AP - BP took some of the blame for the Gulf oil disaster in an internal report issued Wednesday, acknowledging among other things that it misinterpreted a key pressure test of the well. But in a possible preview of its legal strategy, it also pointed the finger at its partners on the doomed rig.

AP - Hewlett-Packard Co.'s quarter-century alliance with Oracle Corp. has been "strained" by the dispute over Oracle's hiring of ousted HP CEO Mark Hurd, HP's interim chief said Wednesday.

AP - Oil prices followed stocks higher on Wednesday, as worries about European debt problems eased and buyers returned to the market.

AFP - Energy giant BP sought to spread the blame for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill Wednesday as it defended itself against tens of billions of dollars in potential fines and legal liabilities.

AP - Apple Inc.'s new music-discovery feature, Ping, is a potentially useful addition to iTunes. With it, you can see what songs your friends are buying and recommend some of your favorites to them.

AP - Google Inc. stepped on its Internet search accelerator Wednesday with a new feature that displays results as soon as people begin typing their request.

AP - BP has for months asserted that it wasn't solely to blame for the Gulf oil spill. On Wednesday, a company report on the causes of the disaster supported its case, analysts said.

AP - BP has for months asserted that it wasn't solely to blame for the Gulf oil spill. On Wednesday, a company report on the causes of the disaster supported its case, analysts said.

AP - In an internal report released Wednesday, BP blames itself, other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.

AP - Oracle Corp. plans to pay newly appointed co-President Mark Hurd a base salary of $950,000 annually and said the ousted Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO is eligible for a target bonus of $5 million in the current fiscal year.

AFP - Two oil workers were missing but more than 30 others were rescued from a listing Sinopec rig off China's northeast coast, the government said Wednesday, as the company insisted no oil was spilled.

AFP - Police shut down 49 servers and detained 10 people in a Europe-wide raid in 13 countries against an online film pirating network, the Belgian prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

AP - The lead BP PLC investigator is saying that eight separate failures had to occur for the company's deepwater well to unleash the largest offshore oil spill in history.

AP - The lead BP PLC investigator is saying that eight separate failures had to occur for the company's deepwater well to unleash the largest offshore oil spill in history.

Reuters - Roadside air pollution in Hong Kong hit record highs in the first six months of the year, hurting public health and economic competitiveness compared with Asian rivals, activists and lawmakers said on Tuesday.

AFP - Oil prices fell below 74 dollars on Wednesday dragged down by sliding equity markets and a firmer dollar, analysts said.

Reuters - A U.S. judge refused on Tuesday to lift a ban on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research despite Obama administration warnings it would set back key research and cost more than a thousand jobs.

Reuters - BP Plc's internal probe of the deadly April 20 blowout that unleashed the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill will assign blame to BP as well as other companies involved in the well's operations, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Reuters - BP Plc's internal probe of the deadly April 20 blowout that unleashed the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill will assign blame to BP as well as other companies involved in the well's operations, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

AP - Oil prices skidded below $74 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as traders followed regional stocks down on reports European banks may be saddled with more debt than previously estimated.

AFP - A truck convoy bearing a huge oil drilling machine is expected to arrive Wednesday to offer a third rescue option, or "Plan C," for the 33 men trapped for a month at the bottom of a Chilean mine.

AFP - The government Tuesday announced the appointment of a new chief negotiator and ambassador for climate change whose mandate will be to try implement agreements made at the talks in Copenhagen.

AFP - A US federal judge denied Tuesday the White House's request to drop his decision to temporarily block federal funding for embryonic stem cell research pending an appeal of the decision.