New York city and state authorities urged a federal judge on Nov. 2 to impose a fine of $872 million against UPS Inc. for allegedly delivering untaxed cigarettes from smoke shops on Indian reservations.

U.S. holiday shopping is on track for a modest 3.7% rise this year after strong turnout during the Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend and thanks to strong online sales, the National Retail Federation said Nov. 29 after releasing an annual consumer poll.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. applied to U.S. regulators for permission to test drones for home delivery, curbside pickup and checking warehouse inventories, a sign it plans to go head-to-head with Amazon in using drones to fill and deliver online orders.