Milestones: 1962

Milestones: 1963

Milestones: 1964

The Olympic road to Beijing 2008

Business International

Napster in challenge to iTunes

Napster Inc, the digital music service, yesterday opened the world's biggest MP3 download store with more than 6 million songs in a direct challenge to Apple Inc's iTunes store.

Food, fashion fatten M&S profit

Marks & Spencer Group Plc, the United Kingdom's biggest clothing retailer, said annual profit rose 25 percent to the highest in more than a decade after it remodeled stores and added outlets to bolster sales of food and women's fashions.

Soros expects US, UK slump

Billionaire investor George Soros said the "acute phase" of the global credit crisis is over, and the fallout will lead to recessions in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Altadis takeover takes its toll on Imperial earnings

Imperial Tobacco Group Plc reported a 45 percent drop in first-half profit yesterday on costs for buying Altadis SA and said it will sell stock worth 4.9 billion pounds to current investors to help fund the takeover.

Japanese central bankers keep key rate at 0.5 percent

The Bank of Japan kept interest rates on hold at the first meeting after slashing its growth estimate and shelving a two-year policy of seeking higher borrowing costs.

IN BRIEF (Page 21)

Business International