UAW, American Axle reach deal that may end strike

By TOM KRISHER

DETROIT - About 3,600 workers at American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. will find out soon whether a new contract was worth 80 days without a company paycheck.

AOL seeks growth in shift from mass site to niches

By ANICK JESDANUN

NEW YORK - A company rooted in bringing the Internet to the masses, AOL is shifting its focus toward serving niche audiences with the launch of dozens of specialty Web sites.

AOL sheds its brand to draw specialty audiences

By ANICK JESDANUN

NEW YORK - Unless you're looking carefully, you'll likely miss the fact that the new Asylum Web site for young men is a creation of Time Warner Inc.'s AOL. Same for WalletPop on personal finance, Spinner on indie music and StyleList on fashion.

Summer may bring a turning point for stock market

By JOE BEL BRUNO

NEW YORK - After nine months of turmoil that started with the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, Wall Street appears to be at a turning point of sorts.

Ex-Malaysian leader calls for ban on Halliburton

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday slammed the government's move to allow U.S. oilfield services provider Halliburton Co. to begin operating in Malaysia, saying the country doesn't need "blood money."

Brazil's illegal logging hard to combat

By MICHAEL ASTOR

TAILANDIA, Brazil - Acrid smoke from charcoal-making blankets this Amazon logging town with the smell of business as usual. Less than three months ago, federal agents swooped in to close sawmills, confiscate wood and smash charcoal furnaces in a government crackdown on illegal logging.

Cathay Pacific Airways considers cutting routes

By MIN LEE

HONG KONG - Cathay Pacific Airways might cut routes to help cope with surging fuel prices, its chief executive said.

Rights activists in Peru condemn corporations

LIMA, Peru - Human rights activists "ethically and morally" condemned 24 European corporations on Friday, accusing them of environmental contamination, labor exploitation and selling dangerous pesticides in Latin America.

Oil sets record near $128; pump price at high, too

By ADAM SCHRECK

NEW YORK - News that Saudi Arabia had boosted its oil output by 300,000 barrels a day was greeted as a non-event on oil markets _ the move wasn't anywhere near the kind of production increase needed to bring prices down on Friday.

Treasury secretary says markets are calmer now

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday that financial markets are "considerably calmer" now than they were two months ago. He predicted the economy will be rebounding by the second half of this year.