UNITED STATES

The economic recovery is on solid ground but there are still enough sources of weakness to justify keeping interest rates very low, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart said on Friday.

The smartphone is specifically designed for business aviation.

Retailers must answer the call to make mobile shopping easier and more engaging or they risk getting disconnected from the majority of mobile device users.

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher said on Friday there were signs that liquidity was not just abundant, but excessive in the United States.

The Japanese government is urging residents who live between 20 and 30 kilometers from crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to voluntarily evacuate the region, citing the difficulties of daily life there and the possibility of more radiation leaks.

Oil steadied on Friday, with Brent crude close to $116, but analysts saw the risk of higher prices as unrest bubbled across the Middle East and western powers kept up a military campaign in Libya.

Technology stocks led Wall Street higher on Friday after Oracle's upbeat outlook, putting all three major stock indexes on track to end the week in positive territory after two weeks of declines.

Australian defense minister Stephen Smith has apologized to his Afghan counterpart after footage of racial abuse involving Australian troops in Afghanistan were aired by television channels.

The fragmentation of the Chinese manufacturing industry has key implications for US business selling to China.

[Investors] don't believe in the gold story anymore, declared Kevin Norrish of Barclays Capital on Wednesday, announcing the bank's latest commodity investment survey of institutional players. Not one single respondent chose Gold Bullion as the likely best performer in 2011, Norrish said.

Siemens Energy said it has been awarded another order from Minnesota Power for 35 3-megawatt SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbines for its Bison 2 wind energy center near Center, North Dakota.

Stocks were poised for a higher open on Friday as an upbeat outlook from Oracle boosts technology stocks.

The economy grew more quickly than previously estimated in the fourth quarter as businesses maintained fairly solid spending and restocked shelves to meet rising demand.

The economy grew more quickly than previously estimated in the fourth quarter as businesses maintained fairly solid spending and restocked shelves to meet rising demand.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices continued to point to a higher opening on Friday after government data showed that US economic activity grew at a 3.1 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Wet Seal, Zalicus, Oracle, and JetBlue Airways. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: China Finance Online, Research In Motion, Acacia Research, Universal Display, XOMA, and Netflix.

BP boss Bob Dudley has come under fire after an Arctic exploration deal with Russian group Rosneft was blocked by the British oil company's partners in joint venture TNK-BP.

Stock index futures rose on Friday, supported by technology shares after Oracle gave an upbeat forecast.

At its annual meeting, Starbucks Corp. (NYSE: SBUX) said it would offer its own value oriented single-serve machine with Courtesy Products.

In the biggest demonstration against the President yet, many thousands of Yemenis have gathered in capitol city of Sanaa demanding the immediate resignation of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Stock index futures rose on Friday, supported by technology shares after Oracle gave an upbeat forecast.