Wife of Enron CFO silent as plea deadline passes

HOUSTON -- A judge moved ahead with trial plans for the wife of former Enron finance chief Andrew Fastow after a Friday deadline for her to accept his conditions on a plea deal passed with no word from her attorneys. Without a deal for Lea Fastow, a separate plea agreement for Andrew Fastow seemed unlikely. U.S. District Judge David Hittner said Thursday he would accept a plea of guilty to a single tax violation from Lea Fastow, a former assistant treasurer at Enron, but balked at being bound to a five-month prison sentence.

FDA suggests lawsuits over Canada drug imports

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration isn't ruling out legal action if cities or states defy its ban on importing cheaper drugs from Canada, commissioner Mark McClellan said Friday. McClellan said the FDA has dissuaded many states from starting such programs by arguing that there are better ways -- such as buying generic -- to bring down the costs of prescription drugs. Americans have long flocked to Canada to fill prescriptions that, for brand-name drugs, can cost half the U.S. price thanks to Canadian controls.

Dollar falling against euro, British pound

NEW YORK -- The battered dollar hit another new low against the euro and an 11-year low against the British pound Friday on the heels of disappointing U.S. labor market data. The euro shot up to $1.2852 in European trading, past Tuesday's record high of $1.2812. In late trading in New York, the euro slipped a bit to $1.2844, up from $1.2763 late Thursday. The 12-country currency exceeded its previous high against the dollar after U.S. employment figures showed weaker than expected holiday hiring by retailers.

Chinese furniture gets U.S. market scrutiny

WASHINGTON -- A federal trade panel voted Friday to investigate allegations that Chinese companies are dumping millions of dollars worth of wooden bedroom furniture into the U.S. market at artificially low prices. With little discussion, the U.S. International Trade Commission gave a victory to the 30 American furniture manufacturers that filed a petition seeking the investigation. Manufacturers say China's practices are costing U.S. jobs, but U.S. retailers say high tariffs on Chinese furniture will cost retail jobs.

-- From wire reports