IBT Staff Reporter

The U.S. Federal Reserve should not be too sanguine in believing that the time to reverse easy monetary policy is a long way off and that it will be gradual, a top Fed official said on Friday.

Removes reference to ECB adding margin to Irish debt after ECB says that will not be the case due to fourth rating agency DBRS still rating Ireland at A

No deal has been reached on a budget extension, but it appears there's a working target on the size of budget cuts, as lawmakers continue to negotiate on what the specific cuts will be made and what non-budget related riders will be included in a bill to put up for a vote.

U.S. employment recorded a second straight month of solid gains in March and the jobless rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent, marking a decisive shift in the labor market that should help to underpin the economic recovery.

China is facing an obesity crisis of magnanimous proportions, an issue best underscored by Lu Zhihao, a 4-year-old from Foshan in Guangdong province who weighs 132 lbs and is 3 feet 7 inches tall.

After a standoff between AMC, Lionsgate and Matthew Weiner, the show's creator, an agreement has been reached for the production of seasons fix and six of the hit TV show.

U.S. stocks rose on Friday after employment notched a second straight month of solid gains while the jobless rate fell to a two-year low.

Floundering hipster brand American Apparel posted a loss of $86 million in 2010, and said it may have to file for bankruptcy protection if it did not manage to get enough funds to keep going, a filing dated March 31 said.

Oil prices cut back gains of over a dollar on Friday after stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data indicated the improving economic recovery of the world's largest oil importer was firmly on track, boosting the dollar.

Radioactive material has been found in the groundwater near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Spot Gold slumped 1.4% lunchtime Friday in London, falling back from its highest-ever monthly close as the Dollar jumped on news of stronger-than-expected US jobs hiring in March.

Corrects last paragraph. More than one percent, not more than a tenth

U.S. stocks rose on Friday after employment notched a second straight month of solid gains while the jobless rate fell to a two-year low.

Standard & Poor's stripped Ireland of its last 'A' rating on Friday, citing future risks to bondholders, but the one notch cut was less severe than feared and gave the thumbs up to the state's bank bill.

Upon completion of the four-year program offered by the Yale-NUS College, students will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Science (Honours) from the Yale-NUS College, awarded by NUS.

Apple has given a big lead to forecasters as to what the next iPhone will carry when it launched the iPad 2 in March. The other most important lead to predict the future iPhone 5 is the competition in the current market. Post-CES 2011, HTC, Motorola and Samsung have launched some powerful and slender Android devices, which have set the critical minimum standard that Apple will have to reach to make a mark with its new iPhone 5.

After India's triumph against Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup semi-finals, a petition was filed in the Lahore High Court against the Pakistan Cricket Team, accusing the team of match-fixing in order to create friendly ties with India.

A team from Dechert LLP is serving as legal advisor to Golub Capital, including partners Thomas Friedmann, David Harris and Richard Hervey and associates William Tuttle and Jordan McKay

Everyone seems to be latching onto Betty White's popularity. The 89-year-old actress is launching a new hidden-camera TV show on NBC.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Friday as employment notched a second straight month of solid gains while the unemployment rate fell to a two-year low.

Oil prices rose on Friday, with Brent crude nearing $118, as investors anticipated U.S. payrolls data later in the session will confirm the improving economic outlook of the world's largest oil importer.

DJ Seth Sharp grabbed footage of Assange dancing alone at a club in Reykjavik, Iceland, where Sharp was performing.

Japan plans to take control of Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the country's stricken nuclear plant, in the face of mounting public concerns over the crisis and a huge potential compensation bill, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Ireland's big bang banking plan failed to convince investors on Friday it can shoulder its soaring debt burden given grim prospects for growth and a lack of expected extra support from the European Central Bank.

U.S. stock index futures were higher on Friday ahead of an employment report expected to show that the economy continued to add jobs.

As privacy concerns plague Google Goggles facial recognition feature, the internet giant asserts that it is still working on the smartphone app.

Stock index futures pointed to gains on Friday, rebounding from the previous session's falls, as optimism gathered pace that a key labor market report will confirm the view that the economy was on a solid path to recovery.

Employment likely posted a second straight month of solid gains in March, marking a decisive shift in the labor market that should help to underpin the economic recovery.

For Fumihiro Shimizu and his family-owned auto parts plant in this company town, being a second-tier supplier for Japan's top car makers has never been easy.