UNITED STATES

The U.S. government's director for cybersecurity resigned on Friday, criticizing the excessive role of the National Security Agency in countering threats to the country's computer systems.

The U.S. government's director for cybersecurity has resigned, criticizing the excessive role of the National Security Agency in countering threats to the country's computer systems, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Denise Blackerby is hitting the road again. When retail gas prices scaled historic peaks above $4 a gallon last year, she found she could no longer make monthly trips from the Dallas area to Houston in her Ford Explorer SUV to visit her family.

Former Qwest Communications International Inc Chief Executive Joseph Nacchio on Friday asked a U.S. court to let him stay free on bail while he appeals his insider trading conviction, just over two weeks before the day he is set to report to prison.

On March 6, oil futures rose to above $45a barrel as dollar weakness and expectations of further output cuts by OPEC offset data showing that U.S. employment soared to the highest rate in more than 25 years.

Merrill Lynch said on Friday it had discovered an irregularity in its London trading positions and the Financial Times reported that a Merrill trader had been suspended over a suspected $400 million loss.

With stocks mired in multi-year lows and the fate of General Motors and banks hanging in the balance, investors are unlikely to curb their flight from risk next week, putting Wall Street on track for another brutal sell-off.

The IMF gave itself a scathing review for its mistakes in spotting the roots of the global crisis and acknowledged it fell short in its job as the world's global financial overseer.

ENGlobal announces date for 2008 fiscal year earnings release

Resetting ties between the United States and Russia will take time, and the relationship needs more trust, predictability, and progress, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Frida

Ireland's financial regulator said on Friday it is investigating the mispricing of trades at Merrill Lynch and is conferring with regulatory counterparts in the UK and the United States.

U.S. stocks mostly rose on Friday, with the Dow and S&P rebounding late in the day to end higher as surging oil prices lifted energy stocks and offset a sell-off in technology shares on bets that the slowing economy will sap consumer spending on gadgets.

The United States must make deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions than proposed by President Barack Obama if the world is to stand a chance of avoiding devastating climate change, an EU official said.

U.S. stocks mostly rose on Friday, with the Dow and S&P rebounding late in the day to end higher as surging oil prices lifted energy stocks and offset a sell-off in technology shares on bets that the slowing economy will sap consumer spending on gadgets.

Stocks fell to further 12-year lows on Friday as a bearish brokerage view on Apple Inc prompted a sell-off in technology shares and overhanging fears about the banking system's future weighed.

New York financier Bernard Madoff, accused of a $50 billion Ponzi scheme, may be near a plea deal with prosecutors.

Stocks fell on Friday as a bearish brokerage view on Apple Inc ignited a sell-off in shares of big-cap tech companies, while fears over the fate of the banking system persisted.

General Motors Corp said on Friday that it still prefers to restructure the business out of court rather than file for bankruptcy reorganization.

Accused swindler Bernard Madoff took the first public step to pleading guilty to criminal charges of masterminding Wall Street's biggest fraud, according to court papers on Friday.

Roche Holding AG has raised its bid to buy out the minority shareholders of U.S. biotech group Genentech Inc to $93 a share from $86.50 and extended its tender offer by a week.

Wells Fargo & Co slashed its dividend 85 percent on Friday, a widely expected move that the fourth-largest U.S. bank said will save $5 billion a year.