AP - When it came to buying their children new jeans and trendy tops, parents held the line: They focused on basics at discounters and waited for the best deals, resulting in weak August sales at many stores. That's a bad sign for the holiday season as families may be just as cautious with their gift-giving.

AFP - Hong Kong is considering banning fishing trawlers in its waters to save fish stocks, a report said Thursday. The drastic proposal comes as annual catches were estimated to be 30 percent above sustainable levels, the South China Morning Post said, citing a consultation paper from the Food and Health bureau.

Reuters - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc is considering a plan to put some $32 billion of its commercial real estate and mortgage assets in a new company and spin it off, Bloomberg reported on its website on Thursday.

Reuters - Dell Inc is trying to sell computer factories around the world in efforts to cut cost and improve profitability, the Wall Street Journal said.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp kicked off a $300 million marketing campaign on Thursday, aimed at improving the image of its Windows Vista operating system and strike back at Apple Inc's "Mac vs. PC" ads.

Reuters - U.S. private equity house Lone Star is seriously considering suing the South Korean government if it delays approval beyond September of the firm's $6.3 billion sale of shares in a local bank, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Reuters - Less than a day after voting to strike, Boeing workers expressed frustration and anger on Thursday at the decision by union leaders to postpone a walkout and negotiate further with the company.

Reuters - U.S. discounters, led by Wal-Mart Stores Inc , remained a bright spot in a weak retail industry in August, as shoppers sought back-to-school deals, while department stores and luxury chains disappointed.

Reuters - Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda investment firm settled a regulator's allegations that it was misleading about its plan to cut its stake in General Motors Corp , the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday.

Reuters - The Energy Information Administration said on Thursday it is unaware of any investigation by federal market regulators of the agency's weekly report on oil inventory levels.

Reuters - Boeing Co's largest labor union said its members had rejected the plane maker's contract offer and voted to strike, but the union agreed to postpone a walkout for 48 hours to allow more time for negotiations.

Reuters - Stocks plummeted on Thursday, with the Nasdaq slumping more than 3 percent, as investors grew anxious over more signs of weakness in the U.S. labor market and sluggish growth overseas.

Reuters - The dominant U.S. service sector improved last month and businesses boosted productivity in the second quarter but the labor market continues to struggle, government reports on Thursday showed.