A federal jury today began deliberating the fate of former Enron chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, accused of fraud and conspiracy that preceded the collapse of the Houston-based energy giant in one of the biggest corporate scandals ever.

ENRON was a "ticking time bomb" in its final months as top executives lied to the public about the billions of dollars in losses it faced, prosecutors said yesterday at the start of the trial of former chief executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling.

Jurors who will decide whether former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling are criminals face a months-long journey into the heart of the scandal-ridden company. They’ll also face questions about just how illusory the “new-economy” powerhouse was in its glory days.

Fair or not, Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling are used to being called crooks and liars in the aftermath of the scandal-ridden implosion of the company they once ran. What counts is whether a dozen people chosen as jurors in their fraud and conspiracy case agree.

A judge has ended a legal fight against the Walt Disney Company that has stretched more than a decade over Winnie the Pooh merchandise royalties.

A judge has ended a legal fight against the Walt Disney Company that has stretched more than a decade over Winnie the Pooh merchandise royalties.

The holders of the North American rights to the Winnie the Pooh characters have hired celebrity lawyer Johnny Cochran to represent them in their 12-year legal fight with The Walt Disney Company.

A judge has rejected an attempt by the granddaughter of Winnie the Pooh creator A A Milne to reclaim the family’s copyrights and reassign them to The Walt Disney Company.