IBT Staff Reporter

Russia's foreign minister will visit North Korea next week, a source said on Friday, as regional powers try to prevent the state from restarting its nuclear arms plant and defuse tensions that have rattled regional security.

Volkswagen AG may have overtaken Toyota Motor Co to become the world's top-selling carmaker in the first quarter, thanks to government incentives that fueled demand in VW's major markets.

The founder of Thailand's yellow shirt protest movement, which was behind the week-long occupation of Bangkok's main airports last year, was shot and wounded on Friday, but a doctor said his life was not in danger.

Villagers in eastern Afghanistan wailed in grief and scrambled through rubble on Friday to recover the bodies of dozens of people feared killed by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake.

U.S. consumer confidence rebounded in April to the highest levels since September before investors panicked about the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the global banking system's near implosion, a survey showed on Friday.

Citigroup Inc said cost-cutting and improved results from investment banking and trading led to a substantially smaller first-quarter loss, despite a big increase in credit costs from consumer banking and credit cards.

The United States is ready to talk to Cuba, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday as Caribbean leaders piled pressure on Washington to end its sanctions against the island.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets his counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean on Friday, offering practical cooperation over the ideological differences that have strained U.S. ties with the region.

Four men linked to The Pirate Bay, one of the world's biggest free file-sharing websites, were each jailed for a year on Friday for breaching copyright and ordered to pay 30 million Swedish crowns ($3.58 million) in compensation.

The U.S. government and Italian carmaker Fiat SpA will appoint a board of directors for embattled automaker Chrysler following the completion of a proposed alliance between the companies, Chrysler Chief Executive Bob Nardelli said on Thursday.

Volkswagen's global vehicle sales fell by 11.4 percent in the first quarter but its market share gains may have let it overtake Japan's Toyota Motor as the world's top-selling automaker.

McDonald's Corp has added millions of diners at its restaurants over the past few years, and an improving financial climate should help out consumers, Chief Executive Jim Skinner said on CNBC on Friday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is considering expanding one of its lending programs to include commercial mortgage-backed securities with terms longer than three years, a Fed official said on Friday.

Wall Street shed 3,100 workers in March, shrinking New York City's most important generator of jobs to just 169,200 people, the state's Department of Labor reported on Thursday.

S&P 500 and Dow stock index futures pointed to a higher open as Citigroup and General Electric posted better-than-expected quarterly results, providing further evidence that the severe U.S. economic downturn could be abating.

A Swedish court handed down a guilty verdict and a year in prison on Friday to all four defendants in a copyright test case involving The Pirate Bay, one of the world's biggest free file-sharing websites.

Mattel Inc , the world's biggest toy company, posted a slightly wider-than-expected quarterly loss on Friday, hurt by the effect of a stronger dollar and inventory cuts at retailers.

General Electric Co posted better-than-expected quarterly profit, as a strong performance at its large energy operation offset declines at the GE Capital finance and NBC Universal units.

A Swedish court handed down a guilty verdict and a year in prison on Friday to all four defendants in a copyright test case involving The Pirate Bay, one of the world's biggest free file-sharing websites.

Stock index futures were flat after shares of Citigroup and General Electric posted better-than-expected quarterly results, providing further evidence that the severe U.S, economic downturn could be abating.

U.S. automaker Chrysler, already operating under government emergency aid, would cede control of its board and ultimately senior leadership if it completes a planned alliance with Italy's Fiat SpA.

Citigroup Inc posted a first-quarter loss on Friday, reflecting a large amount of credit losses and the accounting for preferred stock.

General Electric Co reported a 36 percent drop in quarterly profit, but topped Wall Street's expectations on the back of its large energy operation, which makes electricity-producing turbines.

U.S. stock index futures were flat to lower after shares of Citigroup and General Electric edged higher following quarterly results from both Dow components.

U.S. automaker Chrysler, already operating under government emergency aid, would cede control of its board and ultimately senior leadership if it completes a planned alliance with Italy's Fiat SpA.

General Electric Co reported a 36 percent drop in quarterly profit, as a global recession pounded its hefty finance arm, but the company said the order backlog at its industrial arm remained stable.

Volkswagen may have become the world's top-selling automaker in the first quarter as government incentives have fueled demand in its major markets, overtaking industry giant Toyota.

Mattel Inc , the world's biggest toy company, posted a slightly wider-than-expected quarterly loss on Friday, hurt by the effect of a stronger dollar and inventory cuts at retailers.

Phishing scams have grown up from the unsophisticated swindles of the past in which fake Nigerian princes e-mailed victims, who would get a big windfall if they just provide their bank account number.