BC-Business News Preview

Among the stories Thursday from The Associated Press:

TOP STORIES:

BASH BUG

NEW YORK — New warnings are emerging of a security flaw known as the "Bash" bug, which cyber experts say may pose a serious threat to computers using Unix-based operating systems such as Linux and Mac OS X. Beyond computers, devices ranging from home Internet routers to systems used to run factory floors and power plants to medical equipment could be affected. SENT: 430 words.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid increases last week after falling sharply two weeks ago. Despite the rise, the level of applications remains near pre-recession levels, a sign hiring will remain healthy. By Christopher S. Rugaber. SENT: 370 words, photo, glance.

CUBA-REVOLUTIONARY COLOGNES

HAVANA — Call it "Eau de Revolution." Cuba's biggest producer of natural products has come up with a pair of colognes for the discerning supporter of international socialism: a woodsy and refreshing citric scent with notes of talcum powder called "Ernesto" honors guerrilla leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara. For those seeking something softer and fruitier, there's a blend with hints of mango and papaya called "Hugo," for the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. By Andrea Rodriguez. SENT: 650 words, photos.

MARKETS & ECONOMY:

DURABLE GOODS

WASHINGTON — Business orders for long-lasting manufactured goods fall by a record amount in August, dragged lower by a plunge in demand for commercial aircraft. But orders in a key category that tracks business investment plans posted a gain. By Martin Crutsinger. SENT: 590 words, photo.

MORTGAGE RATES

WASHINGTON — Freddie Mac reports on average U.S. mortgage rates for this week. Last week, the average for the 30-year loan jumped to 4.23 percent from 4.12 percent the previous week, marking the largest one-week gain this year. By Marcy Gordon. SENT: 400 words, photo.

FINANCIAL MARKETS

NEW YORK — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates decline slightly this week, after marking their largest one-week gain of the year the previous week. Mortgage company Freddie Mac says the nationwide average for a 30-year loan eased to 4.20 percent from 4.23 percent last week. SENT: 130 words, photo. UPCOMING: 700 words by 5 p.m.

INDUSTRY:

VALEANT-EYE DRUG

Valeant Pharmaceuticals is drawing attention to a potential glaucoma treatment and its focus on product development, as the Canadian drugmaker continues to build its case to investors for a takeover of Botox-maker Allergan. By Tom Murphy. SENT: 410 words.

— BRITAIN-ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND — Philip Hampton, the chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, says he's leaving the company and joining the board of GlaxoSmithKline to become chairman in 2015. Hampton has been chairman since February 2009, shortly after the onset of the financial crisis. Britain bailed out RBS, which remains 81 percent taxpayer-owned. SENT: 130 words.

— SPAIN-MAPFRE-DIRECT LINE — Spanish insurance company Mapfre says it has bought the German and Italian units of Britain's Direct Line motor insurance group for 550 million euros ($705 million). SENT: 130 words.

EARNINGS:

— SWEDEN-EARNS-H&M — Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB says it plans to expand its business over the coming year by increasing online sales and opening new stores, particularly in its largest markets, the U.S. and China. SENT: 320 words, photos.

AIRLINES:

FRANCE-PILOTS-STRIKE

PARIS — An 11-day strike by Air France's pilots over cost-cutting measures grounds more than half of the airline's flights, stranding passengers worldwide. The sides are nearing a deal to get flights going again. But a look at similar battles around Europe and the United States suggests that no matter who wins this labor dispute, the long-term prospects are dim for both the pilots and the airline in an industry that is overdue for an overhaul. By Greg Keller. SENT: 140 words, photos. UPCOMING: 400 words by noon.

With:

— GERMANY-LUFTHANSA — A union representing pilots at Germany's Lufthansa says talks aimed at resolving a dispute over early retirement benefits have broken down and that it is threatening further strikes. SENT: 140 words, photo.

— IRELAND-RYANAIR — Ryanair says it plans to carry an extra 1 million passengers this year and has raised its profits outlook on the back of wide-ranging service improvements that have boosted sales and filled more aircraft. SENT: 420 words, photo.

— FRANCE-NEW PLANE — Airbus sends its latest jet up for its first flight above the skies of southern France, amid high demand for the single-aisle A320neo and its promised fuel economy. SENT: 130 words, photo.

AUTOS:

SKOREA-HYUNDAI MOTOR-STRIKE

SEOUL, South Korea — Thousands of Hyundai Motor Co. workers are striking to protest the South Korean automaker's decision to spend $10 billion on land for a new headquarters while wage negotiations remain stalled. By Youkyung Lee. SENT: 390 words.

— FORD-VAN HIRING-MISSOURI — Ford Motor Co. says it's adding 1,200 workers and another shift to a Missouri plant that makes its new Transit van. The workers already have been hired and are expected to start work in late November at the plant just outside Kansas City. SENT: 320 words, photo.

— MALAYSIA-PROTON — Malaysia's national carmaker Proton launches its first small car, hoping to bolster its fortunes after ceding ground to foreign and domestic rivals. SENT: 440 words, photos.

TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA:

MOVIE DRONES

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce that it is granting permits to seven movie and television production companies to fly drones, an important step toward greater use of the technology by commercial operators, according to attorneys and a company official familiar with the decision. By Joan Lowy. First SENT late Wednesday: 490 words, photos. UPCOMING: Will be updated.

— ABU DHABI-SOLAR PLANE — A Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft is planned to start and finish its first round-the-world flight from the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, a government-backed renewable energy company in the oil-rich Gulf federation says. SENT: 400 words.

— HASBRO-DISCOVERY-HUB NETWORK — The Hub Network will become Discovery Family Channel next month and will include more family-oriented programs in the evenings while maintaining its children's content during the day. SENT: 240 words.

— NFL-BRITAIN-SKY — British broadcaster Sky Sports signs a new expanded five-year deal with the NFL to show more than 80 games per season from 2015. SENT: 100 words.

INTERNATIONAL:

HONG KONG-DEMOCRACY-TYCOONS

HONG KONG — As trouble brews in Hong Kong, who's Beijing going to call? The billionaires. With political tension in the southern Chinese financial hub at its highest in years, China's leaders summoned dozens of the city's tycoons earlier this week for talks. The rare trip by the large contingent of business leaders to meet President Xi Jinping in Beijing highlighted the unlikely role that Hong Kong's capitalists have played as longstanding supporters of China's communist rulers. By Kelvin Chan. SENT: 920 words, photo.

— SPAIN-ECONOMY — Spain's National Statistics Institute says money generated by drug trafficking, prostitution, smuggling and illegal gambling contributed some 9 billion euros ($11.4 billion) to the national economy last year. SENT: 150 words.

— INDIA-MANUFACTURING —Flanked by some of India's wealthiest businessmen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches a campaign to entice investment and promote the country as the world's next cheap labor economy. SENT: 500 words, photos.

— CHINA-SPAIN — China and Spain sign $4 billion of business deals as Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy visits the Asian powerhouse to seek support for Spain's struggling economy. SENT: 160 words.

— ASIA-ECONOMY — The Asian Development Bank trims its economic growth forecast for Southeast Asia this year and next due to slower domestic demand in some of its bigger economies. Its forecasts for China, the world's second largest economy, are unchanged. By Teresa Cerojano. SENT: 360 words.

— PORTUGAL-SUBWAY STRIKE — A strike has shut the Lisbon subway for the second time in a month and the 11th time in a year as militant trade unions continue to fight the government's public transport policy. SENT: 130 words.