Business - International Herald Tribune
Business news from The International Herald Tribune, the world's daily newspaper online.

• 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.
• Academia crosses disciplinary lines to address global warming
  Universities are setting up stand-alone centers that offer neutral ground for students and professors from various disciplines to collaborate on various issues affecting the environment.
• Christmas shopping boom spreads to China
  Christmas has secured a spot on the Chinese calendar as a cherished excuse to buy, buy, buy. And while Christianity is indeed spreading in the officially atheist country, many shoppers have only a faint idea of the holiday's religious connection.
• Airlines grapple with Internet etiquette and restrictions
  Internet access will soon be available on some airlines, forcing companies to figure out how to deal with questions of etiquette, openness and free speech in crowded quarters.
• Toyota closes in on General Motors' record of worldwide auto sales
  Toyota Motor on Tuesday raised its sales forecast for 2008 to 9.85 million vehicles, cementing the company's lead as the world's most profitable carmaker.
• Restructuring in works for Canada's frozen debt market
  A tentative restructuring agreement should unlock a $33 billion portion of Canada's debt market that has been frozen since August, its chief architect said. Fears about subprime lending in the United States has led to a liquidity crisis.
• Toy stores desert a big U.S. city, moving to suburbs
  San Franciscans searching for toys this holiday season had the added hurdle of finding a place to buy it. In recent years, all of the major toy chain stores have closed.
• Travelers Aid helps fill the gaps of an interrupted journey
  Founded in 1851, Travelers Aid International has 1,600 volunteers who staff booths at airports and train and bus terminals.
• Economic predictions for 2008 are all over the map
  Some economists predict that the U.S. economy will slide into recession next year. Others expect the nation to avoid recession, if only barely. A few even think the economy will see solid growth.
• Consumer product safety is evolving rapidly in a globalized way
  The United States and the European Union - the biggest export markets in the world - are reviewing their procedures and updating their rules. But they are also working with the Chinese and other producers.
• Fine line: Shielding elders' money, and independence
  Thousands of older Americans have filed suits against companies who have promoted dubious offers even though the victims concede they freely made unwise decisions.
• How the cooling economy is stealing Target's Christmas
  Despite rosier expectations, Target is muddling through this holiday season, perplexing those who consider the chain a bellwether.
• E-greetings gain ground at businesses this season
  Once seen as the tacky, last-minute substitute for pen and paper, e-cards have become more acceptable this holiday season.
• Harrah's says National Indian Gaming Commission will allow sale
  Harrah's Entertainment Inc. has tentatively cleared the last remaining regulatory hurdle to the largest casino buyout ever.
• LVMH announces acquisition of French financial daily Les Echos
  French luxury goods company LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA said Monday it had concluded a deal with Britain-based media group Pearson PLC to buy France's leading financial newspaper Les Echos.
• Quoted in the news? Post a comment, please
  Google News offers a new feature that allows people quoted in news articles to post a comment that will be paired with that article online.
• The top player in this league? It may be the sports reporter
  Rising demand for star sportswriters, driven by rising television and Internet revenue, is leading to intense competition to hire talent.
• Little love among matchmakers
  The online dating service Chemistry.com plans to unleash a new advertising campaign that seeks to depict its competitor, eHarmony.com, as out of touch with mainstream American values.
• Northern League opposes Air France-KLM bid for Alitalia
  The Air France plan - which the Alitalia board indicated Friday was its preferred bidder - would make Rome the nation's only hub at the expense of Milan.
• Porsche and VW: One happy family?
  The Beetle and 911 Turbo in one garage: A dynasty is going full circle.
• Bewkes prepares to take reins at Time Warner
  The question is how Time Warner will look after a Bewkes administration and what he will do first.
• Recalled toys rarely make it back to the manufacturer
  U.S. companies face strict federal regulations for disposing of recalled toys, but they are only responsible for the toys that show up. The other products left out there - and in many cases, that is more than 80 percent - fall out of their purview.
• Politicians urged to leave the economy to the Fed
  The question on the minds of many in Congress and in the White House is this: What should they be doing now to keep the economy on track? The right answer: absolutely nothing.
• At last, a Web site to help home buyers compare costs
  FeeDisclosure.com gives borrowers a way to compare early on what they will probably pay for a mortgage in commissions, points, interest rates and fees.
• Breakup of Eircom could be opening for rivals
  The potential separation of Eircom's network and service businesses comes as European lawmakers consider a more modest, but far-reaching proposal.
• Slim Sony TV uses new technology
  The sets replace the bulky backlighting of typical LCD televisions with a thin film that glows with colors even when viewed from the side.
• Studios face rising cost of archiving films
  Digital masters cost 12 times as much to preserve as conventional masters, and the film industry is again wrestling with preserving its most precious assets.
• News Corp. to sell 8 TV stations for $1.1 billion
  News Corp., the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch, will sell eight of its Fox network-affiliated television stations in the United States to Oak Hill Capital Partners for about $1.1 billion in cash.
• WTO gives Antigua right to violate U.S. copyrights in gambling dispute
  The $21 million award is significant in that it grants a rare form of compensation, but trade lawyers say it will be hard to implement.
• BMW laying off thousands of workers
  Facing rising costs and resurgent competition from rivals like Mercedes, BMW announced its first significant layoff in at least a decade.
• EU regulators step up investigation into airline price-fixing
  The European Union and the United States have been investigating more than a dozen airlines since at