BC-Business News Digest

Business News at 5 p.m.

The supervisor is Richard Jacobsen (800-845-8450, ext. 1680). For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact customersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477.

If you have questions about transmission of financial market listings, please call 800-3AP-STOX.

A selection of top photos can be found at: http://bit.ly/APTopPhotos .

All times EDT.

— Adds: ARGENTINA-FORMER ECONOMY MINISTER, AIG-LAWSUIT, CHINESE DRYWALL, TBS-JOB CUTS

— Updates: OBAMA-WALL STREET, FINANCIAL MARKETS

TOP STORIES:

HEWLETT-PACKARD-SPLIT

Are PCs soon to be a thing of the past? With customers' increasing shift toward tablets and smartphones, companies such as IBM, Dell and Hewlett-Packard have struggled to compete. What's the next step for these iconic brands? By Brandon Bailey. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5:30 p.m., photo.

With:

— HEWLETT-PACKARD-HISTORY — A look back at Hewlett-Packard's journey from its founding in a tiny garage 75 years ago to becoming the world's biggest PC maker. SENT: 580 words, photo.

UNFINISHED RECALL

DETROIT — Ominous-sounding letters. Facebook messages. Telephone calls. Those are the extra steps General Motors is taking to get owners of 2.36 million small cars to fix a faulty ignition switch that is linked to at least 24 deaths. In rare cases, dealers have gone to people's homes. Yet for all the publicity the recall has received, less than half the cars have been bought in for repairs. At first, the problem was a shortage of replacement switches. Now, it's the people. Many of the laggards are either unaware of the recall or haven't grasped the seriousness because their cars don't show any symptoms of the problem. By Tom Krisher. SENT: 750 words, photo.

With:

— FORD-INVESTIGATION — The U.S. government's auto safety regulator opens an investigation into complaints that the power-assisted steering can suddenly fail on three Ford Motor Co. midsize car models. The probe covers 938,000 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars from the 2010 through 2012 model years, as well as the 2010 and 2011 Mercury Milan. It includes gas-electric hybrid versions of the cars. SENT: 520 words, photo.

— CHRYSLER-RECALL — Chrysler is recalling more than 31,000 full-size commercial vans to fix a problem with the headrests. SENT: 100 words.

WAL-MART-HEALTH INSURANCE

NEW YORK — Wal-Mart is taking one-stop shopping to another area: health insurance. The world's largest retailer plans to work with DirectHealth.com, an online health insurance comparison site and agency, to allow shoppers to compare coverage options and enroll in Medicare plans or the public exchange plans created under the Affordable Care Act. The strategy is another step into insurance marketing as the retailer tries to use its mammoth size to expand beyond food and other basics at a time of sluggish traffic and sales. By Anne D'Innocenzio. SENT: 550 words.

FRANCE-EURO DISNEY

PARIS — In Europe, even Mickey Mouse is getting a bailout. The Disney resort on the outskirts of Paris is getting a financial lifeline from owner The Walt Disney Company to handle rising debt and a decline in visitors at a time of economic uncertainty in Europe. The 1 billion-euro ($1.3 billion) lifeline will see the park's California masters take control of Euro Disney, which runs Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park. By Greg Keller. SENT: 450 words, photo.

NBA-TV DEALS

NEW YORK — The NBA renewed its deals with ESPN and TNT even though two seasons remain on the old one. With potential competition from Fox looming, both networks were willing to pay generously to secure the rights long term. The NBA's annual revenue from the agreements will increase from $930 million to more than $2.6 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms. By Rachel Cohen. SENT: 850 words, photos.

AIG-LAWSUIT

WASHINGTON — The 2008 government bailout of American International Group Inc. was specifically designed to punish the insurance giant, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says in U.S. court. By Josh Boak. SENT: 500 words, photo.

MARKETS & ECONOMY:

FINANCIAL MARKETS

NEW YORK — Some encouraging corporate news fails to give the broader stock market a boost and stocks edge lower as investors wait for news on the outlook for the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy. By Steve Rothwell. SENT: 800 words, photo.

OBAMA-WALL STREET

WASHINGTON — A year after prodding financial regulators to act more swiftly to rein in Wall Street, President Barack Obama claims progress in toughening banking rules but urges bank overseers to consider additional ways to prevent the kind of risk-taking that precipitated the 2008 financial crisis. By Jim Kuhnhenn. SENT: 700 words, photos.

INDUSTRY:

EBOLA DRUG-FDA

WASHINGTON — A North Carolina drugmaker is providing its experimental antiviral drug to a Dallas patient being treated for Ebola, an emergency step authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. By Matthew Perrone. SENT: 380 words

TRUMP CASINOS

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Trump name is coming off the shuttered Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City. Trump Entertainment Resorts began removing letters spelling out the Trump name on the casino's exterior Monday morning. Also, workers removed slot machines from the casino, which shut down on Sept. 16. By Wayne Parry. SENT: 560 words, photo.

— HILTON-WALDORF ASTORIA SOLD — Hilton Worldwide is selling the Waldorf Astoria New York to Chinese insurance company Anbang Insurance Group Co. for $1.95 billion. SENT: 230 words, photos.

— CORPORATE DEALS — In a year that's been awash with multi-billion dollar corporate deals, the number and value of mergers and acquisitions is set to grow further, reaching pre-crisis levels over the coming 12 months, consulting firm EY says. SENT: 380 words, photo.

