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• China Finds American Allies for Security
  For the Olympics, some American companies are helping to design one of the most high-tech surveillance systems.
• Berkshire to Buy ING Unit for $441 Million
  In its second acquisition this week, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy the NRG reinsurance unit of ING, the Dutch financial services company.
• China Moves to Improve Quality of Its Seafood
  China said this week that it would introduce an array of production standards to improve safety and guard against the use of illegal veterinary drugs in its seafood.
• Europe Charges Airlines With Price Fixing
  The air cargo haulers All Nippon Airways, Air New Zealand and the Malaysian Airline System were charged Thursday with violating European competition rules.
• Another Big Order for Boeing’s Dreamliners
  Boeing said that it had sealed a deal with British Airways, raising the number of orders for its long-awaited 787 Dreamliner plane to 790 during the last three years.
• In Europe, Tighter Lending but Not a Squeeze
  An outright credit squeeze has not arrived in Europe, but some bankers there are finding it trickier to navigate the global credit crisis.
• 2 Chinese Automakers Uniting Operations
  Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Nanjing Automobile Corporation said they will combine their production assets in hopes of creating a globally competitive firm.
• China to Levy Tariffs on Some Exported Steel Products
  China said it would introduce export tariffs and increase rates on other items to rein in a record trade surplus and cut energy consumption and pollution.
• Both Sides Cite Science to Address Altered Corn
  A proposal to ban the planting of a genetically modified corn strain sets up a bitter war within the European Union.
• Toyota Aims to Be No. 1 in 2008 Vehicle Sales
  Toyota said it’s aiming to sell 9.85 million vehicles worldwide in 2008, setting an ambitious target despite worries about a slowing U.S. car market.
• The Ink Fades on a Profession as India Modernizes
  Cellphones made the services of the professional letter writer obsolete, but G. P. Sawant isn’t complaining.
• Denmark Feels the Pinch as Young Workers Flee to Lands of Lower Taxes
  Often educated abroad and fluent in English, young Danes are primed to quit Denmark for greener pastures. One reason is the income tax rate, which can reach 63 percent.
• Gum That Won’t Stick to Shoes? It’s in the Works
  Inspired by the gum-splotched sidewalks of New York, a British professor is taking on the sticky problem and developing a nonstick chewing gum.
• Merrill Lynch Sells Stake to Singapore Firm
  Merrill Lynch agreed on Monday to sell $5 billion of new stock to an investor from Singapore and a smaller stake to a domestic firm.
• Restructuring Aims to Give Canada’s Debt Market a $33 Billion Lift
  A tentative restructuring agreement should unlock $33 billion of Canada’s debt market that has been frozen since August, its chief architect said.
• Hyundai Appoints a Chief Executive for North America
  Hyundai Motor America said Jong Eun Kim would become president and chief executive of North American operations, based in Fountain Valley, Calif.
• All-Business Class Airline Ceases Flights
  Maxjet Airways, which flew between London and three United States cities, took what it called a “drastic measure” because of soaring fuel prices and the deteriorating credit market.
• The Fuel Fixers
  How the scarcity of oil may be making our antibribery laws obsolete.
• A Toy Maker’s Conscience
  How a business-school professor and consultant for Mattel would turn ‘‘Made in China’’ into something other than a curse.
• China: Cellphone Upgrade Approved
  China’s government approved a plan to build an improved wireless broadband cellphone network.
• China: I.B.M. License for Chip Maker
  I.B.M. has licensed technology used in making computer chips for mobile devices to a chip company in China.
• France: Vivendi to Buy Sports Concern
  Canal Plus, Vivendi’s pay-television unit, said it had agreed to buy Occade Sport, an organizer of sporting events. Canal Plus will acquire all of Occade Sport’s shares from Gones & Sports by the end of February, Vivendi said. Financial details were not disclosed.
• Japan: Business Sentiment Index Falls
  Sentiment among Japan’s small and midsize companies, especially in housing, fell to its lowest level in nearly three years in December.
• Kazakhstan: Airline Buys Jetliners
  Air Astana, a venture between the Kazakh government and BAE Systems, agreed to buy nine Airbus and Boeing jetliners to help meet surging travel demand in Kazakhstan. The six Airbus A320s and three Boeing 787-8s have a combined catalog price of $950 million, Air Astana said in an e-mailed statement. Deliveries will start in 2012, it said.
• Mexico: Trade Deficit Declines
  Mexico reported a smaller-than-expected trade deficit for November after oil exports rose sharply.
• Nigeria: Pfizer Fights Jailings
  Pfizer said it would fight a Nigerian court order that could jail three employees.
• Portugal Polishes Its Im