COMPANIES

Starbucks Corp CEO Howard Schultz, decrying a lack of leadership in Washington, said his chain of coffee shops is helping to launch a nationwide fund designed to stimulate U.S. job creation.

Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz has teamed up with Operation Finance Network to establish the Create Jobs for USA, a fund for job growth.

The Detroit Lions are undefeated. And it's already October. The team had a big 34-30 win on the road at Dallas Sunday after it had appeared early in the game that it was back to the business of old for the Lions.

Malawi has awarded oil exploration licences to UK-based firm Surestream Petroleum to search for oil in the country's main lake, the minister of energy said on Monday.

Democratic Republic of Congo is in talks with Malaysia Smelting Corporation over the construction of a foundry in the eastern Maniema province, the central African country's mines minister said.

Zimbabwe's Econet Wireless, the country's largest mobile phone operator, has reported a 16 percent increase in half-year earnings, mainly driven by subscriber growth.

What's the lowdown on gasoline prices for U.S. motorists? By and large the story remains encouraging -- a 7-cent drop in prices in a week, and a roughly 21-cent plunge from a month ago, in early September.

Hybrid cars aren't totally in right now, but with fuel-economy standards kicking in, there may be a wave by 2025.

Chinese gold miner and smelter Lingbao Gold Co. Ltd. said it would apply to issue up to 300 million Shanghai-listed A-shares to expand its business and repay debt.

Global Equities Research has downgraded shares of LinkedIn (NASDAQ:LNKD) to equal weight from overweight, saying that the company may probably lose revenue to Google+.

American student Amanda Knox made a tearful plea to an Italian court Monday to be acquitted of murdering her British roommate during a brutal erotic game, saying she was paying with her life for a crime she did not commit.

The world's largest online business-to-business trading company, Alibaba, is thinking of taking over the troubled Internet firm Yahoo, its chairman says.

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito could see their convictions and sentences in the murder of Meredith Kercher overturned, following their final appeal.

The national board of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) has given negotiators for the labor group's sound recording contract authorization to strike, the organization announced Saturday.

Second-round bids for the streaming start-up Hulu are due this week, but a sale looks less and less likely as the owners debate demands for conditions around the bids, according to individuals knowledgeable about the auction.

NPR has named former Sesame Workshop chief Gary Knell as its new president and CEO, replacing the controversial Vivian Schiller, the public broadcaster announced on Sunday.

Jack Ma, the founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is keen on buying Yahoo Inc if the opportunity presents itself and has held discussions with other potential buyers about options.

Starting in early 2012, Bank of America will charge a $5 monthly fee for debit card usage. The fees will be assessed on a month-to-month basis, will not include ATM cash withdrawals and will not affect premium customer accounts.

The Apple Let's talk iPhone event is just two days away, and up-to-the-last minute rumors have been rampant. On Tuesday, we'll have all the facts confirmed about the the Apple iPhone 5 release date and features. CEO Tim Cook will preside for retired company co-founder and long-time leader Steve Jobs. But while speculation is abundant, much has become clear about the Apple iPhone 5 release date and features.

The advisory board of IMG held a conference call on Friday to discuss what to do about Michael Ovitz's play to take over company management, according to an individual with knowledge of the call.

More iPhone 5 leaks keep coming and the latest is of a 32 GB smartphone accidentally released by Cincinnati Bell.

The $5 Bank of America debit card fee has sparked rage that hasn't been seen since the height of the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009.

Apple will finally unveil the iPhone 5 next week, or so it is expected, during an Oct. 4 meeting at its Cupertino, Calif. campus, and everyone is wondering what features the new smartphone will come with.

The Obama administration on Friday approved more than $4.7 billion in loan guarantees for major solar projects as the government closed out an incentive program embroiled in controversy over the bankruptcy of one of its biggest projects.

The state of California pulled out of multi-state mortgage negotiations with large U.S. banks, dealing a sharp blow to long-running efforts to secure a broad settlement over allegations of lending abuses.

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking to give control of Solyndra's estate to a bankruptcy trustee, citing the refusal by executives at the solar power company to answer questions about its operations.

After the cantaloupe-associated listeriosis outbreak linked to a Colorado farm that has left 15 people dead and 84 sick across 19 states, it is romaine lettuce now threatening to spread the infection in North America.

Meg Whitman, as the new CEO and president of the Hewlett-Packard Co., will be getting $1 in base salary, a target annual bonus of $2.4 million for HP's 2012 fiscal year, and an option to buy 1.9 million shares of the company's stock at $23.59 apiece under certain conditions

More than 30 vintage cars from Belgium took part at the 2011 National Classic Tour at the Home of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars at Goodwood, West Sussex. Over 100 drivers and passengers made their way from Belgium to England, starting six days ago, travelling from Kortrijk via Beaulieu to Goodwood.