TW Telecom spent $160K lobbying in 3Q - AP - 3 minutes ago
-- TW Telecom Inc., a provider of phone and Internet services to businesses, spent $159,891 in the third quarter lobbying the federal government, according to a recent disclosure form.

Former Congress aide pleads guilty to hiding gifts - AP - 4 minutes ago
A former legislative aide to two Missouri Republicans, Sen. Kit Bond and Rep. Roy Blunt, pleaded guilty Thursday to hiding thousands of dollars of gifts from lobbyists, the latest political figure to go down in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal.

French consumer spending slides in October - AP - 5 minutes ago
French consumer spending, the main driver of growth in the euro zone's second-largest economy, fell abruptly in October, suggesting France may yet follow its neighbors Germany and Britain into recession.

Wal-Mart names Duke as next chief executive - AP - 5 minutes ago
Wal-Mart Stores says Mike Duke, vice chairman of its international division, will replace Lee Scott as president and chief executive when he retires from those positions in February.

Shipper calls for military force on Somali pirates - AP - 6 minutes ago
The world's militaries must work together to battle pirates off the Somali coast or ships will have to be diverted and the cost of moving goods will skyrocket, one of the world's largest oil tanker companies said Friday.

Kenya: Somali pirates make $150M in a year - AP - 8 minutes ago
Somali pirates have collected more than $150 million in ransoms over the past year, Kenya's foreign affairs minister said Friday, calling on ship owners not pay when their vessels are hijacked.

Gaylord Entertainment promotes CFO to president - AP - 10 minutes ago
Gaylord Entertainment Co. said Friday it promoted Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Kloeppel to president, effective immediately.