UNITED STATES

Hacker group Anonymous delivered another blow on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by taking down the Web site of the Dayton Ohio Chapter of InfraGard Friday.

Stock index futures rose on Friday, extending gains that have taken equities near highs not seen since before the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Housing, the weakest of the three legs of the stool supporting the U.S. economy, is finally firming up, or so it seems to investors, economists, real estate agents and buildings after a string of heartening reports so far this year.

Italian carmaker Fiat may have to close two of its loss-making five domestic plants if plans to export to the growing U.S. market don't materialize, its Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Friday.

Everyone agrees the days of cheap gasoline are over. The pain at the pump is forcing people to cut down gasoline usage, and there has been a big drop in gasoline demand in the country. At the same time, domestic production is booming, with the number of rigs just in U.S. oil fields more than quadrupling in the past three years.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched towards the palace of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Friday, as a fourth day of protests erupted over the burning of Korans at a NATO base, with riot police and soldiers on high alert. Twelve people were killed on Friday in the bloodiest day yet in protests that have raged across Afghanistan over the desecration of copies of the Muslim holy book.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open for equities on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent.

Western and Arab countries on Friday will demand that Syria allow aid to be delivered to desperate civilians, despite the lack of international resolve to intervene to end a crackdown on foes of President Bashar al Assad's regime. Violence during the uprising has claimed thousands of Syrians' lives.

Citigroup sold its stake in Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC) for $1.9 billion, as global banks focus on shoring up their balance sheets to meet stricter capital requirements.

A Chinese firm trying to stop Apple Inc from using the iPad name in China has launched an attack on the consumer electronics giant's home turf, filing a lawsuit in California that accuses it of employing deception when it bought the trademark.

President Barack Obama apologized on Thursday for the burning of copies of the Koran on a U.S. base in Afghanistan as the White House sought to quell spiraling furor among Afghans while also staving off Republican criticism at home.

David Lazar, the current rabbi of Stockholm's Jewish community and a U.S. immigrant, has won the Straight Person of the Year award instituted by a Swedish gay magazine.

The Asian firm Proview trying to stop Apple Inc from using the iPad name has now launched an attack on the consumer electronics giant's home turf, filing a lawsuit in California that accuses the iPhone-maker of employing deception when it bought the iPad trademark.

In the G-20 meeting to be held in Mexico City from Feb. 25, the U.S., China and Japan will ask Europe to take additional steps to solve the economic crisis before it could receive external help.

Israel may have to consider ending the internal war within its government before launching an attack on Iran in the name of its alleged nuclear weapons program. Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak, who is believed to be pushing for military action against Iran, slammed President Shimon Peres, following newspaper reports which said that Peres is expected to tell U.S. President Barack Obama that he doesn't believe Israel should attack Iran soon.

Gowan also added to the news service that Despite Annan's personal profile, the key to successful mediation is for him to have genuine political support from across the international system. If the Russians and Chinese don't give him sufficient support, Assad and his supporters are likely to refuse to talk seriously.

Citigroup Inc. exited investment in India's Housing Development Finance Corp. for $1.9 billion resulting in a pre-tax gain to it of $1.1 billion and an after-tax gain of approximately $722 million.

A new treatment given to 132 skin cancer patients in the U.S. and Australia almost doubled their survival, according to New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers used the drug Vemurafenib (Zelboraf) on patients and found that they lived for average 16 months as compared to those who underwent conventional treatment and survived for only nine months on average.

Shares of American International Group Inc. rose 6 percent in after hours trade on Thursday after it announced that the fourth-quarter profit jumped 77 percent, fueled by a tax benefit and an increase in the value of a stake in Asian insurer AIA Group Ltd .

Procter & Gamble, the consumer products maker, said on Thursday it would eliminate 5,700 jobs over the next year and a half as the company unveiled a plan to cut $10 billion in costs over the next four years.

Asian shares crept higher Friday as solid U.S. data improved sentiment, but gains may be limited by concerns that rising oil prices could deal a further blow to the fragile euro zone economy and moves to take profits after recent rallies.