IBT Staff Reporter

Ford Motor Co (F.N) is on track to have cut structural costs by up to $15 billion since 2005, but has room to make further reductions, the automaker's chief financial officer said on Wednesday.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) will produce a seven-seat minivan-like vehicle built on a stretched compact car platform in North America beginning in late 2011, the automaker said on Tuesday.

U.S. Senator Max Baucus unveiled his plan for a 10-year, $856 billion healthcare overhaul on Wednesday that would revamp insurance rules but does not include a government-run option backed by liberal Democrats.

Three of London's top rainmakers are set to square up against a superstar of the 1980s merger era if the looming takeover battle between Kraft and Cadbury ignites.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) is asking European governments to keep incentives for consumers to scrap old cars because demand remains very weak and an abrupt suspension of the programs could lead to another sharp decline in sales, the head of Ford Europe said on Tuesday.

U.S. industrial production rose for a second consecutive month in August, Federal Reserve data showed on Wednesday, providing another piece of evidence that the economic recovery was under way.

The head of Royal Bank of Canada, Canada's largest bank, said on Wednesday the bank's operating environment is recovering and its strong capital base could allow it to acquire assets as other banks shrink.

Jordan Lloyd, a 22-year old waitress from Matthews, N.C. was crowned the winner on CBS' Big Brother 11 aired Tuesday.

Oil edged above $71 a barrel on Wednesday after data showed U.S. crude stockpiles fell more than expected last week, but higher inventories of gasoline and winter fuel capped gains.

Brazilian real estate developer PDG Realty plans a primary offering of 56 million new shares to raise an estimated 775.6 million reais ($430 million), the company said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

Japan's NEC Electronics Corp will absorb Renesas Technology Corp after raising a total 200 billion yen ($2.2 billion) from their parent firms, which could smooth the way for the government to also extend aid to the loss-making chipmakers.

Medical products maker Baxter International Inc said on Wednesday it expects to increase annual profits 11 percent to 13 percent on average over the next five years, even as it boosts investment into research.

Carlyle Group and Taiwan Mobile struck a $1 billion deal on Wednesday, with Carlyle taking a big chunk of the telecommunications group in a sign the private equity firm has faith in the island's economy.

Telecommunications service provider Level 3 Communications Inc's CEO said on Wednesday the company was looking to invest in its network in response to growing Internet traffic but that improving its balance sheet was still the top priority.

Greed -- not green -- drives sales of small, environmentally friendly cars, a top industry executive said on Tuesday.

Russian regional fixed-to-mobile telecom operator UralSvyazInform said on Wednesday its first-half net profit fell 2 percent due to higher financial expenses and foreign exchange losses.

Automakers would be required to gradually increase fuel efficiency under a landmark U.S. government proposal that raises the fleet-wide average to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and regulates tailpipe emissions for the first time.

Indian state-run telecoms firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has bid for Millicom's Sri Lankan operations, the chairman of the Indian firm said on Wednesday.

Japan's NEC Electronics Corp will absorb Renesas Technology Corp after raising a total 200 billion yen ($2.2 billion) from their parent firms, which could smooth the way for the government to also extend aid to the loss-making chipmakers.

Imagine a light switch or a book that appears only when you need it -- Japanese scientists are one step closer to making the stuff of sci-fi films into reality after creating a hologram that can also be felt.

The European car industry could face a further shake-up with Asian companies pouncing on the chance to buy assets as China's Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings has done with Swedish car maker Saab.

China's domestically developed 3G mobile network standard must eventually expand overseas to be successful, one of many hurdles for the commercially untested technology, said the International Telecoms Union (ITU) on Wednesday.

Canadian manufacturing sales rose in July at their fastest pace in 12 years after some automakers switched assembly lines back on after extended shutdowns and demand for primary metals rose sharply.

Italy's Fiat (FIA.MI) can reach its target of selling between 5.5 and 6 million vehicles with Chrysler alone but the group still considers renewal of Italy's car sale incentives as vital.

Magyar Telekom will lay off 400 workers at a cost of about 7 billion forints ($37.04 million) in severance payments, the brunt of which it expects to incur in the fourth quarter, the company said on Wednesday.

Nokia is seeing large interest towards its new top-of-the-range model N900, a key product for the world's top phone maker, a senior company official said on Wednesday.

The world will face a global health catastrophe if governments fail to agree deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions as part of a U.N. pact in Copenhagen in December, several leading doctors have declared.

An international goal to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius appears unreachable even if China embarks on a vast effort to tame its growing greenhouse gas emissions, a Beijing think-tank has said.

Two Pct Growth in Coming Quarters; U.S. Prices Rise; Chrysler's Plans