PRESS DIGEST - Washington Post Business - March 14

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - The Washington Post included the following items on the front page of its business section on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

---

New Commerce Department data indicate consumers sharply curtailed spending on big-ticket items such as cars and electronics in February, sending retail sales down 0.6 percent from the previous month.

---

AOL announced plans to buy social-networking site Bebo for $850 million in an attempt to appeal to younger Internet users and expand its online-advertising business.