UNITED STATES

High speed trading for stocks is under pressure from a senior Senator who has called on the top U.S. securities regulator to ban a certain type of orders which he says gives and advantage to some traders over others.

Global health officials stepped up efforts to prepare for quick vaccination against the H1N1 pandemic virus, saying on Friday it appeared now to be affecting older age groups spared earlier in the pandemic.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp is expected to report a group operating loss of around 20 billion yen for the April-June quarter, marking a second straight quarterly loss, the Nikkei business daily said.

Rich countries should immediately mobilize billions of dollars in development aid to the poorest nations to win their trust in the run-up to global climate talks in Copenhagen, a draft EU report says.

Sarah Palin, the former Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate, will step down as Alaska's governor on Sunday with her political future clouded by ethics probes, legal bills and dwindling popularity.

The Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that Iran would strike Israel's nuclear facilities if the Jewish state attacked it, state television reported.

President Barack Obama said Saturday that Democratic plans to revamp the U.S. healthcare system would benefit small businesses, an argument that quickly drew criticism from his Republican opponents.

Bankers and traders, no matter where they work, might have Goldman Sachs Group Inc to thank for heftier bonuses this year.

U.S. regulators closed seven small banks on Friday, a pace matching a one-day total seen earlier in July and bringing the number of failures so far this year to 64.

Guaranty Financial Group Inc , the second-largest publicly traded bank in Texas, said it will probably fail after loan losses and write-downs

President Barack Obama's remark on Wednesday that police acted stupidly in arresting Harvard professor angered police force nationwide.

CIT Group Inc , a 101-year-old lender fighting for survival, is planning a large debt exchange offer within weeks and may not sell any assets before fixing its capital structure, a source close to the company said on Friday.

The leader of a group of Democratic fiscal conservatives in the House of Representatives said talks on a U.S. healthcare overhaul bill fell apart on Friday and that he saw no possibility of a deal now.

The Nasdaq fell on Friday, halting a 12-day run-up, following Microsoft Corp's disappointing quarterly results, but gains in pharmaceutical and energy shares lifted the Dow and the S&P 500 to fresh 8-month closing highs.

The collapse of Lehman Brothers last September marked the start of a downward spiral for big investment banks. For a smaller fraternity of Internet brokerages, it has set off a dramatic spurt of growth.

Microsoft sought on Friday to end a long-running dispute with EU antitrust regulators as it offered to let users choose their own browser and to provide more interoperability information to third parties.

AMR Corp , parent of American Airlines, said on Friday it would raise by $5 the fee it charges to check a first or second bag on domestic flights.

The Nasdaq fell on Friday, halting a 12-day run-up, following Microsoft Corp's disappointing quarterly results, but gains in pharmaceutical and energy shares lifted the Dow and the S&P 500 to fresh 8-month closing highs.

Honduran forces tightened the border with Nicaragua against an attempt by deposed President Manuel Zelaya to enter the country after he was removed in a coup.

Honduran troops and police tightened the border with Nicaragua on Friday against an attempt by deposed President Manuel Zelaya to enter the country after he was removed in a military coup and sent into exile.

President Barack Obama backed down on Friday from a statement that police had acted stupidly in arresting a black scholar in a racially charged case that was rapidly becoming a distraction for Obama.