Nation & World News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase previously occupied homes increased in July but remained well below last year's levels, a sign that demand for housing remains weak.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system.

SEATTLE (AP) — Dell Inc. is walking away from a bidding contest with rival Hewlett-Packard Co. for data-storage maker 3Par Inc.

NEW YORK (AP) — Many retailers are reporting surprisingly solid gains for August, helped by aggressive discounting, even as unusually hot weather and job worries kept a lid on back-to-school buying.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people requesting unemployment benefits declined for the second straight week, suggesting that the slowing economy isn't prompting widespread job cuts.

Banks to let local groups buy foreclosures

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple Inc. announced a smaller, cheaper version of its Apple TV device for streaming movies and TV shows over the Internet and into the living room. It also unveiled a new line of iPods, including a touch-screen Nano model.

NEW YORK (AP) — Manufacturing companies grew faster in August as the industrial sector continues to lead the recovery, and managers' desire to hire shot up to the highest level in nearly 30 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal bank regulators are defending their actions leading up to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the purchase of Wachovia at the height of the financial crisis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Construction spending tumbled in July to the lowest level in a decade, as the housing market struggles in the weak economy and without a popular home-buying tax credit.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Getting money down on your favorite sports team is getting a little easier in Nevada with the first-ever legal wagering application for smart phones.

CHAMPAIGN (AP) — At least some of the coal producers and other companies working with the Department of Energy to build an experimental coal-fired power plant in Illinois have decided to stick with the project despite major changes to the original plan.

NEW YORK (AP) — Not even skinny jeans for $20 are pulling Americans into stores.

FDA issues warning

NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market ended its worst August since 2001 with meager gains Tuesday after minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting showed officials' increasing concern about the economy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials signaled at their August meeting that they would consider going beyond a modest program to purchase government debt if necessary to boost the economy.

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans' confidence in the economy improved slightly in August, but the mood is still gloomy amid job worries, according to a monthly survey.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Home prices rose in June for a third straight month as now-expired tax credits inspired a burst of home-buying. But prices are expected to fall through the rest of the year now that demand has faded.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A mixed picture of U.S. banks emerged Tuesday as the industry posted its highest quarterly earnings in nearly three years while the number of troubled institutions grew by more than 50.

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — Deere & Co. is selling its wind energy business to a subsidiary of Exelon for $900 million.

Chrysler dealers hear

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in thin trading Monday after more signs of slowing economic growth got investors worried ahead of a key report on jobs later this week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are spending a little more this summer, but hardly enough to rejuvenate the weakening economy.

DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler on Monday told 400 dealers about its plans to bring the Fiat brand back to the U.S. after a 30-year absence, starting with the Fiat 500 minicar later this year.

NEW YORK (AP) — Intel Corp. is buying the wireless communications unit of Germany's Infineon Technologies AG for $1.4 billion in cash, the second deal in as many weeks that allows the chipmaker to expand beyond the struggling personal computer market.

NEW YORK (AP) — French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis SA on Sunday publicly launched its $18.5 billion cash bid for American biotech firm Genzyme Corp. — a move that follows months of rumored interest and failed attempts to bring Genzyme's management to the table.

CHICAGO (AP) — Starbucks Corp. is set to debut its latest caffeinated concoction — flavored instant coffee.

WASHINGTON – The economy appears to be stalling. Yet the Federal Reserve has run out of simple steps it can take to revive it.

LONDON – Corporations worried about the bottom line are taking a look at their office walls.

TRENTON, N.J. – With Johnson & Johnson’s once-golden reputation tarnished by 11 recalls of medicines, contact lenses and hip implants in as many months, its chief executive says he knows the company let consumers down.

Ranchers differ on

WASHINGTON — The economy turns out to be weaker than we thought, and the outlook for the rest of the year is now looking dimmer.

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the Fed will consider making another large-scale purchase of securities if the slowing economy were to deteriorate significantly and signs of deflation were to flare.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy grew at a much slower pace this spring than previously estimated, mostly due to the largest surge in imports in 26 years and a slowdown in companies' restocking of goods,

NEW YORK (AP) — Boeing Co. postponed the delivery of its first 787 airliner to the middle of the first quarter of 2011, adding to a string of delays that has put it more than two years past its originally scheduled debut.

SEATTLE (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co. boosted its bid for 3Par Inc. to $1.88 billion Friday, topping Dell Inc.'s offer by 11 percent and again raising the stakes in the bidding contest for the data-storage company.

HP raises offer for

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell Thursday after early gains from a better report on jobless claims ebbed. The Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time since early July.

NEW YORK (AP) — Toyota recalled 1.33 million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks in the U.S. and Canada Thursday because their engines may stall, the latest in a string of quality problems at the Japanese automaker.

SEATTLE (AP) — Dell Inc. said Thursday that data storage maker 3Par Inc. has accepted its raised buyout bid of $1.52 billion, after the computer maker topped an offer from rival Hewlett-Packard Co.

WASHINGTON (AP) — New requests for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, the first decline in a month and a hopeful sign after a raft of negative economic reports.

SEC bolsters shareholders’

DENVER (AP) — More Americans will get away for the Labor Day weekend this year, yet stick closer to home as they try to get the most for their money, AAA said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved, on a divided vote, changes making it easier for shareholders to nominate directors of public companies. The changes were long sought by investor advocates and opposed by business interests.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The economic recovery appears to be stalling as companies cut back last month on their investments in equipment and machines and Americans bought new homes at the weakest pace in decades.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell for a fourth day after another disappointing report on housing deepened worries that the economic recovery could be fading. Bond yields fell as investors sought out more stable investments.

McDonald’s names

DEERFIELD (AP) — Baxter International Inc. purchased exclusive commercial rights to an emphysema treatment from Kamada Ltd. in a deal that could be worth up to $45 million, the drug and medical device maker said Tuesday.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft is now powering the search engine on Yahoo's website in the U.S. and Canada.

CHICAGO (AP) — Burger King Holdings Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income fell nearly 17 percent as sales slipped and costs for ingredients and packaging climbed.