The following were the top stories in The New York Times business pages on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. * Though qualified, Mario Draghi of Italy makes France and Germany nervous as he campaigns to succeed Jean-Claude Trichet as president of the European Central Bank. * If the recent rise in oil prices sticks, it will most likely slow a growth rate that is already too sluggish to produce many jobs in this country. Even if energy costs don't rise higher, lingering uncertainty over the stability of the Middle East could drag down growth, not just in the United States but around the world. * In a surprise twist to a long-running saga, the Air Force said on Thursday that it would award a $35 billion contract for aerial fueling tankers to Boeing Co rather than to a European company that builds Airbus planes.
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