CANADA

Alcan said the company had no reason for any further discussion with Alcoa 'at this time.'

Most companies in China, the United States, Canada and Britain have not laid out plans to improve their energy efficiency, despite growing concerns about global warming, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Stocks rallied on Monday, the first day of the third quarter, boosted by a fresh round of takeover activity and data showing a pickup in manufacturing in June.

Stocks traded higher on Monday, supported by takeover news and data showing manufacturing growth accelerated last month, while bond prices gained in a flight-to-safety bid as police investigated attempted car bomb attacks in Britain.

Stock index futures rose on Monday, boosted by takeover news in the telecommunications sector and before a report on manufacturing activity that could give clues on the outlook for profits.

The battle to take over Canada's biggest telephone company, BCE Inc., may not be over yet, with other suitors saying they are considering their options, The Globe and Mail reported on Monday.

Even if a U.S. jury deliberating the fate of Conrad Black decides to acquit him, the toppled media mogul is likely to spend a lot more time in court.

England slammed the door on smoking in bars, workplaces and public buildings on Sunday in what campaigners hail as the biggest boost to public health since the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.

Shares of Research in Motion surged to a 3 ½ year high on Friday, a day after the Blackberry maker posted a quarterly profit that beat Wall Street expectations.

BCE Inc., Canada's largest telecommunications group, has agreed to a C$51.7 billion ($48.5 billion) offer from a group including the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, in what the purchasers said was the largest buyout in Canadian corporate history.

A founder of payment processor NETeller Plc pleaded guilty on Friday to a conspiracy charge over the handling of billions of dollars in illegal gambling proceeds.

Best Buy Co. Inc. said on Wednesday that it would open more North American stores than previously planned, buy back $5.5 billion in stock and raise its dividend 30 percent.

CommScope Inc. plans to acquire rival communications equipment maker Andrew Corp. for about $2.6 billion to cut costs, the companies said on Wednesday, after failing to reach a deal a year earlier.

Trade and travel problems along the U.S-Canadian border remain a serious aggravation for the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada's ambassador to Washington said on Monday.

As rising health-care costs hurt workers and retirees alike, America's trade unions are seen inching toward a broad-sweeping agreement with U.S. corporations on health-care reform.

H&R Block Inc., the largest U.S. tax preparer, on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter loss on the depressed value of a mortgage unit slammed by deterioration in the U.S. subprime market.

Lifecycle funds have become hugely popular with investors due to their simplicity but as more funds are launched, picking the right one is increasingly becoming a complex task for retirement plans.

Top U.S. consumer electronics retail chain Best Buy Co. Inc. is speeding up its expansion in China, banking on robust demand in a fast-growing market that it entered just one year ago.

Documentarian Michael Moore expects drug and insurance companies to oppose his latest film.

Base metals were boosted on Wednesday as equity markets headed higher, with copper rising 1.6 percent, but analysts said the sentiment remained vulnerable.

Dell Inc.(NASDAQ: DELL) said yesterday it plans to start selling its personal computers through Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(NYSE: WMT) in North America next month, departing from the direct-to-consumer business model it was founded on.