Weak U.S. economic data and a grim outlook for Japanese banks caused Asian stocks to sag and safe-haven bonds to rise on Friday, while oil fell further after its biggest monthly drop since 2004. Hopes of a speedy economic recovery were dented by a surprise jump in U.S. weekly jobless claims, a lower than expected

Although the future team colors of quarterback Brett Favre are unknown, when the 20th Anniversary "Madden NFL 09" game is released in August he will be wearing the Green Bay Packers' colors on the cover. Football fans can put him on any team without having to wait for the official season kickoff on September 4.

The world's top cell phone maker Nokia cut prices for many of its handsets in July, according to market data and industry sources, putting further pressure on its rivals' already thin profits. Manufacturers are facing an increasingly intense battle for market share as demand for pricey phones has started to slow in the United States

Oil retreated on Thursday, after an early bounce, pressured by bearish data on the economy in top energy consumer the United States. U.S. light crude for September was down $2.32 at $124.45 a barrel by 1408 GMT, after a jump of $4.58 on Wednesday. London Brent crude was $2.95 down at $124.15 a barrel. An

The forthcoming network investments by European telecommunication operators into the so-called New Generation Networks (NGN) should not have any immediate impact on their ratings, says Moody's Investors Service in a new report published Thursday. "A number of European investment grade incumbent telecommunications operators have recently announced, or are about to announce, network investments to roll

Expansion accelerated modestly in the second quarter as government stimulus payments helped consumers add more buying punch to the economy, a Commerce Department report on Thursday showed. Gross Domestic Product or GDP grew at a 1.9 percent annual rate, up from a revised 0.9 percent rate in the first quarter that previously was reported as

The dollar fell on Thursday after data showed an unexpected jump in U.S. weekly jobless claims, adding to worries about the state of the economy. The euro was up 0.5 percent at $1.5665 versus $1.5605 before the report. The dollar was last down 0.3 percent at 107.81 yen, from 108.35 yen. The number of U.S.