UNITED STATES

China is pushing for the yuan to be added to the basket of currencies that comprise the IMF's special drawing rights, aiming for its inclusion in 2015, Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun said on Saturday.

U.S. bank regulators closed four banks in as many states on Friday, bringing the number of failures so far this year to 26 as deteriorating loans continued taking a toll on financial institutions.

U.S. bank regulators on Friday closed Centennial Bank of Odgen, Utah, bringing the number of failed banks so far this year to 26.

Toyota Motor Corp has failed to support statements of top executives that the automaker has rigorously evaluated electronic throttles in its vehicles, Democratic leaders of a congressional committee said on Friday.

Apple Inc said the first iPads will be in U.S. stores on April 3 and hit nine international markets later in the month, easing concerns that manufacturing constraints could delay launch.

Total U.S. consumer credit rose $4.96 billion in January, its first rise in a year and the largest for any month since mid-2008, Federal Reserve data showed on Friday.

Bulls may get more room to run next week on the anniversary of the March 2009 lows -- if U.S. stock investors see more signs of stability after Friday's rally on smaller-than-expected job losses.

Four Democratic senators entered into the clean energy vs. jobs fray, charging that too much federal stimulus money for wind energy projects is going to foreign suppliers and creating jobs abroad instead of in the U.S. The administration and the domestic wind energy industry immediately rejected the lawmakers' charges, as the political pressure to reduce unemployment continued to fuel the economic debate in Washington.

Jobs data indicating that U.S. economic recovery might be picking up steam finally pushed crude oil futures decisively over the stubborn $80 a barrel threshold. Nymex's benchmark West Texas Intermediate settled Friday at $81.50 a barrel, a seven-week high, after topping $82 in intraday trading. An unchanged unemployment rate of 9.7% and a smaller-than-expected drop in payrolls propelled both stocks and commodities higher on Friday. Earlier in the week, industry job data also came out better than...

President Barack Obama said on Friday a forthcoming review of the U.S. nuclear posture would reduce the number and role of nuclear weapons in Washington's national security strategy.

Dozens of people were injured in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank Friday, as tension over land and holy sites mounted ahead of a relaunch of U.S.-mediated peace negotiations.

General Motors Co has offered to keep open 661 of its U.S. dealers once targeted for closure as it tries to shore up sales after emerging from bankruptcy last year.

Senator Christopher Dodd, chief negotiator for the Democrats in Senate talks on financial regulation reform, said on Friday he was uncertain whether bipartisan support for a compromise bill could be achieved.

U.S. stocks finished the week strong as three unemployment reports this week offered no nasty surprises to market participants.

A number of reports suggested bad weather would adversely affect today's unemployment data, however actual figures show that may have been misguided.

U.S. employers cut fewer jobs than expected during snow-battered February and the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent, bolstering views the economy was on the brink of creating jobs.

U.S. corporate borrowers amassed the most cash relative to debt on record through the fourth quarter and will likely preserve cash levels this year, supporting corporate bonds, Morgan Stanley said on Friday.

Stocks jumped and the Nasdaq hit an 18-month closing high on Friday as U.S. employers cut fewer jobs than expected last month and consumers showed signs of shedding their penny-pinching ways.

Giving by U.S. companies endured the worst recession in decades with mixed results as some pared back philanthropy in the face of tough times, others increased budgets and most predicted a steady 2010.

General Motors Co said on Friday it will offer reinstatement to 661 of its U.S. dealers that had been targeted for closure as part of its bankruptcy restructuring last year.

MOSCOW (Reuters Life!) - Fashion designer and ex-model Daria Zhukova, the girlfriend of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, has opened a new exhibition celebrating Russian modern art at her refurbished Moscow gallery.