IBT Staff Reporter

Asian stocks bolted on Friday posting their third straight day of gains after China's pledge to remain invested in Europe boosted confidence, but the euro dipped after rebounding from near four-year lows the previous day.

AUCKLAND (Reuters Life!) - Air New Zealand is planning to let some passengers send text messages and emails mid-flight by the end of the year but fellow travelers need not worry -- phone calls will not be allowed.

Technology companies feeling the pinch from Europe's debt crisis could face a tough sell when industry buyers gather in Taipei to examine the latest whizz-bang features at the world's No.2 computer fair.

Apple Inc's iPad launched in overseas store shelves on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to be among the first outside the United States to snap up the long awaited tablet PC.

Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry plans to raise workers' salaries by about 20 percent at its Foxconn unit in China, as it struggles to stop a spate of worker suicides and quell rising public anger.

Apple Inc's iPad hit overseas store shelves on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to be among the first outside the United States to snap up the long-awaited tablet PC.

Wall Street has long seen sense in Walt Disney Co selling or spinning off ABC, the low-rated TV network and the one piece that does not seem to fit well with the entire entertainment empire.

Ford Motor Co is considering a plan to drop Mercury, a brand developed in the 1930s that has seen sales and investment plunge in recent years, a person familiar with the discussions said.

Kenneth Starr, an investment adviser to celebrities and other wealthy New Yorkers, was coaxed from a darkened suit closet by U.S. agents at his apartment on Thursday to face charges of running a fraud of at least $30 million, prosecutors said.

Apple Inc's iPad made its overseas debut on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to be among the first outside the United States to snap up the long-awaited tablet PC.

Congressional Democrats floated more cuts on Thursday to a package of tax increases and safety-net spending as final passage of the measure looked likely to slip into June.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The stimulant drug Vyvanse improves attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents beginning as early as the first week of treatment, according to a new study.

(Reuters) - People who don't brush their teeth twice a day have an increased risk of heart disease, scientists said on Friday, adding scientific weight to 19th century theories about oral health and chronic disease.

A fire broke out in the old Roads and Traffic Authority building at the corner of Gurwood and Beckwith streets have prompted Fire Brigade authorities to sent urgent health warning this morning to the residents of central Wagga Wagga, in Southern NSW, about the release of deadly asbestos fibres.

Congressional Democrats on Thursday floated more cuts to a package of tax increases and safety-net spending as final passage of the measure looked likely to slip into June.

Health authorities reported that aboriginal people in Western Australia were up to 38 times more likely to undergo amputations because of diabetes-related complications than non-indigenous people.

Cellphone maker Nokia and browser firm Opera Software pledged on Thursday to support Adobe Systems' Flash software in its bitter row with Apple.

Zimbabwe-born Australian performer Godfrey Zaburoni, 31, was charged on Tuesday in the Southport Magistrates, Gold Coast for acts of intending to cause grevious bodily harm by infecting women with HIV through unprotected sex.

The Australian Dollar has had a strong run overnight to be trading just below USD0.8500 following a positive lead on equity markets.

Apple Inc's iPad hit overseas store shelves on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese shops to be among the first in Asia to snap up the long-awaited tablet PC.

Johnson & Johnson

The Australian Dollar opens sharply higher today at 0.8510. Despite a surprise drop in new capital spending, which fell 0.2 per cent in the first quarter, the Aussie rallied from an intraday low of 0.8220.

Last month's recall of Johnson & Johnson's liquid children's medicines provides just the latest evidence of what U.S. health regulators say are systemic quality problems at the healthcare company and its McNeil consumer unit.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney hired a pair of top financial advisers from UBS, and also added advisers from Barclays Wealth to focus on Latin American markets.

Kenneth Starr, a New York investment adviser to celebrities such as movie director Martin Scorsese and actor Uma Thurman, was arrested by U.S. agents on Thursday on charges of running an alleged investment fraud of as much as $30 million, prosecutors said.

The U.S. economy grew at a slightly slower pace than previously estimated in the first quarter but the recovery still appeared solid, suggesting the economy could withstand fallout from the European debt crisis.

Corrects spelling of Scorsese and Leibovitz

Stocks rallied on Thursday as investor worry was eased after China refuted a report that it was reviewing its euro-zone bond holdings due to the region's debt crisis.

AT&T Inc said on Thursday that 40 percent of its iPhone sales since the beginning of the year have been to business customers, suggesting that the phone is encroaching on an area dominated by Research in Motion's BlackBerry.