— DESIGNER SHOE THEFT RING — Prosecutors say an identity theft and fraud ring used shoppers' stolen information to buy over $400,000 worth of designer shoes, handbags and accessories from Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship store. SENT: 380 words.

— CHEVRON-SALE — Chevron's Canadian subsidiary is selling its 30 percent stake in its Duvernay shale play to Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. in a $1.5 billion deal. SENT: 100 words, photo.

— SPACEPORT-HOSPITALITY PARTNER — Virgin Galactic is expanding lodging and entertainment options in New Mexico for its roster of passengers who hope to one day take flight into space. SENT: 140 words.

— CHINESE DRYWALL — A federal judge has ruled that nearly 4,000 homeowners who say Chinese drywall ruined their homes are eligible to share any further damages he may award in lawsuits against Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd., a government-owned manufacturer that failed to show up in court. SENT: 350 words.

— JEEP FACTORY'S FUTURE — Ohio's governor and the mayor of the state's fourth-largest city have talked with the head of Chrysler about the future of Jeep Wrangler production in Toledo. SENT: 450 words, photos.

— CHESAPEAKE BAY-CLEANUP — The Chesapeake Bay region would reap an additional $22.5 billion a year from improved hurricane protection, crab and fish production and climate stability if the Obama administration's contested plan to clean up the watershed proceeds, an environmental group says. SENT: 680 words.

— SPORTS BETTING — Casinos and racetracks in New Jersey will have to wait a bit longer for a judge's ruling on the state's efforts to allow legal sports gambling. SENT: 250 words.

— GERMANY-BERTELSMANN — Media group Bertelsmann AG says it is acquiring the 25.1-percent stake in German publisher Gruner + Jahr that it didn't already own for an undisclosed sum. SENT: 140 words.

CHARITABLE GIVING

NEW YORK — Even as the income gap widens, the wealthiest Americans are giving a smaller share of their income to charity, while poor and middle-income people are donating a larger share, according to an extensive analysis of IRS data conducted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. By David Crary. SENT: 700 words, photo.

ESCAPE THE ROOM

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Real-life room escape attractions began opening nearly a decade ago in Asia and Eastern Europe, but they've been popping up in North America over the past few years. The attractions trace their origins back to escape-the-room video games, where players were trapped and forced to use clues and objects in their surroundings to get out. Now that concept has moved into the real world. By David Fischer. SENT: 800 words, photos.

TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA:

— FACEBOOK-WHATSAPP — Facebook closes its acquisition of mobile messaging service WhatsApp in a deal that is now worth $21.8 billion, up from the original $19 billion deal struck, thanks in part to the social network giant's rising stock price since February. SENT: 250 words, photo.

— TBS-JOB CUTS — Turner Broadcasting, the parent of the CNN, TBS and TNT networks, is eliminating about 1,475 jobs, or about 10 percent of its total employees. SENT: 100 words.

— CANADA-NEWSPAPER CONSOLIDATION — Canadian newspaper publisher Postmedia Network Canada Corp. is announcing a deal to buy 175 newspapers and publications in a major consolidation of print media in Canada. SENT: 230 words.

INTERNATIONAL:

TURKEY-OIL SMUGGLING

HACIPASA, Turkey — Sevda, a 22-year-old waitress in a brown apron, recounts how she made a small fortune running smuggled diesel from a village on Turkey's wild and dangerous border with Syria. But the days when she could earn 20 times her salary waiting tables came to an abrupt end several months ago when police arrested her and slapped her employers with a massive fine. Secretary of State John Kerry has called on Turkey to do more to stem the trade. Analysts estimate that the Islamic State group gets up to $3 million a day in revenue from oil fields seized in Iraq and Syria. By Desmond Butler. SENT: 1,700 words, photos.

— GREECE-BUDGET — Greece's economy is on track to emerge from a six-year recession this year and grow by 2.9 percent in 2015, though unemployment in the bailed-out country is likely to remain high, the finance ministry says. SENT: 400 words, photo.

— GERMANY-ECONOMY — German factory orders fall sharply in August, led by a big drop in demand from abroad and canceling out a large rise the previous month. SENT: 250 words, photo.

— ASIA-WORLD BANK — The World Bank trims this year's growth forecast for developing East Asian economies and urges governments to improve conditions for investment and exports. SENT: 320 words.

— SOUTH AFRICA-RESERVE BANK — South Africa's President Jacob Zuma announces that Lesetja Kganyago will be the country's new reserve bank governor. SENT: 250 words, photo.

— ARGENTINA-FORMER ECONOMY MINISTER — Argentina's former economy minister Cavallo absolved in debt swap case. SENT: 300 words, photo.

A sampling of Money & Markets modules is below. The full digest for AP's Money & Markets service can be found at markets.ap.org. For questions about Money & Markets content, please contact Trevor Delaney (800-845-8450, ext. 1807). For technical support: Todd Balog (816-654-1096). After 6 p.m., contact the AP Business News desk (800-845-8450, ext. 1680) for content questions; 1-800-3AP-STOX for technical support and 212-621-1905 for graphics help.

CENTERPIECE

Welcome to earnings season

Stock prices have shot high enough that analysts say the only way to go higher is if corporate earnings keep rising. Encouraging news: That's what analysts expect to see this reporting season. Seven companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index are set to report their third-quarter results this week, including Alcoa on Wednesday. UPCOMING: Graphic expected by 6 p.m.

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

Hilton to sell Waldorf Astoria

Hilton Worldwide agrees to sell the landmark Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York for $1.95 billion. UPCOMING: Graphic expected by 6 p.m.