBay Inc liable for brand counterfeiting, and ordered the Internet auction and retail company to pay the French luxury brand 80,000 euros ($118,000).
IPO line-up for week of Sept. 21
Eight initial public offerings are scheduled to price and begin trading the week of Sept. 21 in what is likely to become the busiest week for U.S. IPOs since December 2007.
U.S. says no breakthrough on Mideast peace deal
U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell did not win any breakthroughs in shuttle diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians this week but the process will continue, the State Department said on Friday.
On tap: biggest week for IPOs since 2007
Next week is slated to be the biggest for initial public offerings in the United States in nearly two years -- and some say the resurgence could be sustainable.
Fed eyes wide-ranging bank pay rules to fight risk
The Federal Reserve plans new rules on bank pay to curb the type of excessive risk-taking that sparked the global financial crisis and triggered international demands for action.
Plano balloon festival 2009 (VIDEO)
The all weekend EDS Credit Union Plano balloon festival for 2009 begins Friday at 4pm CDT marking its 30th anniversary will begin today in Plano, Texas.
UPDATE 1-Parmalat lawsuits against BofA, auditor dismissed
A U.S. federal judge in Manhattan has dismissed three Parmalat SpA fraud lawsuits against Bank of America Corp and the auditing firm Grant Thornton LLP over their roles in the Italian dairy company's 2003 collapse.
Reliance Industries mulls Lyondell bid-Indian TV
India's Reliance Industries is looking at acquiring some or all of bankrupt petrochemicals maker LyondellBasell, an Indian television network reported, citing sources.
Continental Rscs sells $300 mln 10-yr notes
Continental Resources Inc, a crude-oil concentrated, independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company, on Friday sold $300 million of senior notes in the 144a private placement market, said market sources.
LVMH says Paris court orders eBay to pay 80K euros
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA said on Friday that a Paris tribunal found eBay Inc liable for brand counterfeiting, and ordered the Internet auction and retail company to pay the French luxury brand 80,000 euros.
Chrysler executive Press sued over unpaid loan
Chrysler executive Jim Press has been sued by a California credit union for failing to repay more than $400,000 on a loan dating back to his stint as chief of Toyota Motor Corp's U.S. operations, court records show.
San Gennaro Festival 2009 in NYC ends Sunday
This upcoming weekend of September 19 and 20 will be the final days of the 2009 San Gennaro Festival, an annual festival marking the patron of the saint of Naples.
Technology in starring role at NY Fashion Week
The Internet and advances in technology are transforming fashion, making it easier for designers to create collections and less expensive for the them to show and sell their work, experts say.
UBS warns U.S. clients as tax amnesty nears end
UBS AG has formally warned wealthy American clients that their secret Swiss accounts may be revealed to U.S. tax authorities after next Wednesday's expiration of a U.S. amnesty program.