UNITED STATES

The board of Satyam Computer Services Ltd began a meeting on Friday as the deadline neared for suitors to submit their expressions of interest in acquiring a majority stake in the fraud-hit Indian outsourcer.

The U.S. dollar edged higher on Friday but still headed for its biggest weekly fall in 24 years on investor fears that it will lose its status as the world's reserve currency, while oil prices ceded ground after a recent rally.

By Rafael Nam

By Fayen Wong

Top U.S. movie rental chain Blockbuster Inc beat Wall Street earnings estimates and said it had reached agreements with most creditors to restructure debt due in August.

By Stuart Grudgings

As they struggle to close ballooning budget deficits amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, many U.S. state and local governments will be tempted to follow the example of Chicago.

U.S. video game sales rose 10 percent in February to $1.47 billion, led again by Nintendo's blockbuster Wii console, as gaming continued to show resilience despite an economic downturn that has sapped consumer spending.

Palm Inc on Thursday said its upcoming Pre phone needs more polishing but that it was on track to start selling the high profit device in the first half of the year as it looks to grab back smartphone business from rivals.

Top U.S. movie rental chain Blockbuster Inc beat Wall Street earnings estimates and said it had reached agreements with most creditors to restructure debt due in August.

By Stuart Grudgings

General Electric Co's hefty finance arm expects to be profitable this year even though the economy may drive its profit down, nearer to $2 billion to $2.5 billion than to a $5 billion figure it gave in December, a top GE executive said on Thursday.

Top U.S. movie rental chain Blockbuster Inc turned in a quarterly net loss on Thursday due to a non-cash charge of $435 million for the impairment of goodwill and other assets, the company said.

The number of U.S. workers drawing state unemployment benefits hit another record high early this month and factory activity in the Mid-Atlantic region shrank again as the economy battles a severe downturn.

Investor Wilbur Ross, who made a fortune snapping up distressed companies, said on Thursday he expects as many as 800 more U.S. banks to fail in the next few years.

By Leah Schnurr

Chrysler said proposed partner Fiat SpA would assume 35 percent of its debt to the U.S. government and the U.S. automaker would no longer pay retention bonuses to key executives.

By Matthew Robinson

By Leah Schnurr

By Lucia Mutikani

By Grant McCool