IBT Staff Reporter

PDI, Inc. a group which provides commercialization services for drugs said today it will promote a Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation product in the United States.

Hitachi identified a programming error in the software used for measuring the impact of earth quakes on pipes at atomic power stations, after being in use for about 28 years.

Gold futures fell on Friday, extending their dive from the previous session on speculation the precious-metals rally will end after prices failed to match crude, oil and euro prices this week which hit new records.

General Electric Co.'s dismal first-quarter results and lowered 2008 outlook contradicts the confidence its CEO expressed in last months shareholder meeting, leaving analysts speculating and investors jolted on the future of the conglomerate.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said senior vice president and chief of technology Phil Hester is resigning today.

Electricite de France (EDF) is said to be considering making a bid for nuclear power company British Energy. According to Reuters a source close to the matter said the French company might enter the bidding, but would not overpay for the company.

Cadbury Schweppes has reported strong growth in its confectionary sales for the first quarter of 2008, with sales up 7 per cent.

Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats has urged the government to resume an investigation into bribery allegations surrounding a £43 billion arms deal between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia.

Dish Network Corp., the second largest U.S. satellite-television broadcaster, lost a bid for rehearing of patent win by TiVo.

U.S. stocks fell to April lows on Friday after General Electric Co. shook investors with its lower-than-expected earnings results which increased concerns that the credit crunch has moved into all sectors.

Microsoft and Inrix launched services that will help drivers avoid long traffic lines by providing data for example about side streets.

Japan stocks rebounded Friday after a three-day decline as investors came to feel better by the previous day's recover on Wall Street recovering and weaker yen.

Crude prices fell on Thursday after the International Energy Agency cut its estimate of 2008 global oil demand raising concerns about diminishing world economic growth.

AEterna Zentaris Inc. President and Chief Executive officer David Mazzo has resigned, the company announced on Friday.

Accent – which has an 80% stake at Mt Gibson – saw its stocks rise 13.5c (54%) to reach 38.5c a share in today's trading. By the afternoon the company's stocks had cooled to 33c a share.

General Electric Co., regarded as a bellwether of the U.S. economy, missed earnings Friday and lowered its outlook for the full year, after the company took heavy losses in its finance division.

Frontier Airlines Holdings, a U.S. low-fare carrier, filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, citing an unexpected move by a business partner but vowed to continue operating normally.

By Jon Nadler Overnight gold trading was fairly subdued, with prices meandering between $918 and $929 as participants observed rising equity markets (the Nikkei added 378 points) and softer ...

CV Therapeutics Inc. and Astellas Pharma Inc. said on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. approved their new drug regadenoson or Lexiscan.

Verizon Communications Inc filed a complaint against Time Warner Cable Inc. alleging that the cable company is airing a misleading ad about its fiber-optic service.

China Coal Energy, the country's No. 2 coal producer, said its 2007 net profit rose 90.35 percent to 5.17 billion yuan due to higher coal prices and increased output.

Citigroup downgrades PetroChina from Hold to Sell, saying an earnings disappointment is coming. Citi reduced PetroChina's earnings per share estimate for 2008 by 15.4 percent and for 2009 by 5.5 percent.

Both Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets closed a bit higher Thursday,the mining and metal companies support the rebound depite Sinopec's trumble.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd.(ICBC),China's biggest bank by market value,said Thursday its first-quarter net profit expects up to more than 50% from the same year earlier.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Qatar Liquefied Natural Gas Company and Shell Group signed an LNG Sale and purchase agreement at SGT April 10.

The FTSE 100 share index fell marginally on Thursday, dropping 18.8 points to 5,965.1 (down 0.3 per cent) after the Bank of England cut interest rates from 5.25 to 5 per cent.

Morgan McKinley has released its London Employment Monitor for March 2008 and has said that the number of new job opportunities in the City fell by 2 per cent compared to February 2008, and fell 23 per cent compared with March 2007.

The High Court gave a ruling on Thursday that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) acted unlawfully when it dropped a corruption inquiry into an arms deal involving BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia.

Travel operator Thomas Cook has said that it expects to meet its expectations during the current financial year.