SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices rose Thursday in Asia, extending overnight gains on news of a surprise strike at Chevron Corp. facilities in Nigeria and another fire at BP PLC’s Alaskan oil field.
Light, sweet crude for November delivery climbed 31 cents to $81.61 a barrel in Asian electronic trading on the New York Mercantile […]
Iraq has ordered $100 million worth of light military equipment from China for its police force, contending that the United States was unable to provide the materiel and is too slow to deliver arms shipments, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said yesterday.
The China deal, not previously made public, has alarmed military analysts who note that Iraq’s […]
The chances of BAA making good on threats to cancel its £3.5bn redevelopment plans for Heathrow Airport rose sharply yesterday after the Competition Commission recommended a slashing of the profits it is allowed to reap from Europe’s busiest airport.
In a highly critical statement that accused BAA of acting “against the public interest” in its running […]
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales is cheaper than the cost of buying it with a mortgage, say market analysts Hometrack.
Private rents in 2006 were two-thirds the cost of a 100% mortgage on a two- or three-bedroom house, for a young household on average incomes.
For many years, renting a home was […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AP) — Russian natural gas monopoly OAO Gazprom said Tuesday that it will decrease supplies to Ukraine if its neighbor fails to pay more than $1.3 billion in debt this month.
The threat raised the specter of a renewed dispute between Russia and Ukraine that could affect European supplies, and it came amid uncertainty […]
Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. has agreed to acquire the Boston Stock Exchange and related assets for about $61 million, giving investors a second source of price quotes.
In a statement, Nasdaq President and Chief Executive Bob Greifeld said the deal will extend the company’s offerings and allow it to offer a second quote in the U.S. […]
OAK BROOK, Ill. - McDonald’s Corp. plans to make specialty coffee drinks available in all of its U.S. restaurants by the end of 2008, according to a published report Monday.
The world’s largest fast-food chain has been talking openly for nearly a year about plans to add such drinks as lattes and cappuccinos following its success […]
Could the worst be over? That was the question investors asked yesterday as UBS revealed its worst-case scenario for the effects of the credit crunch.
Switzerland’s largest bank wrote down SFr4bn (£1.67bn) at its fixed-income business, took an axe to its executive team and announced 1,500 investment banking job cuts.
UBS said the write-downs would mean a […]
Sony has agreed to form a joint venture to design memory chips with the German firm Qimonda.
Memory chips are used to store information on products such as mobile phones and digital cameras.
Sony’s decision to agree a joint venture highlights the growing trend of chip makers sharing the large costs of design and manufacture.
The price of […]
UK cigarette sales fell by 11% during July, the first month of the smoking ban in England, compared with a year earlier, research suggests.
The findings from AC Nielsen include all sales outlets. The firm’s previous figures showed a drop of 7%, but only covered sales in pubs and clubs.
AC Nielsen said July was an exceptional […]
