AFP - Swiss bank UBS, dramatically hit by the US home-loan crisis, said on Friday it had "successfully" raised almost 16 billion Swiss francs (9.9 billion euros, 15.3 billion dollars) from shareholders through an issue of new stock.

Reuters - Shares of Yahoo dropped more than 8 percent on Thursday after the Wall Street Journal reported that negotiations between the Internet media company and Microsoft Corp ended without reaching a deal .

AFP - Spain's Economy Minister Pedro Solbes said Friday the country's once-buoyant economy was experiencing an "abrupt adjustment" but denied it was in "crisis."

Reuters - The weak U.S. dollar and oil speculators took centre stage as Group of Eight finance ministers gathered in Japan on Friday to grapple with surging inflation and a slowing global economy.

Reuters - Shares of Apple Inc fell for the third day in a row, possibly reflecting shareholder concerns about the shift in its iPhone strategy, although analysts continue to think the company will thrive.

Reuters - Soaring gasoline prices helped drive up U.S. consumer prices in May at the fastest rate in six months, the government said on Friday, but core prices remained tame, easing inflation fears in financial markets.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp offered Yahoo Inc $1 billion in cash to buy its search business in a deal that would have delivered $1 billion in additional annual operating income to Yahoo, a source familiar with Microsoft's thinking said on Friday.

AFP - The US Securities and Exchange Commission rolled out a series of proposals Wednesday aimed at overhauling the credit rating industry which has been criticized for worsening the global credit crunch.

Reuters - UBS has wrapped up a 16 billion franc ($15.4 billion) rights issue, the Swiss bank's second effort to resuscitate finances ravaged by the global markets crisis.

Reuters - Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc has had preliminary talks with Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo SAB de CV about a possible tie-up that could thwart an unsolicited takeover bid by InBev NV , the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Reuters - Pfizer may bid for Ranbaxy Laboratories , countering a $4.6 billion (2.4 billion pound) offer by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo (4568.T) for the Indian generic drug maker, the Business Standard newspaper said.

Reuters - Exxon Mobil Corp said on Thursday it is getting out of the retail gas business in the United States as sky-high crude oil prices squeeze margins.