COMPANIES

News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch showed defiance in the face of angry shareholders at its annual meeting on Friday as they slammed the media company for poor corporate governance and said he should give up the chairman role.

Air Products and Chemicals Inc forecast a fiscal first quarter profit below Wall Street's expectations, sending the industrial gas supplier's shares down as much as 5.1 percent.

U.S. regulators on Friday approved BP's new exploration plan, moving the company closer to drilling new wells in the lucrative deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico a year and a half after the biggest offshore oil disaster in U.S. history.

The end of a drilling ban in New York was meant to be a new dawn for energy companies. After years of waiting, they would finally be able to exploit the richest deposit of natural gas in the country. But as companies delve into new regulations for drilling in New York, they're discovering a bitter reality: half the land they had leased for drilling may now be out of bounds.

Libya's National Oil Corporation has summoned Russia's Gazprom to a meeting in Tripoli to discuss what the Libyans said was a breach of investment obligations -- the first sign the new leaders are prepared to renegotiate Gaddafi-era contracts.

A.O. Smith Corp reported quarterly adjusted earnings that missed Wall Street estimates, hurt by lower sales of residential and commercial water heaters in the United States, but the company raised its full-year earnings view.

For the small club of companies who trade the food, fuels and metals that keep the world running, the last decade has been sensational. Driven by the rise of Brazil, China, India and other fast-growing economies, the global commodities boom has turbocharged profits at the world's biggest trading houses.

Noble Energy reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street expectations, helped by higher-than-expected production and prices.

Carl Icahn wants Navistar to consider merging with rival Oshkosh, though he has not yet made a formal proposal to either company.

Saab moved closer to collapse on Friday after a planned rescue by Chinese investors was thrown into doubt and a court-appointed administrator moved to lift the Swedish carmaker's protection from bankruptcy claims.

EU antitrust regulators are investigating agreements between Johnson & Johnson and Novartis over concerns they may have delayed the entry of a generic version of a powerful painkiller on to the Dutch market.

Investors in the world's biggest oil companies are expected to look beyond the bumper profits the groups will announce next week on the back of higher oil prices, and seek clues on how the companies can maintain income growth as crude stabilizes.

Wedbush Securities anticipates more complete data of Oncothyreon Inc.'s (NASDAQ: ONTY) PX-866 in combination with docetaxel dosing at American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) on Nov. 12.

Verizon Communications Inc wireless subscriber growth was slower than expected in the quarter before the latest Apple Inc iPhone launch but it was still well ahead of its biggest rival.

Honeywell records strong performance, with aerospace seeing 8% sales growth from higher volume, favorable product mix and improved productivity.

Barbie, the figurehead of the brand Mattel Dolls and Accessories, has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle.

A former Wall Street banker of Japanese descent has emerged as a key figure in the scandal engulfing Japanese blue-chip firm Olympus Corp, according to documents provided by the firm's ex-CEO.

Liquidnet Inc, a U.S. venue where institutions anonymously trade public stocks, was sued by Wedbush Securities Inc for allegedly stealing trade secrets to start a rival business trading shares of private companies.

Flash memory supplier SanDisk (SNDK.O) forecast quarterly revenue near analysts' expectations thanks to growth in tablets and smartphones, but other chipmakers warned that a lackluster economy is hurting demand.

Railroad company's third-quarter net profit rose 16% to $904 million from a year ago as revenues also clocked a 16% gain to hit a record $5.1 billion.

Occupy Wall Street has camped out at Zucotti Park in Lower Manhattan for weeks, but it probably isn't reaching as many bankers as it could. Which could have something to do with the fact that finance is no longer the area's biggest tenant.

Cypress Semiconductor Corp reported a quarterly profit that beat analysts' estimates on strong demand for its mobile handset touchscreens, but warned of a higher-than-expected revenue decline in the fourth quarter.

The California state attorney general's office subpoenaed Bank of America Corp this week regarding the sale and marketing of troubled mortgage-backed securities to investors in the state, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Nine days before it was scheduled to release Anonymous to thousands of movie theaters across the country, Sony will begin the movie's run in only 250 theaters, TheWrap has confirmed.

Southwest Airlines reported a third quarter net loss but results were better than expected.

Hurricane Irene's impact accounted for about $500 million in the insurance company's third-quarter catastrophe losses.

The Internet media firm recorded third-quarter earnings of $0.36 per share as revenue rose 40% to $38.7 million, topping estimates.

Lower textbook sales and impact of weak credit markets on its S&P rating business weigh down on McGraw-Hill earnings. The company plans to cut at least $100 million in costs over next 15 months.

Average mortgage rates essentially held steady this week as they remain near their 60-year lows.