DONNA McWILLIAM / Associated Press Drivers in McKinney, Texas, saw pump prices yesterday back away from record highs earlier in the week.

NEW YORK – A stunning sell-off dragged oil prices to their biggest weekly drop ever and gas at the pump slipped by more than it has in months, giving consumers a rare breather in a year of record fuel prices. The national average for a gallon of regular fell by the most since February, AAA data show, and could ease further in the days to come.

Venture capital firms invested almost $365.7 million in the San Diego region during the three months that ended in June – a 28 percent decline from the $509.8 million invested during the same quarter last year.

San Diego County's office market continued to soften in the second quarter, with vacancy rates reaching 16.1 percent, thanks to tepid demand and new construction adding to supply. Vacancy rates for offices have been creeping up since the end of 2005, around the same time housing prices peaked in the county, according to a research report by brokerage CB Richard Ellis.

MOSCOW – In the Soviet days, Russians asked their American friends to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods into the country. Today Russians can buy almost anything they want – but they are still begging for one item: Apple's slick iPhone.

There was something steaming at the downtown Starbucks at First and Market yesterday, and it wasn't just the nonfat double lattes. “This is a bad thing. A lot of us want to start a petition,” said Rick Sharpe, 49, a customer at the downtown Starbucks who, like numerous other regulars, was angered by news of its imminent closure.