AP Executive Morning Briefing

The top business news from The Associated Press for the morning of Monday, February 5, 2007:

Amateur Ads Follow Super Bowl Tradition

NEW YORK (AP) _ Along with the trademark Clydesdales, talking animals and high-end computer graphics, there was a new entry this year in the annual showdown of advertisers in the Super Bowl: amateurs. Starting in the first quarter, a goofy spot for Doritos showing a hapless driver distracted by a pretty woman passing by marked the first time a purely amateur-created ad aired during the Super Bowl. Frito-Lay, the PepsiCo Inc. division that makes Doritos, ran an online competition to pick the winning spot.

___

Hyundai Chief Convicted of Embezzlement

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Hyundai Motor Co. Chairman Chung Mong-koo was convicted Monday of embezzlement and other charges and sentenced to three years in prison over a slush fund scandal that has weighed on the world's sixth-largest automaker. Prosecutors, who have been taking a hard line on corruption in South Korea, last month sought a six-year jail term, calling Chung's alleged crimes "grave."

___

Wall Street to Get Another Earnings Rush

NEW YORK (AP) _ The uncertainty that has at times waylaid Wall Street in the new year might be less of a factor in the coming week now that investors have been placated by generally good corporate earnings and upbeat comments from the Federal Reserve. After putting up double-digit gains in the second half of 2006, the major indexes have treaded a little more carefully in 2007, at times making modest advances and then often resting or pulling back before moving higher. While such retrenchments are often viewed as a way to lay a solid foundation for further gains, they can also signal unease among investors.

___

Ford Vehicles Do Well in Crash Tests

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The 2007 Ford Fusion midsize sedan and the 2007 Ford Edge sport utility vehicle received top scores in front- and side-impact crash testing by the insurance industry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Monday that the Edge, which has the same underpinnings as the Lincoln MKX, also earned its top rating for rear crash protection.

___

Report: Charges Against Tycoon's Partner

MOSCOW (AP) _ Prosecutors filed charges Monday against the business partner of jailed Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the partner's lawyer. Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Chita charged Platon Lebedev with money laundering, his attorney, Konstantin Ribkin, told Interfax.

___

Consumers Still Worried About E. Coli

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) _ September's national spinach recall has shaken consumer confidence in the safety of leafy green vegetables, according to a new national survey. Consumers are still avoiding greens and questioning safety issues, months after spinach contaminated with E. coli bacteria killed three people and sickened nearly 200.

___

Oil Prices Drop Below $59 a Barrel

SINGAPORE (AP) _ Oil prices fell Monday as traders took profits after the previous session saw prices rise nearly $2 a barrel on expectation that a late winter cold snap in the U.S. Northeast, the world's largest heating oil market, would lead to a rise in fuel demand. Light, sweet crude for March delivery dropped 15 cents to $58.87 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange mid-afternoon in Singapore.

___

Japanese Stocks Dip; Dollar Down vs. Yen

TOKYO (AP) _ Japanese stocks fell Monday led by auto and banking stocks, after the market climbed to a 10-month high finish last week. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 202.31 points, or 1.15 percent, to finish the day's trading at 17,344.80 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The index gained 0.16 percent Friday to close at 17,547.11, the highest finish since April 7, 2006.

___

Paper Denies Representing Falun Gong

NEW YORK (AP) _ In early January, a U.S. edition of The Epoch Times published a list of what its editors considered the Top 10 news stories of 2006. Not surprisingly, the war in Iraq was first. The second story, however, was less predictable: "China's Human Rights Movement Grows." The subject may not have made other news organizations' Top 10 lists, but The Epoch Times is not a typical media outlet. It was launched in 2000 by Falun Gong members, and has since rapidly expanded its Web and print presence.

___

Dollar-Yen

TOKYO (AP) _ The dollar dipped against the yen Monday in Asia amid speculation that Group of Seven finance chiefs are seeking to discuss the Japanese currency's weakness at this week's meeting.

___

Grocery Workers Prepare for Labor Talks

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The last time Southern California's largest supermarket chains battled with their employees' union over a labor contract, the dispute escalated into a strike-lockout that dragged on for nearly five months. With little more than a month to go on the current deal, a new slate of negotiations could produce another brawl over health care benefits and a two-tiered wage system _ the same contract issues the union begrudgingly agreed to three years ago. The United Food and Commercial Workers' Local 770 in Los Angeles, the largest union local in the region, is scheduled to begin contract talks Monday with Ralphs Grocery Co. Talks between UFCW Local 324 in Buena Park and Albertsons Inc. have been under way since last month.

___

A service of The Associated Press. Copyright 2007 All rights reserved.