Pricier bubbly boosts Laurent-Perrier

Laurent-Perrier SA, the maker of Grande Siecle champagne, said full-year profit rose 15 percent after demand for higher-priced sparkling wine swelled margins.

Indian talent pays back taxpayers, shuns Uncle Sam

For almost 50 years, the hard-earned money of India's taxpayers has gone down the "brain drain" as many of the engineers trained at the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) went overseas and didn't return.

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Business International

Firms tell US govt to foot pollution bill

Rio Tinto Group and utilities are urging the US government to spend $20 billion on a technology they say has the best chance for eliminating pollution linked to global warming.

Hedge funds cut bets on oil price

Hedge-fund managers and speculators reduced bets on higher oil prices by 80 percent since July as crude futures rose to records and US regulators started investigating trading, government data show.

Airlines to suffer big losses in 2008

Airlines may report a collective loss of $2.3 billion this year as spiraling fuel costs and a slowing economy wipe out earnings, the industry's main trade group said.

Crude falls after storm misses Mexican field

Crude oil fell after a tropical storm missed Mexico's biggest oilfield and investors reduced holdings of the commodity.

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Business International

Sears posts unexpected Q1 net loss

Sears Holdings Corp, the largest US department-store chain, unexpectedly reported a first-quarter net loss as consumers reduced spending on household items and clothing.

GM may cut SUV, pickup output

General Motors Corp, the biggest US automaker, is poised to build fewer pickups and sport-utility vehicles as rising gasoline prices spur demand for passenger cars, the company's North American sales chief said.