The FINANCIAL – News Corporation on November 16 announced that Gary Ginsberg, News Corporation’s Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Corporate Affairs, will be leaving the company at the end of the year.

The FINANCIAL  -- Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: PLA, PLAA) on November 16 announced Linda G. Havard's decision to step down as executive vice president and chief financial officer effective December 31, 2009.

The FINANCIAL -- US billionaire Warren Buffett’sBerkshire Hathaway firm nearly doubled his holdings of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. the largest retailer, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, and added new stakes in Nestle, Exxon Mobil and Republic Services.

The FINANCIAL -- Even after a year of recession, for some consumers 'tis the season for a rise in spending. A new survey from American Express reports that 10 percent of consumers actually intend to open their wallets and spend more on holiday gifts relative to last year and 43 percent plan to spend about the same. In the next 30 days, more than one in five U.S. consumers (22%) expect to spend more when compared to the last 30 day period.

The FINANCIAL -- Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc has filed a lawsuit against Barclays Capital Inc on November 17. Lehman is seeking the return of a $5 billion “windfall,” as it says Barclays pocketed when it bought its U.S. brokerage business a year ago.