BUSINESS

Disappointing jobs growth in the U.S., together with shrinking manufacturing and services activity in the euro zone, had equities and commodities in retreat and bond yields down. News this weekend isn't likely to calm jitters, with elections in both Greece and France, which may get its first new socialist president since 1981.

Former BP engineer Kurt Mix pleaded not guilty Thursday in a federal court in New Orleans to charges that he deliberately destroyed evidence requested by authorities probing the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Did Dominique Strauss-Khan, the former IMF chief whose career was shattered amid accusations he raped a New York hotel maid, participate in an alleged group rape in Washington, D.C? French investigators are exploring the possibility as they probe the once-likely French presidential candidate.

Microsoft?s next generation Xbox, rumored to be called the 720 and codenamed Durango, is in its manufacturing stages according to IGN. A source told the gaming website that assembly of the upcoming console?s hardware has started recently at the Austin, Texas division of Flextronics. The electronics company is also responsible for manufacturing the current Xbox 30 console and the original Xbox.

Adlene Hicheur, a Franco-Algerian nuclear physicist, was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison, with one year suspended, because of his conviction in the plotting of terrorist attacks.

The global supply of palladium is expected to remain in deficit this year, as it was last year, Thomson Reuters GFMS said Thursday.

CEOs of major U.S. corporations have seen their pay increase by 725 percent between 1978 and 2011. In the same time, worker compensation grew by a painfully slow 5.7 percent.

A recent test drive of the Bentley Mulsanne proved that the powerful, elegant beast?s ?Naim for Bentley? sound system can shake your to the core. The Bentley Mulsanne?s 20 speaker, 2200 Watt sound system with eight dedicated Digital Signal Processing units makes the car a ready replacement for concert attendance.

Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social network, has decided to pitch its initial public offering of 337.4 million shares at $35 apiece, which could raise as much as $13.6 billion, assuming over-allotment options.

The Obama administration will reportedly restrict hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, by promulgating a set of rules governing such practices on federal land.

Google News U.S. Edition has added new features to its homepage that will help keep readers updated one the latest news breaks. But is the company providing the most relevant conversations surrounding news stories?

Voter turnout was very low, at about 32 percent ? partially due to rainy weather -- the worst such figure since 2000

?God of War: Ascension,? set to be the fourth installment and a prequel to the original, was recently revealed at the end of April. The game will take place before protagonist Kratos became the Ghost of Sparta, and the game?s official trailer gives a vague yet enticing glimpse for fans. But one of the most anticipated features to come with the new title, set for a spring 2013 launch, is the integration of multiplayer gameplay.

Hong Kong-based diversified holding company Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. (Hong Kong: 0013) resubmitted its ?2 billion ($2.62 billion) cash bid for Dublin-based Eircom Group Ltd., the closely held fixed, mobile and broadband telecommunications services provider.

In some U.S. presidential election years, one issue dominates, and that's likely to be the case in 2012. The issue: jobs, and so far the Obama administration's policies have not created enough. President Barack Obama needs to find ways to create more jobs, if he hopes to be re-elected.

The Bentley Mulsanne was parked across the street from our non-descript New York office tower. It gleamed in the sun, but nevertheless a Bentley employee was giving it one last spit and polish (although I'm sure that Bentley would never use spit to polish unless it came from a special Bentley tended pride of lions; it's just that lux).

European stocks plunged Friday on fears a victory by the Socialist candidate in France's presidential election could upend prospects of setting the continent's second-largest economy on a sound footing.

The brother and co-conspirator of the man who assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 was released Thursday after serving over 16 years in prison.

Mitt Romney appeared Friday on Fox to discuss the April jobs report showing 115,000 jobs added, far lower than expected.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), the No. 2 computer maker, said it agreed to acquire privately held Tealeaf Technology, a specialist customer analytics software.

With the ?Diablo 3? release date drawing near, Blizzard plans to launch an animated short called ?Diablo 3: Wrath? that will detail the game?s backstory. The company released a behind-the-scenes video on May 3rd to give fans insight as to what the video short will entail.

Unlike in France, where voters choose between two distinct candidates (conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Francois Hollande), the Greek election is more complicated.

The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) is suing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), accusing leaders of the world's biggest retailer of not upholding the best interest of shareholders by quashing an investigation of bribery of public officials by its Mexican subsidiary.

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is under fire after an activist hedge fund found that he had embellished his resume regarding details on his academic credentials, prompting the board of directors of Yahoo Inc. to launch a probe into records about their chief executive office.

Samsung unveiled its highly anticipated Galaxy S3 on May 3. The smartphone comes with a quad-core turban Exynos processor, a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, an 8 megapixel camera and a gigantic 2020mAh replaceable battery.

Indian Rupee dropped to four-months-low of 53.83 at midsession before closing at 53.41/42 against dollar on Thursday, despite Reserve Bank of India's's suspected interventions. Rupee has been continuing its steady fall and the analytics are expecting the Indian currency to touch an all time low of 55.00 per dollar within a short period.

Output for the eurozone manufacturing and services sectors shrank in April more than initially reported, according to Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data released Friday by Markit, the London firm that publishes a monthly independent surveys that gauges economic activity worldwide. Business conditions deteriorated at a faster rate towards the end of the month, said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, explaining the downward revision from preliminary estimates released April 23....

A Utah woman thought she was involved in a terrorist plot when she opened up a tampon to find a tiny package of white powder. Police however, identified the substance as cocaine.

Amidst the hoopla created by the launch of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S3, the second-largest South Korean electronics conglomerate, LG silently launched its Optimus LTE2 on the same day.