Netscape, Citibank in online deal: Citibank said it has teamed up with Netscape Communications Corp to help advance its ambitious goal of reaching one billion customers by the year 2010. Under the new agreement, Citibank will become the anchor tenant on a new personal finance "channel" that Netscape is launching on its Netcenter Web site this fall. Netscape likened Citibank's role in the new channel to the position a major department store holds in a mall. Although few financial terms of the agreement were disclosed, the companies called it the largestonline personal finance deal ever.

Japan auto shares weak as focus shifts to Wall Street :Shares of Japanese automakers with heavy exposure to the US market, which have rallied over the summer amid the yen's slide, reversed course in the past week as the market's focus switched to the drooping US stock market, analysts said on Wednesday. This seems to be an American scenario, said ING Barings Securities analyst Kunihiko Shiohara. Analysts said a continued drop in the yen had stoked fears about a devaluation of the Chinese yuan and prolonged Asian economic turmoil, fuelling a downturn in US share prices.

Lanka seeks Japan aid to expand airport:Sri Lanka is seeking Japanese funds to launch the $150-million first phase of the expansion for its only international airport, the tourism and civil aviation Minister said on Wednesday. We are negotiating for funds with (Japan's) Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund, Dharmasiri Senanayake said in an interview. Apart from expanding the BandranaikeInternational Airport(BIA) at Katunayake near Colombo. Sri Lanka also planned to build two new airports to meet rising tourist demand, he said.

Air Lanka targets new destinations:Air Lanka is considering starting new routes to Australia, South Africa and Russia. It is in the business plan to expand into new areas for cargo and people and also increase the frequencies to the destinations we already fly to,'' tourism and civil aviation minister Dharmasiri Senanayake said. He said the new plans came into place after the government sold a 40 per cent stake and management of Air Lanka to Dubai's Emirates airlines for $70 million earlier this year.

Exxon awarded $171 m in Mobil suit:Exxon Corp said it was awarded $171 million by a US federal court in Texas in a patent suit against Mobil Corp over a so-called "smart catalyst" used to make plastics and rubber. In a statement Exxon said the US district court in Houston, Texas ruled US-based major Mobil infringed on its metallocene catalyst patent. Inaddition to the $171 million in damages awarded to Exxon, the company said it expects Mobil will be enjoined from further infringement of the patent.

Mobilcom H1 pre-tax profit up five-fold:Germany's Mobilcom AG said on Wednesday that a key acquisition helped sales in the first-half of 1998 rise more than 200 per cent to 461.2 million marks. The company also said pre-tax profit in the first-half reached 53.2 million marks -- about five times its year-ago total of 10.84 million marks. After-tax profit was 27.2 million marks, up from 5.42 million marks in the first-half of 1997. Earnings per share in the period totaled two marks, up from 40 pfennig in the first-half of 1997, the company said.

New York set to file Internet gambling lawsuit:New York is planning to sue an Internet gambling company for that cost at least 100 investors close to $2 million. Attorney general Dennis Vacco said he notified World Interactive Gaming Corp. and its officers that they were the targets of a lawsuit forrunning an allegedly illegal Internet gambling casino. Internet-related stock offerings are a `hot ticket' on Wall Street, said Vacco and added that we believe that (World Interactive) preyed on that fact and promoted this illegal business by making false representations.

Adobe to cut jobs, reorganize:Adobe Systems Inc said Tuesday that it will cut up to 300 jobs, or around 10 per cent of its world wide staff, as part of a broader restructuring aimed at lowering expenses. The announcement came as the desktop graphics software company said the third-quarter results to be significantly below expectations. Adobe said its third quarter net income, after a one-time restructuring charge may approach break-even or a loss", compared with net income of $53.4 million in the year-ago quarter.