IBT Staff Reporter

American Express, the travel services and credit card company, reported second quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street expectations citing strong credit card spending.

On Monday, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) said it will pay $5.4 billion to acquire Canadian graphics chip maker, ATI Technologies Inc., putting further pressure on rival graphics firm NVIDIA Corp.

On Monday, the California power grid operator, Independent System Operator (ISO), declared a stage 1 emergency, urging all consumers to reduce their electricity usage voluntary, following a heatwave which has swept over the state over the past few days.

China Resources Snow Breweries Ltd. (CR Snow) in a joint venture with SABMiller, one of the world's leading brewers, will acquire a 100 percent equity interest in China's Yinyan Brewery for U.S $42.3 million.

Tessera Technologies Inc., a developer of semiconductor packaging technologies, announced that it has ended a patent dispute with chip maker Micron Technologies Inc. on Friday.

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz ended his visit to Liberia by addressing the nation's legislature on Friday where he praised the country's economic progress, but warned there is a need for more improvements.

USG, a leading building products company, announced an increase in earnings for the second quarter due to record shipments of its wallboard.

Drug maker Schering-Ploughdrugs, announced on Monday that its 2006 second quarter earnings surpassed Wall Street expectations due to a surge in the sales of key drugs.

According to one industry analyst, the new iPods from Apple Inc. will feature a host of advanced features, but may be stymied by delays.

Drug maker Merck & Co., Inc. surpassed second quarter Wall Street earnings expectations on Monday on stronger worldwide sales, led by its cholesterol drug Zetia.

On Monday, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) said it will pay $5.4 billion to acquire Canadian graphics chip maker ATI Technologies Inc., putting pressure on rival Nvidia Corp., the other dominant maker of graphics chips.

The nation's largest hospital operator HCA Inc., announced on Monday that a private equity group has bought the company for about $21 billion. The firm has been struggling due to an increase in competition and in addition to growing unfunded liabilities.

Leading UK shares rose 1 percent on Monday, led by British mobile giant Vodafone Group Plc after it reported upbeat numbers one day before its annual general meeting and as PartyGaming firmed.

Global free trade talks, billed as a once in a generation chance to boost growth and ease poverty, collapsed on Monday after nearly five years of haggling and resuming them could take years.

During the quarterly earnings conference call with analysts last Thursday, Microsoft said any delay in its new Windows operating system could cost the company upwards of $400 million.

Airbus has just announced a new line of uncompromising A350 jets, but analysts say the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may have the right ticket.

Schering-Plough Corp. on Monday reported quarterly earnings far higher than Wall Street expected, fueled by growing demand for its drugs against cholesterol, arthritis, allergies and hepatitis C.

Merck & Co. on Monday said its second-quarter earnings more than doubled on growing demand for its drugs, blowing past Wall Street expectations, and raised its full-year profit forecast.

Dell says its in trouble and the market quickly sold off shares. What's next for one of the world's top PC Makers.

Doha round talks between the G8 and the developing G5 nations ended with hopes that negotiations will be completed by the end of the year, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday.

Microsoft Corp. officials for the first time have confirmed that the software giant is readying a portable music player and integrated service, shedding new light on a topic that has fueled rampant speculation in news reports and blog postings for weeks.

After five years and very little to show for it, global trade talks meant to reduce poverty worldwide are at a crucial point.

Trading with South Africa was unheard of under Apartheid. But 15 years on, the nation has become an economic force.

If you've ever thought about starting your own business you're not alone. Along with millions of Americans, the dream of being your own boss carries with it both rewards and struggles.

The quickening flow of capital out of the country may be a sign that recent weakness in Canadian markets could deepen, particularly if, as looks likely, the Canadian dollar's four-year upward charge is losing steam.

For a self-proclaimed advocate of inflation-targeting, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke seemed remarkably unperturbed this week by recent signs that price increases in the economy are accelerating.

Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, posted a 30 percent decrease in net income for the second quarter on Thursday as it faces strong challenges from generic competitors in the market after losing its patent rights over two of the most profitable drug for the firm.

Microsoft Corp. warned about a new computer virus that exploits a vulnerability in its PowerPoint presentation software to allow hackers to infiltrate computer systems.

PartyGaming plans to expand aggressively outside the United States, but sees no risk of being dragged into the U.S. indictment of a rival for racketeering, the world's biggest online gaming firm said.