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Allstate agreed to buy auto insurer Esurance and insurance agency Answer Financial from White Mountains Insurance Group for about $1 billion to expand its online presence.

Professional networking site LinkedIn raised its price range for its IPO this week by 30%, valuing the company at $4 billion, a strong indication that demand is running high for the new stock.

The acquisition, an effort to gain a foothold in voice and video communications, would be Microsoft’s largest ever.

Mark Zuckerberg is eyeing the takeover of the much popular Skype, in a deal that might cost Facebook close to $4 billion.

Applied Materials Inc. says it will buy Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. for $4.9 billion, gaining access to a leading supplier of ion implantation equipment used by chipmakers....

The planet's population, now almost 7 billion, is expected to reach the 9 billion mark before 2050, according to a revised United Nations projection announced Tuesday.

Johnson & Johnson is to buy Swiss medical devices maker Synthes Inc in a deal worth $21.3 billion, its largest ever buy, boosting its orthopedics franchise and reshaping the medical technology industry.

Diamond Foods Inc. is buying Procter & Gamble Co.'s Pringles chips business in a deal valued at $1.5 billion....

EBay Inc., owner of the largest e- commerce market, agreed to buy GSI Commerce Inc. for about $2.4 billion to add interactive marketing services.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will urge the Supreme Court next week to reject the largest class-action sex-discrimination lawsuit in history, brought by female employees who seek billions of dollars.