Trade deficit highest ever

        America's trade deficit surged to an all-time high of $435.4 billion last year, nearly one-third larger than the previous record, reflecting a flood of imports from foreign cars to oil and industrial machinery.

        The Commerce Department said Thursday the deficit was 31.3 percent higher than the previous record of $341.5 billion set in 1999.
       

Heinz to fire 1,900

        H.J. Heinz Co. said it will fire 1,900 people, or 4.1 percent of the food and pet-food company's work force, and close a tuna plant in Puerto Rico.

        The maker of StarKist tuna and 9 Lives cat food said it will take a fiscal fourth-quarter pretax charge of about $300 million for closing the plant. It also will move North American canned pet-food production to Pennsylvania and reconfigure a California plant to process fish.
       

Compaq to cut 5,000

        Compaq Computer Corp. is cutting 5,000 jobs and warned that first-quarter earnings will fall far short of analysts' estimates.

        The layoffs will come mostly from supply-chain and marketing organization changes.
       

Slaughter in Britain rises

        Dramatically escalating its bid to stop the wildfire spread of foot-and-mouth disease, Britain announced plans to slaughter up to 100,000 animals that may have come in contact with the virus — in addition to more than 200,000 sheep, cows and pigs already killed or marked for death.

Firstar Center files for protection
Broker buys most of Donahue
Caution light on as market calms
Shoppers check opening of Saks discount outlet
Earnings: Kroger Co.
New talks slated for Delta, pilots
Industry notes: Manufacturing
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