BUSINESS

Asian shares eased Friday, with China's factory activity data and a U.S. jobs report due later in the day making investors cautious as the escalating euro zone debt crisis threatened to further undermine growth worldwide.

A federal judge Thursday declared a Florida election law harsh and impractical for requiring groups conducting voter registration drives to turn in registration forms within 48 hours of collecting them, and blocked enforcement of the deadline.

Iraq's central government closed Thursday what has proven to be a disappointing two-day oil and gas lease auction sale that emphasized oil and gas exploration.

Shares of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social network, jumped 5 percent in late Thursday trading after they set a new low of $26.83.

A trade credit crunch, driven by trading partners' fears that Greek businesses will soon be refusing to honor their debts in euro, is making it difficult for Greeks to keep their economy running.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 26 points Thursday to 12,393 -- pushed lower by sentiment that May's U.S. Non-Farm Payroll reportl, to be released Friday, will be tepid.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the No. 1 U.S. retailer, said it had quit the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a Washington, D.C.-based group that lobbies for conservative laws in state legislatures.

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) appointed Alan Horn as chairman of Disney Studios, replacing former chairman Rich Ross, who was forced out of the role in April, the company announced Thursday.

After ditching Super Bowl ads, General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) pivoted away from the NFL and instead entered into a five-year advertising partnership for its Chevrolet brand with the popular British soccer team Manchester United, a move meant to bolster the brand's global awareness, the company announced Thursday.

On a Friday afternoon in March, the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it would pay Janet Robinson, its recently fired CEO and a 28-year veteran of the company, a severance package of around $23.7 million.

Shares of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social network, rose in late-Thursday trading after they set a new low of $26.83.

The legal activist gives his first public speaking engagement in America after leaving from China.

Several top retailers reported stronger-than-expected sales in May Thursday, Reuters is reporting, providing a moderate surprise to Wall Street retail analysts, who had warned May might prove a disappointing month in terms of revenue for many stores.

Antonio Brufau, CEO of Spanish oil company Repsol, renewed his resolve to seek punitive damages from Argentina's government following its seizure of the company's subsidiary YPF -- and his shareholders are with him

Thousands of Ecuadoreans this week are trying to force Chevron Corp., the second-largest U.S. oil and gas company, into complying with a verdict and paying billions in environmental fines resulting from a decade-long pollution case.

With a massive smart grid build-out, Beijing hopes to turn its grid into a competitive advantage.

The so-called cleaning fairy who allegedly breaks into Ohio homes, tidies up and leaves a hefty bill has been captured by authorities.

The value of the monetary unit of China dropped against the world's reserve currency on Tuesday

Data wise, Switzerland GDP beat forecasts by coming in at 0.7% against expectations of no change

The euro shot lower yesterday, trading with a 1.23 handle as the market digested news that eight Danish banks had been downgraded.

World Bank president Robert Zoellick is calling for the issuiing of a supranational euro bond that would be backed by credit guarantees from stronger euro zone economies while providing cheaper funding to struggling ones.

It was strange not to see Steve Jobs fill one of the iconic red executive chairs at the D10 Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., hosted by All Things Digital's Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, but current Apple CEO Tim Cook did his best to fill the massive vacancy left by Jobs with some heartwarming stories about Steve, his life at Apple, and some encouraging signs that the world's most valuable technology company is moving in the right direction.

Only the Supreme Court can finally decide this unique case, wrote First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Michael Boudin.

Shares of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social network, set a new low of $27 on Thursday, as the stock?s rout continues.

Marriott International Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. hotel operator, plans to acquire Gaylord Entertainment Co.?s namesake hotel brand and management company, for $210 million.

No, you haven?t imagined it: trying to find a decent investment in these volatile financial times is like trying to find a diamond amid ashes. With the aforementioned in mind, here are three dividend plays that may not be diamonds, but they're worthy of consideration.

During the summit, Suu Kyi was protected by a team of bodyguards and did not speak to media

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) will offer a pension buyout to 98,000 retirees and former employees of the nation's second biggest car company, Reuters reported Thursday.

Euro zone annual inflation is expected to be 2.4 percent in May, down from 2.6 percent in April, a report from the European Union's Eurostat statistics office said Thursday.