HONG KONG (AFP) - The price of gold soared to a record close of 1,166.00-1,167.

NEW YORK (AFP) - A charitable trust controlling US chocolate maker Hershey is backing a bid of 17 billion dollars for Britain's Cadbury, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Obesity begone! Americans are lacing up athletic shoes and signing up to run in 5Ks, 10-milers and even marathons in record numbers.

A year after the crash that killed five New Zealanders and two Germans in France, aircraft maker Airbus is wrestling with what to do about poorly executed flight tests of jetliners emerging from major overhauls.

LONDON (AFP) - US chocolate maker Hershey and Italian peer Ferrero said Wednesday they are considering a bid for British confectioner Cadbury, in a move which would whip up a takeover war with Kraft Foods.

LONDON (AFP) - US chocolate maker Hershey and Ferrero of Italy said on Wednesday they were mulling a potential counter-bid for British confectioner Cadbury, the object of a hostile offer from Kraft Foods.

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's biggest bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial announced plans Wednesday to raise billion of dollars from investors, joining a scramble by firms to boost finances ravaged the global financial crisis.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An improving global auto market will allow General Motors to repay government loans early and move toward a 2010 share offering, executives said Monday as the automaker revealed fresh losses.

OSLO (AFP) - US networking giant Cisco said on Monday it had raised its bid for Norwegian video-conference company Tandberg from 3.0 billion dollars (2.0 billion euros) to 3.4 billion dollars.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Is Rupert Murdoch bluffing? Making a bold high-stakes gamble that will save the troubled newspaper industry? Or pursuing a pipe dream that can only end in failure?

NEW YORK (AFP) - From diamond-encrusted watches to satin jackets emblazoned with his name, the personal goods of Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff were to go under the hammer Saturday in New York to raise money to help pay those who lost their fortunes.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US computer giant Dell announced on Friday it is teaming up with China Mobile and Brazil's Claro to market a new touchscreen smartphone powered by Google's Android operating system.

LONDON (AFP) - British Airways needs to merge with Spanish carrier Iberia to retain its global ranking and avoid being sidelined as crisis drives airline tie-ups and cost cuts, its top manager said on Friday.

LONDON (AFP) - British Airways and Iberia of Spain approved Thursday a preliminary agreement on a planned merger that would create a European aviation giant, the airlines said.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Intel Corp. agreed Thursday to pay Advanced Micro Devices 1.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Barack Obama embarked Thursday on his first tour of Asia as US president, bound for Japan before later stops in Singapore, China and South Korea on a week-long trip.

LONDON (AFP) - HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, forecast on Tuesday that emerging markets will lead the global economic recovery and said that the "biggest jolt" of the world financial crisis was over.

NEW YORK (AFP) - US videogame giant Electronic Arts posted a net loss for the 11th consecutive quarter on Monday and said it was cutting 1,500 jobs, or 16 percent of its workforce.