MEXICO

Countries negotiating a deal to curb trade in fake and pirated goods are close to reaching an agreement in talks that have raised concerns among digital rights advocates, U.S. trade officials said on Friday.

(Reuters) - The World Health Organization conceded shortcomings on Monday in its handling of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, including a failure to communicate uncertainties about the new virus as it swept around the globe.

Markets saluted a euro zone deal on a huge standby rescue package for Greece, slashing the debt-laden country's borrowing costs and buying its stocks and bonds on Monday as fears of a near-term default evaporated.

Constellation Brands Inc forecast full-year results below Wall Street estimates, reflecting its concerns about lackluster consumer spending on its alcoholic drinks and a frayed joint venture with Mexico's Grupo Modelo, sending shares down 4.6 percent.

Alcoholic drinks maker Constellation Brands Inc reported a higher than expected quarterly adjusted profit on Friday, as higher wine and vodka sales made up for weak imported beer sales, but forecast full-year earnings that would fall short of Wall Street estimates.

Tens of millions of Mexicans could find their cellphones disconnected this weekend if the government goes ahead with a new law meant to fight crime by forcing people to register their identities.

India, world's largest producer of aromatic, premier variety basmati rice, is planning to expand its market by exporting to two more countries and increasing shipments to existing country, said APFPEDA official on Friday. State run Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APFPEDA) said that Mexico has contracted for the basmati rice and China is expected to open a market for premium rice soon.

Scientists may have made an a-maize-ing discovery that could lead to higher corn yields in the United States.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday U.S. house prices appeared to have bottomed out but were still fragile and that the country would not be out of crisis until prices stabilized.

The agave plant that gave the world tequila contains fructans which may help protect against osteoporosis by boosting the body's absorption of calcium and could have other health benefits, as reported by scientists at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Dozens of West Australians determined to end their lives are jetting to Thailand, as the country becomes the latest destination of choice for purchasing euthanasia drugs.

Officials of the FBI, DEA and three other agencies were sent to investigate the slayings of two Americans and a Mexican linked to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico over the weekend.

The U.S. Department of State is urgently advising travelers to take precautions when visiting Mexico during the spring break amid increased drug-related violence in the nation.

Nissan Motor launched its much-awaited, low-cost compact car on Friday, aiming to become a major force in the fast-growing segment with a global sales target of one million units a year by 2013.

It's enough to make a mining executive grit his teeth or his kids to give him the silent treatment.

While James Cameron's 3D sci-fi epic Avatar took the box office by storm instantly, the road to success will be much longer for Best Buy Co Inc, which is making a big bet on 3D televisions this year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is likely to buy the 50 percent it does not own of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo this year for around $10.8 billion, said broker Evolution Securities.

MetLife Inc pursued AIG's foreign life insurance business for two years before finally clinching a $15.5 billion purchase that will give it beachheads in 47 nations from Peru to Bangladesh.

AIG is selling its foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc for about $15.5 billion, its second major asset sale in a week as it raises funds to repay a $182.3 billion U.S. government bailout.

Four in five adults believe access to the Internet is a fundamental right -- with those feelings particularly strong in South Korea and China -- and half believe it should never be regulated, according to a global survey.

AIG is selling its foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc for about $15.5 billion, in its second major asset sale in a week to repay the U.S. government billions of bailout money.