UNITED STATES

U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher on Friday ahead of the advance reading of first-quarter gross domestic product and as investors awaited a deal to bail out debt-ridden Greece.

U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher on Friday ahead of the advance reading of first-quarter gross domestic product and investors awaited a deal to bail out Greece.

Nokia Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo will next week face shareholders who are frustrated more than ever before.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Friday, as sovereign debt worries in the euro-zone soothed, while investors awaited the advance reading of first-quarter gross domestic product.

Global equities rose and the euro held on to gains on Friday as Greece readied new austerity measures to secure a multi-billion-euro aid package that could be announced in coming days.

The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, leaking from a ruptured well moved closer to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Analysts said the oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of control with a faint sheen washing ashore along the Gulf Coast.

Global oil prices extended gains in Asian trade Friday mainly on encouraging reports of resurgence in global economy. Light sweet crude for June delivery was seen trading at $85.61 a barrel at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while Brent crude was at $87.12 a barrel at the same time in London.

Stocks rose on Friday and the euro steadied on hopes that a fractious European Union will agree on a bailout package for Greece within days as it struggles to keep the debt crisis from spreading to other weak countries. Shares were also buoyed by strong earnings reports from major U.S. companies, which pushed up Wall Street stocks and bolstered hopes that the world's largest economy was picking u...

Stocks rose on Friday and the euro steadied on hopes that a fractious European Union will agree on a bailout package for Greece within days as it struggles to keep the debt crisis from spreading to other weak countries.

U.S. economic growth probably slowed in the first quarter, data is expected to show on Friday, but resurgent consumer spending should offer evidence of a sustainable recovery.

U.S. federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal probe into whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc or its employees committed securities fraud in connection with its mortgage trading, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website on Thursday.

UAL Corp's United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc are expected to announce that they are merging to form the world's largest airline on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.

Australia: Overnight we saw risk appetite return to the markets after some positive earning results, positive data releases and reports that the bailout agreement for Greece is very close.

Delighted at his cyber success, Venezuela's new Twitter convert President Hugo Chavez on Thursday invited Cuba's Fidel Castro and Bolivian President Evo Morales to join the micro-blogging site too.

The U.S. wireless industry is pressing a key senator to clear the way for a government study that could accelerate plans to free up airwaves for devices such as smart phones.

JPMorgan Chase & Co will no longer offer independent U.S. tax preparers financing for tax-refund loans, a company spokesman said.

President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Janet Yellen, the president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank and a renowned monetary policy dove, to be vice chairman of the U.S. central bank.

The Senate opened debate on Wall Street reform on Thursday with an amendment to bar use of taxpayer funds in any future government actions to dismantle financial mega-firms that get into trouble.

U.S. stocks chalked up their best day in nearly two months on Thursday as investors welcomed a string of robust earnings reports, while Greece appeared close to a bailout deal, easing fears about a wider sovereign debt crisis.

(Reuters) - More Americans got vaccinated against influenza in the past season than ever before, but too few people are seeking vaccines, U.S. health experts reported on Thursday.

Delighted at his cyber success, Venezuela's new Twitter convert President Hugo Chavez on Thursday praised the micro-blogging site and invited Cuba's Fidel Castro and Bolivian President Evo Morales to join.