Battle rages over doll's 'parentage'

Mattel Inc, the world's biggest toymaker, may add as much as $500 million a year to its revenue by winning a copyright suit against MGA Entertainment Inc over the Barbie doll's hip urban rival, Bratz (pictured).

HBO to sell shows on Apple's iTunes

Apple Inc's iTunes online store will sell television shows from Time Warner Inc's HBO cable network, including The Sopranos and The Wire, the companies said yesterday.

Game chip powers up Wall St, Hollywood

International Business Machines Corp, the largest computer-services provider, is making lower-cost supercomputers for Wall Street firms and movie studios using chips designed for video-game consoles.

Italian firm acquires Pentagon supplier

Finmeccanica SpA, Italy's biggest defense company, agreed to buy US military electronics maker DRS Technologies Inc for $4 billion to win Pentagon contracts.

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Business International

Allianz says Q1 earnings fell by 65%

Allianz SE, Europe's biggest insurer, said a loss at Dresdner Bank and lower profit at its insurance divisions drove earnings down 65 percent in the first quarter.

HSBC sets aside $3.2b for more US bad loans

HSBC Holdings Plc, Europe's biggest bank by market value, set aside a smaller-than-estimated $3.2 billion for bad loans in the United States and said first-quarter profit was higher than a year earlier.

MBIA reports loss as slump deepens

MBIA Inc, the bond insurer that lost 87 percent of its market value in the past year, posted a net loss of $2.4 billion as the slump in mortgage securities deepened.

Man to lose 9 homes in meltdown

A California man who has defaulted on nine homes and expects banks to foreclose on all of them, forcing him into bankruptcy, says he now considers it a mistake to have invested in the real estate market.

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