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AOL TO TRIM WORK FORCE BY A THIRD

The struggling Internet company AOL plans to shed up to 2,500 jobs — more than a third of its work force — as it prepares to separate from Time Warner and finally sever their ill-fated marriage. Major job cuts had been expected and seemed certain after Time Warner said last week that AOL would take $200 million in charges for severance and other restructuring-related costs. But the magnitude was not known until Thursday. AOL, which has already pared thousands of workers in recent years and now employs about 6,900, is asking for volunteers to accept buyouts. If it falls short of the 2,500 target, it plans layoffs to reach a payroll cut of up to 2,300 positions, a third of its current total.

WTO PROBES POULTRY BAN, LABELING RULES

The World Trade Organization opened investigations Thursday into a European Union ban on American poultry, and U.S. labeling rules for cattle and hog imports from Canada and Mexico. In a dispute meeting dominated by agriculture, the WTO set up panels to review the poultry and country-of-origin labeling complaints and deliver rulings within nine months. The global trade arbiter also authorized Brazil to raise tariffs on U.S. goods to punish the United States for providing American cotton growers with billions of dollars in illegal subsidies. In the poultry case, Washington and Brussels have argued for more than a decade over EU restrictions on imports of poultry treated with four anti-bacterial chemicals.

30-YEAR MORTGAGE RATES REMAIN BELOW 5%

Rates on 30-year mortgages stayed below 5 percent this week but remained above the record set earlier this year, Freddie Mac said Thursday. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 4.83 percent, down from 4.91 percent last week, the mortgage company said. Last year at this time, 30-year mortgages averaged 6.04 percent. Rates hit a record low of 4.78 percent in the spring, and remain attractive for people looking to buy a home or refinance their existing mortgage. Still, credit standards remain tough, so the best rates usually are available only to borrowers with solid credit and a 20 percent down payment.

P&G RECALLS VICKS NASAL SPRAY

The Procter & Gamble Co. has recalled some 120,000 bottles of Vicks Sinex nasal spray after the company found bacteria in samples during routine testing. Spokesman Tom Millikin described the voluntary recall as a precaution after small amounts of the B. cepacia bacteria were found in the product at the German plant where it's made. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its Web site that the bacteria pose "little medical risk to healthy people." Lot numbers are on both outer cartons and the bottles inside. The affected U.S. lot number is 9239028831. For more information, go to and www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/id_ BcepaciaFS.html and www.pg.com.

GOLD EDGES HIGHER AS OTHER COMMODITIES FALL

Gold and silver recovered from early losses Thursday, but other commodities fell as the dollar strengthened.

Gold futures edged up 70 cents to settle at $1,141.90 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, the December contract fell as low as $1,130 an ounce.

December silver also rebounded, rising 4 cents to $18.455 an ounce, after dropping as much as 26.5 cents earlier in the session.

December copper futures shed 2.95 cents to $3.106 a pound as the dollar rose, while oil prices tumbled nearly 3 percent, losing $2.12 to $77.46 a barrel.