UNITED STATES

Global stocks headed for their best week in over two years Friday, bolstered by EU leaders' efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis which have stoked appetite for riskier assets, while the euro held just below a seven-week high.

Asian stocks headed for their best week in nearly three years after a long-awaited plan to resolve the European debt crisis sparked a huge relief rally in riskier assets, while the euro took a breather after jumping to a seven-week high.

Lindsay Lohan's estranged father Michael Lohan was back in police custody Thursday, hours after he had been released from a jail in Tampa on domestic violence charges.

The global cellphone market grew 12.8 percent in the third quarter, showing the second-lowest growth rate over the past two years due to conservative consumer spending and delayed smartphone purchases, research firm IDC said on Friday.

Stacy Schuler, a former teacher in the U.S., has been found guilty of sexual battery and sentenced to four years in prison for having sex with five of her students.

Occidental Petroleum Corp expects to have drilled 195 shale oil wells in its home state of California by the end of this year, although it would like to drill far more if the permitting process allowed it.

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to Edwin Boyd, the bank-robber movie that won Best Canadian First Feature at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Paramount Pictures is laying off about 120 people in a reorganization of its global theatrical division, the company announced Thursday.

Spot gold held steady Friday, on course for its biggest weekly rise in 33 months, after the euro zone's last-minute deal on containing the debt crisis cheered investors, but a rebound in the dollar may weigh on prices.

Canadian patent licensing company Mosaid Technologies (MSD.TO: Quote) said late on Thursday that it agreed to be bought by U.S.-based private equity firm Sterling Partners for C$590 million ($596 million), which trumped a hostile bid from rival Wi-Lan Inc (WIN.TO:Quote) for C$532 million.

Canada's murder rate in 2010 fell to a 44-year low of just 1.62 per 100,000 people, official data showed on Wednesday, just a day after the government said it would ease the country's strict gun laws.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has appointed Interior Minister Prince Nayef as the new crown prince, the royal court said in a statement issued Friday, signaling an orderly process of future succession in the world's largest oil exporter.

While the Statue of Liberty was synonymous with freedom for generations, these days some may take it for granted.

It's time for Michele Bachmann to go, writes Ned Ryun, president of American Majority, in an official statement echoed by the majority of the Tea Party organization. Bachmann's floundering campaign and recent focus on social issues have alienated former supporters, who now argue the GOP candidate is not an adequate spokeswoman and has no chance of winning the primary.

Electronic Arts Inc's second-quarter results beat Wall Street estimates and the video game maker raised its earnings forecast because of the upcoming holiday title Star Wars: The Old Republic, which it expects to be a hit.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's third-quarter revenue rose at a slower pace than Wall Street estimates as it shipped fewer smartphones than expected.

Despite all the rumored interest in Yahoo Inc, progress on a deal has hit a brick wall mainly due to the company's lack of strategy and restrictive confidentiality agreement, people familiar with the situation said.

In 14 lines engraved on a plaque on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) captured the belief in the American Dream that has defined the United States' self-image for more than a century and moved millions of immigrants to seek refuge here.

The Statue of Liberty, the symbol of freedom and democracy, the icon of the Golden Door that is the United States of America, the Mother of Exiles, turns 125 years old Friday.

When is daylight savings time 2011? We change our clocks and fall back on Nov. 6.

Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin enjoyed a flurry of strong opening days in Europe this week, grossing $4.7 million in France, $237,776 in Belgium and $161,549 in Holland.