Sept 13 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
- The Saudi national oil company, Saudi Aramco, aims to strengthen its position on the Gulf of Mexico coast by buying a large oil refinery in the Houston Ship Channel that LyondellBasell LYB.N is putting up for sale. Lael Brainard, a Federal Reserve governor and a leading proponent of the Fed's efforts to stimulate the economy, said in a speech on Monday that she still favored "prudence" in raising interest rates despite recent signs of economic progress. Apple AAPL.O plans to release a free coding education app on Tuesday that it developed with middle-school students in mind, in the latest salvo among technology companies to gain share in the education market and to nurture early product loyalty among children. Two of the world's largest crop fertilizer makers have agreed to combine in the latest farming industry deal. Agrium AGU.TO and the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan POT.TO announced their all-stock merger on Monday after weeks of speculation. The hedge fund that helped prod Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) into selling its core business has found a new target for its brand of shareholder activism: the drug maker Perrigo PRGO.N , Starboard Value, has taken a 4.6 percent stake in the pharmaceutical company and has urged it to take steps to bolster its sagging stock price, according to a letter sent to Perrigo's board. Oprah Winfrey will help Weight Watchers International Inc WTW.N pick a new leader, the diet company said on Monday, about a year after the media mogul announced she had bought a 10 percent stake in the company.