Business International

ABN says earnings jumped

ABN AMRO reported double-digit earnings gains yesterday, strengthening the hand of the underperforming Dutch lender as it enters the last days of merger talks with Barclays and faces a rival break-up bid.

Greenspan appears less concerned about recession risks

Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan played down his earlier concern about a possible US recession, saying the world economy would provide a cushion, according to people attending a forum in Tokyo yesterday.

Top casino firms eye prospects

The world's top casino operators are jockeying for a stake in a vast but untapped market as Japan moves closer to an overhaul of its strict gambling laws to lure rich Asian tourists and boost its economy.

IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Business International

Colorful heiress back in business

Once a political star, billionaire Canadian heiress Belinda Stronach said on Wednesday she is quitting her MP job to help steer her family's auto-parts empire ahead of a likely bid for US car maker Chrysler.

Slim gains on Gates, dislodges Buffett as second richest

Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim has quietly overtaken investor Warren Buffett to become the world's second-richest man and is now "breathtakingly close" to wresting the top spot from Bill Gates, Forbes magazine reported.

IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Business International

Russia gets ready for Martha makeover

Martha Stewart, the self-styled American authority on taste, plans to bring her books, magazines and television shows to Russia, tapping into an expanding middle class as incomes surge in the former Soviet republic.

'Nerd' cashes in on junk

In the first purchase of his collection, Sellam Ismail loaded the trunk of his car with old computers he stumbled upon at a flea market for $5 apiece. Soon he had filled his three-car garage with what others would consider obsolete junk.