IBT Staff Reporter

The European Union is likely to miss its target of cutting energy consumption by a fifth by 2020 unless it takes bolder action, the European Commission said at the start of a public consultation.

Research In Motion offered investors an outlook on Thursday that fell short of some expectations, sending the BlackBerry maker's stock sliding 5 percent even as the company reported a higher quarterly profit that topped forecasts.

A global shift toward nuclear power is prompting countries to rush to lock in long-term access to tight supplies of uranium, and China and India look to be the next players to get in on the action.

China Unicom , one of China's top three mobile carriers, may be close to a deal that would see it become the exclusive seller of Apple's iPhones in China for two years, a Merrill Lynch analyst said.

Equity markets and high yielding currencies gained on Friday while bonds and the dollar fell, as U.S. jobs and factory data the previous session rekindled hopes that the global economy may be recovering from recession.

Google Inc released a tool that translates Internet blogs, news articles and text messages from English to Persian, and vice-versa, in a move the firm said will improve access to information amid the turmoil and media restrictions following Iran's disputed election.

The city of Beijing will recruit tens of thousands of volunteers to monitor the Internet, state media said on Friday, echoing decades of mobilizing senior citizens and other volunteers to patrol its neighborhoods.

Few events in the technology world can rival the attention a new iPhone launch draws, but the return of Steve Jobs to Apple Inc would surely be one of them.

The International Monetary Fund is likely to revise its 2010 growth forecast for the world economy up with signs the rate of decline in global output has moderated, a senior IMF official said on Friday.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appealed for calm on Friday and attacked enemies questioning the result of a presidential vote that has sparked the biggest street protests in the Islamic Republic's history.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Friday, as stocks were poised to add to the previous session's gains.

Global LCD TV sales volume is expected to increase by 21 percent this year, faster than a previous forecast, helped by strong sales in developed markets and China's stimulus spending program, speeding up the transition to flat-screen TVs, DisplaySearch said.

Chief executives of some banks that received federal money, including Bank of America Corp, Morgan Stanley and Regions Financial Corp, used company jets for their personal use, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website.

Sony Corp Chief Executive Howard Stringer said the loss-making Japanese electronics conglomerate's turnaround efforts, which include job cuts, plant closures and a management reshuffle, are advancing well.

Air France-KLM, Europe's biggest airline, may need to cut a further 3,000 jobs but only through natural attrition, its chief executive said on Friday.

Asian stocks snapped a four-day slide on Friday and government bond yields climbed after upbeat U.S. factory and jobs data provided more evidence that the global economy is recovering from its deep recession.

Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Ken Lewis was approached by three former Merrill Lynch executives this year to discuss buying back some or all of their old company, but he politely rebuffed them, the Financial Times reported on its website. Dan Tully, former Merrill CEO, Launny Steffens, former head of Merrill's private client business, and Winthrop Smith Jr, son of one of Merr...

Texas billionaire Allen Stanford will appear in a federal court in Virginia on Friday over allegations of massive fraud involving his Antigua bank, U.S. officials said after he surrendered to the FBI.

The following are comments by European Union leaders at a two-day summit starting on Thursday in Brussels.

European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to tighten financial supervision and create pan-European watchdogs to help prevent another global economic crisis.

Iran's supreme leader will address the nation on Friday for the first time since a disputed election result triggered the biggest protests the Islamic Republic has seen.

U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co is reconsidering its plan to list in New York, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Texas billionaire Allen Stanford has surrendered to authorities and will face criminal charges on Friday tied to an alleged massive fraud involving certificates of deposit issued by his Antigua bank, his lawyer said.

Now that Goldman Sachs Group Inc has settled its $10 billion debt with the U.S. taxpayer, investors are wondering about the Wall Street firm's other looming presence -- Warren Buffett.

Microsoft is set to roll out of its free antimalware service, Microsoft Security Essentials, which is scheduled to go live in beta on Tuesday.

Microsoft finally announced that its new antivirus software, codenamed ‘Morro’, will officially be named “Microsoft Security Essentials” and comes out on June 23 serving Windows end-user for free.

Motorola unveils Endeavor HX1 Bluetooth headset Global headset leader, Motorola on Thursday unveiled its first combine crystal talk Bluetooth headset Endeavor HX1, bundles with true bone conduction technology, and is set to hit Asia next month.

Electronic Arts Inc. has announced that its chief operating officer John Pleasant will be leaving the company, but right after a Pleasant venture-backed social game developer Playdom said that Pleasant will become its new CEO.

Texas billionaire Allen Stanford was prepared to surrender to U.S. authorities in Virginia on Thursday night after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Stanford's lawyer said.