BlackBerry CEO pens open letter ahead of Classic launch

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd Chief Executive John Chen penned an open letter to current and former BlackBerry users on Wednesday in a push to create some buzz for the company's new BlackBerry Classic device, which is set to debut later this year.

Retailer Next cuts profit forecast after warm weather

Retailer Next has cut its forecast for 2014 profit after a mild autumn reduced demand for winter clothing.

Tata Steel Starts Debt Clean-Up After Corus Purchase Mess

Saddled with $13 billion of debt seven years after buying Corus Group Plc, Tata Steel Ltd. (TATA) is seeking to pare its liabilities. Rating companies are pleased.

Tesco executives taken on back to basics mini-break

First he ordered managers back to the shop floor so they could “reconnect” with customers.

Big Macs go cold as young Americans drop McDonald’s for tastier rivals

It is not just the world’s biggest burger chain; it is also a global emblem of American consumer capitalism. But these days the golden arches of McDonald’s are looking a little tarnished.

Banana splits as Chiquita chops merger with Fyffes

Shareholders in banana company Chiquita have voted against a merger deal with Irish rival Fyffes. As a result, Chiquita will enter talks with Brazil's Cutrale and Safra following its $14.50 a share offer.

Energy firms ‘could cut £800m off household energy bill’ with 5% tariff cut

Britain’s householders could save more than £800m over the next 12 months on their energy bills if the big six suppliers took advantage of plunging wholesale power prices and cut their charges by as much as 5%, according to the founder of a price comparison website.

Microsoft profits beat expectations despite Nokia drag

Microsoft has reported a fall in profits as a result of costs related to job cuts and its purchase of Nokia's smartphone business earlier this year.

ASOS sets £2.5 billion sales target despite fall in profits

The boss and founder of ASOS was defiant in the face of a 14 per cent fall in profit as he set an ambitious target for £2.5 billion in sales.

Apple earnings beat expectations on strong iPhone sales

Apple reported third-quarter earnings of $8.47bn (£5.24bn), a 13% rise from the same period a year earlier, beating analysts' expectations.

Lufthansa pilots' strike expanded to long-haul services

A Lufthansa pilots' strike on Monday affecting mostly European flights has been expanded to include long-haul destinations on Tuesday.

Chevron makes FID on Indonesia deepwater gas project; delays 2nd stage

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp said on Friday it has made a final investment decision (FID) on the first stage of a deepwater natural gas project in Indonesia, but delayed a decision on the second phase of the multi-billion dollar project.

Virgin Money delays float amid global market turmoil

Virgin Money has pushed back plans for a £2 billion flotation following a week of market turbulence.

Apple unveils new iPads, releases OS X Yosemite

Apple (AAPL, Tech30) unveiled new editions of the iPad and iPad Mini at an event in California on Thursday, where it also announced that its new Apple Pay system will launch on Monday, Oct. 20.

Goldman Sachs profits leap 50% as bond market takes off

US investment bank Goldman Sachs has reported a 50% jump in third-quarter profit after a sudden jolt in bond market activity helped boost revenues.

Royal Mail sells central London sorting office for £111m

Royal Mail has sold its former central London sorting office next to Paddington station to a Singaporean consortium for £111m.

Burberry sees revenues rise despite 'difficult' environment

Burberry, the UK luxury fashion brand, has reported a 7% rise in revenue for the first half of the year despite what it described as a "difficult external environment".

Apple to blame for Finland's economic problems, prime minister says

Apple is to blame for the economic weakening of Finland, the country’s prime minister suggested in an interview on Monday morning.

Exxon owed $1.6bn by Venezuela for 2007 nationalisation

Venezuela must pay oil giant Exxon Mobil $1.6bn (£1bn) in compensation for expropriated assets, an international arbitration tribunal has decided. Exxon had claimed up to $16.6bn over the nationalisation of its Cerro Negro Project and other losses in 2007.

Passed their use-by date? The businesses Tesco could sell

Tesco’s fleet of corporate jets is up for sale and Dunnhumby, the data mining empire behind its Clubcard loyalty scheme, could also be up for grabs as the troubled supermarket group’s new boss Dave Lewis looks for ways to shore up the supermarket giant’s finances.

Microsoft's Nadella sorry for women's pay comments

The boss of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, has apologised for remarks he made advising women not to ask for a pay rise but to have "faith in the system".

European commission to probe Amazon’s tax status in Luxembourg

The European commission has widened its investigation into the tax treatment of multinationals, opening a formal investigation into whether online retailer Amazon’s complex tax arrangements in Luxembourg are so generous as to amount to state aid for the $146bn (£90bn) group.

Nokia to suspend production at India handset plant

Nokia plans to suspend production at its mobile phone factory in India because of an unresolved dispute with the country's tax authorities.

iPhone 6 and budget rivals hit Samsung profits

Profits at Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone maker, collapsed in the third quarter as cheap Chinese brands ate into its share of the budget market and Apple’s iPhone sliced away at the top.

Hewlett-Packard to split into two companies

Technology giant Hewlett-Packard, known as HP, is to split itself into two separate companies.

Easyjet revenues boosted by Air France strike

Shares in Easyjet have risen after the airline said it had benefited from a strike at Air France, as passengers switched to the no-frills carrier.

Tesla Said to Add Popular Automated-Driving Functions

Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) will make its first foray toward automated driving with a suite of new high-tech features including one that can keep the car in its lane, said a person familiar with the carmaker’s plans.

Senator: JP Morgan data breach is threat to US national security

The massive data breach at JPMorgan, which compromised the personal information of 76 million households, is "an invasion of the US financial system" and a threat to American national security, a leading senator has warned.

Warren Buffett: Tesco shares 'a huge mistake'

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has described his decision to invest in Tesco as a "huge mistake".

Japanese broker makes £380bn ‘fat finger’ trade

Japan avoided the biggest of all “fat finger” meltdowns on Wednesday when an unidentified large stockbroker managed to cancel rogue trades worth more than the size of Sweden’s economy.

Microsoft unveils Windows 10 operating system

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be the name of its next operating system (OS). The choice is a surprise bearing in mind it represents a jump from the last version - Windows 8.