BARACK OBAMA

President Barack Obama, seeking to rescue a faltering U.S. economy and his own re-election prospects, began an uphill battle on Friday to win Republican support for a $447 billion jobs plan.

President Barack Obama's freshly unveiled $447 billion jobs plan would substantially boost the economy by creating 1.9 million payroll jobs and growing the U.S. economy 2 percent, Moody's Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi said.

Police arrested Onyango Obama in Massachusetts last month for allegedly driving under the influence. Police has said the sports utility vehicle Onyango Obama was driving failed to make a proper stop at an intersection, and then almost collided with an unmarked vehicle that was being driven by a police officer.

Gold prices pared losses in choppy trade on Friday but were still on track for their biggest weekly loss since June as some investors cashed in gains after losing confidence in the metal's ability to build on this week's record highs.

Flash flooding along the northeast of the United States killed five people this week and U.S. President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in New York State, as historic flooding swelled rivers to record levels.

President Barack Obama, seeking to rescue a faltering economy and his own re-election prospects, began an uphill battle on Friday to win Republican support for a $447 billion jobs plan.

Republicans vying for GOP nomination wasted no time in criticizing President Barack Obama's jobs speech, and they weren't bashful.

Stock index futures fell on Friday as investors remained skeptical about how much of President Barack Obama's $447 billion proposal to generate U.S. jobs would make it through Congress.

Stock index futures fell on Friday as a jobs proposal by President Barack Obama did little to reassure investors concerned about weak economic growth.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Friday as investors remained skeptical about how much of President Barack Obama's $447 billion proposal to generate U.S. jobs would make it through Congress.

President Barack Obama, seeking to rescue the troubled U.S. economy and his own prospects for re-election, embarks on an uphill battle on Friday to win Republican support for a make-or-break $447 billion jobs plan.

In statements issued after President Obama's jobs speech on Thursday night, Republican leaders struck a note very different from the uncompromising, line-in-the-sand rhetoric that has been dominating political discourse. Criticisms of Obama and fundamental differences of opinion were still evident, but there were also gestures toward conciliation and compromise.

President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered a redoubling of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in the face of a credible but unconfirmed threat ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Obama laid out an ambitious $450 billion package of spending plans and tax cuts designed to stimulate the economy and create badly needed jobs.

Gold prices tumbled by 2 percent on Friday, reversing earlier gains, with traders blaming heavy fund liquidation of the metal on the New York futures market, and the downward move picking up momentum as sell stops were triggered

President Barack Obama made a savvy play with his jobs speech proposal, if one considers his personal political hide. America's unemployment problem has gone on too long, and the nation is looking to Washington, and the president, to do something about it. So he drew up a economic plan that has a big price tag -- $447 billion -- urging Republicans and Congress to act immediately on it.

European shares kept falling Friday, with investors disappointed on U.S. stimulus measures, and banks lower after Goldman Sachs downgraded target prices across the sector.

Policymakers in advanced economies should use all available tools to boost growth, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Friday, calling for bold action to weather a dangerous new phase of recovery.

Policymakers in advanced economies should use all available tools to boost growth, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Friday, calling for bold action to weather a dangerous new phase of recovery.

European shares fell early on Friday, tracking Wall Street's Thursday losses, after U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gave no indications of new stimulus measures.