France Faults eBay Over Fake Goods. PARIS, June 30 -- A French court on Monday ordered eBay to pay more than $61 million to luxury goods group LVMH for letting counterfeit products and its branded perfumes be sold on the auction site.

Data Breaches Are Up 69% This Year, Nonprofit Says. Businesses, governments and universities reported a 69 percent increase in data breaches in the first half of 2008 compared with a similar period in 2007, according to a study by a nonprofit group that works to prevent fraud.

Google Ad Deal Is Under Scrutiny. The Justice Department has opened a formal antitrust investigation into a deal struck last month that would allow Internet titan Google to provide some search advertising for Yahoo, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

Canadian telecom BCE, suitor agree on terms. TORONTO -- BCE Inc, Canada's largest telecommunications company, said Friday it has agreed on terms of a $35 billion sale to a group led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in the biggest leveraged buyout ever. The deal is expected to be completed by mid-December.

Post-9/11 Dragnet Turns Up Surprises. In the six-and-a-half years that the U.S. government has been fingerprinting insurgents, detainees and ordinary people in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa, hundreds have turned out to share an unexpected background, FBI and military officials said. They have criminal arrest records in the..

Washington's Two Parties, Face to Face. Tech Post, which looks at people and ideas driving the local technology industry, runs Friday on the WashBiz Blog, at

One Last Trip to Open Hubble's Eyes Even Wider. By the end of the year, the world's greatest telescope should be able to see deeper into space and further back in time than ever. If all goes as planned, it will be able to detect events closer to the big bang, explore the "cosmic web" of galaxies and intergalactic gas that make up the large-scale..

Biotech Start-Ups Covet Tax Credit. Angel investors and wealthy individuals promised to invest a little more than $1 million in BioMarker Strategies, a young Baltimore biotech working on medical devices and diagnostics for cancer patients. So Scott Allocco, president of BioMarker, invested 11.5 hours on a sidewalk to snag them..

New iPhone Can Decouple From AT&T, for a Price. Apple's popular iPhone can be yours, no contract required. But there's a catch -- and a pricey one at that.

Givenchy Couture: Arty And Andean. Fashion Wire Daily - Givenchy couture took a tour of the Andes this week in Paris, as the house's creative director Riccardo Tisci sent out a phalanx of models in alpaca en route on a motorbike tour of Peru.

Solomon Brothers Jewelry Enrolls to Launch Website Security Plan. In an effort to show their shoppers that they are taking the necessary steps to secure their information online, Solomon Brothers Fine Jewelry has enrolled with ControlScan, a leading Internet security company,..

Luxury leaders: The eight-figure independents. Our Eight-Figure Independents list of independent jewelers doing $10 million or more in sales has gotten bigger this year.

Jewelry in the United States 2008 Provides Predictions. Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Jewelry in the United States 2008" report to their offering.

AGS offers new sales training program. The American Gem Society has introduced a new custom sales-training program developed exclusively for AGS members that offers opportunities for both classroom and online learning.

Pearl Dangle Earrings Added To Tikanchay Collection of Silver Artisan Jewelry. Tikanchay Imports, LLC, is known for its beautiful handmade sterling silver jewelry, but what most people don't know is that Tikanchay also gives back to the artisan community.

NY considers help to victims of child prostitution. Tiffany was 12 when her mother died. That was the same year she ran away from her sister's house, lived on the streets for six weeks and met the man who two days later became her pimp.

Premium Company Profile - Estee Lauder Companies Inc., The - New.. Premium Company Profile - Estee Lauder Companies Inc., The - New Research Report on Companies and Markets 2008-06-27 00:13:21 - adds new report - Premium Company Profile - Estee..

Former Home Depot Employee Pleads Guilty to Vendor Kickback Scheme and Tax Evasion. ATLANTA, June 30 DOJ-HomeDepot-arrest ATLANTA, /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Anthony M. Tesvich, 42, of Atlanta, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of..

Idaho timber-products companies merge as lumber demand slumps. Two Idaho forest-products companies are merging to strengthen ties to large customers including Home Depot Inc.

Clorox Announces Aug. 1 Webcast of Fourth-Quarter Results. OAKLAND, Calif. The Clorox Company today announced that, on Aug. 1, 2008, it will host a live audio webcast of a discussion of the company ' s fourth-quarter results with the investment community.