IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. auto regulators would be required to establish minimum standards to prevent unintended acceleration and carmakers would pay substantially higher fines for withholding safety information from the government, according to draft legislation being circulated.

Federal prosecutors in New York have begun investigating Goldman Sachs Group Inc, raising the possibility of criminal charges against the company or its employees, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

Toyota Motor Corp announced on Thursday it was resuming sales of its Lexus GX 460 sports utility vehicle that were halted for two weeks.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Friday as worries over debt-laden Greece eased and the economy grew in the first quarter but at slightly slower-than-expected pace.

Famed investor Warren Buffett will address the allegations facing Goldman Sachs Group Inc at his Berkshire Hathaway Inc holding company's annual meeting on Saturday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Barclays Plc's investment bank results failed to match the lofty growth shown by many rivals, knocking its shares and taking the shine off a 47 pct rise in group quarterly pretax profit.

German financial and industrial firms will contribute to a multi-billion euro bailout for Greece, a senior banking source said, as talks to secure the aid in return for tough Greek budget cuts edged toward a deal.

U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher on Friday ahead of the advance reading of first-quarter gross domestic product and as investors awaited a deal to bail out debt-ridden Greece.

U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher on Friday ahead of the advance reading of first-quarter gross domestic product and investors awaited a deal to bail out Greece.

A dynamic model was used to make coffee projections. It covers the major exporting and importing countries of green coffee. Supply, demand and stock functions were estimated for each of the major exporting and importing countries. The model performs dynamic simulation forward in time and generates forecasts on the basis of assumptions for the future behaviour of GDP, consumer price indices and exchange rates.

Nokia Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo will next week face shareholders who are frustrated more than ever before.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Friday, as sovereign debt worries in the euro-zone soothed, while investors awaited the advance reading of first-quarter gross domestic product.

Global equities rose and the euro held on to gains on Friday as Greece readied new austerity measures to secure a multi-billion-euro aid package that could be announced in coming days.

Better known as a hub for diamond and textile industries, Surat will soon have additional feature to its fame as the city-based entrepreneurs are now exploring business opportunity in more natural and high-end fabric material - Linen.

The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, leaking from a ruptured well moved closer to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Analysts said the oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of control with a faint sheen washing ashore along the Gulf Coast.

Global oil prices extended gains in Asian trade Friday mainly on encouraging reports of resurgence in global economy. Light sweet crude for June delivery was seen trading at $85.61 a barrel at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while Brent crude was at $87.12 a barrel at the same time in London.

Gold advanced further in Asian trade Friday after the euro gained on hopes of a quick Greek rescue package spurred investors to cover short positions. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $ 1172.98 an ounce at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while gold futures for June delivery was at $1,173.40 an ounce at the COMEX division of the NYMEX.

World's largest gold producer is also set to take India's centuries-old gold crown as the world's top gold consumer. After knocking South Africa out of first place as the world's largest gold producer in 2007, it now appears China will overtake India as the world's leading gold consumer when industry figures are released in mid-February.

Stocks rose on Friday and the euro steadied on hopes that a fractious European Union will agree on a bailout package for Greece within days as it struggles to keep the debt crisis from spreading to other weak countries. Shares were also buoyed by strong earnings reports from major U.S. companies, which pushed up Wall Street stocks and bolstered hopes that the world's largest economy was picking u...

Stocks rose on Friday and the euro steadied on hopes that a fractious European Union will agree on a bailout package for Greece within days as it struggles to keep the debt crisis from spreading to other weak countries.

U.S. economic growth probably slowed in the first quarter, data is expected to show on Friday, but resurgent consumer spending should offer evidence of a sustainable recovery.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the world's top maker of memory chips and flat screen TVs, reported record quarterly results, powered by robust demand for chips and flat-screen TVs.

It would be feasible for China to launch a property tax in the near term because economic growth is sufficiently strong, a senior researcher with the Ministry of Finance said in remarks published on Friday.

U.S. federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal probe into whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc or its employees committed securities fraud in connection with its mortgage trading, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website on Thursday.

UAL Corp's United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc are expected to announce that they are merging to form the world's largest airline on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.

Microsoft Corp said on Thursday its Courier tablet PC, vaunted by some as a potential rival to Apple Inc's iPad, will not be launched as a product, at least not in its current form.

New research found that baby girls cope better with stress in their mothers' womb.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd , the world's top maker of memory chips and flat screen TVs, reported record quarterly results, powered by robust demand for chips and flat-screen TVs.

Two subsidiaries of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson have agreed to pay more than $US81 million ($A87.56 million) from the alleged illegal promotion of the epilepsy drug Topamax for psychiatric uses, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.