http://finstories.com Financial Freedom. Best business news. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:07:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A San Francisco company has purchased LopezGarcia Group Inc., one of Dallas’ most recognizable engineering firms. URS Corp. (NYSE: URS) bought the 200-employee firm, said Wendy Lopez, co-founder and CEO of LopezGarcia, who will remain with the firm as leader of its Texas initiative with a title of vice president. ... http://finstories.com/urs-buys-lopezgarcia-group/ Luxury French shoemaker Mephisto is stepping into downtown Seattle with a new store. Michael LaMoria, who operates the Mephisto store in Bellevue Square, is opening his second location on the northeast corner of University Street and Fourth Avenue across from the Fairmont Olympic hotel this September. The 601-square-foot space that ... http://finstories.com/mephisto-steps-into-seattle/ South Korea's department store sales increased at the slowest pace in five months in July, adding to evidence that economic growth is cooling. Sales at the nation's three biggest chains rose 5.9 percent from a year earlier, easing from June's 11.2 percent gain, the Ministry of Knowledge ... http://finstories.com/south-koreas-store-sales-rise-by-least-in-5-months/ Europe's economy probably contracted in the second quarter for the first time since the launch of the euro almost a decade ago, a survey of economists shows. Gross domestic product in the 15 nations that share the single currency shrank 0.2 percent from the first quarter, when ... http://finstories.com/europe-economy-probably-shrank-for-first-time-since-euro-debut/ Now that US Airways Group Inc. has put a price on everything -- from sodas to snacks -- the airline is giving you a new way to pay for it. Starting early next year, its flight attendants will be outfitted with hand-held credit-card machines. "It's ... http://finstories.com/us-airways-to-introduce-cashless-cabin/ China's producer prices climbed at the fastest pace since 1996 on energy and commodity costs, underscoring the risk of a rebound in consumer-price inflation. Factory-gate prices rose 10 percent in July from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said today, after gaining 8.8 percent in June. That ... http://finstories.com/china-producer-price-inflation-is-fastest-since-1996/ Responding to a Congressional inquiry, web portal Yahoo Inc. will let its users decline to see targeted, customized advertisements on the site. Sunnyvale-based Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO), like other online portals, has sought to gather information about people using its site and to aim specific ads at them ... http://finstories.com/yahoo-responding-to-congress-changes-ad-options-for-users/ Gary Sain was named one of the 25 most powerful people, forces or trends including the meetings industry by MeetingNews magazine. The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau president and CEO is facing some tough challenges, the magazine noted, including an economic downturn and trying to fill ... http://finstories.com/sain-selected-among-top-25-in-meetings-industry/ The U.S. Tennis Association has acquired Cincinnati's Western & Southern Masters tennis tournament from nonprofit Tennis for Charity, and plans to make it more of a national event. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, according to Sports Business Journal, a Dayton Business Journal sister publication, and it ... http://finstories.com/usta-buys-western-southern-masters-tennis-tournament/ Northwest Airlines Corp. on Wednesday increased fares for some of its round-trip tickets by up to $80. The airline confirmed today it instituted fuel surcharges on more than 4,000 city pairs for travel beginning Jan. 10, 2009. Ticket monitoring Web site farecompare.com broke news of the ... http://finstories.com/nwa-tacks-on-80-charge-to-tickets/