UNITED STATES

Shrugging off delays in a divided Congress, President Barack Obama's administration on Friday said a sweeping healthcare overhaul would still be approved by year end to control costs and expand coverage.

Freddie Mac (FRE.P)(FRE.N), the second-largest U.S. home funding company, said on Friday its mortgage investment portfolio grew by an annualized 9.3 percent rate in June, while delinquencies on loans it guarantees accelerated.

Consumer sentiment slips less than expected; Stocks watch

Global equity markets will consolidate gains this summer with chartists predicting that a sharp rise since March has run its course for now, but technical signals have set the stage for another rally into year-end.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Friday he was willing to work with lawmakers on shaping an overhaul of financial regulations but insisted major changes are necessary.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Friday he was willing to work with lawmakers on shaping an overhaul of financial regulations but insisted major changes are necessary.

Billionaire Bill Gates on Friday urged India to move away from low-cost labor toward high-end research and development to keep its giant IT sector competitive.

De Beers, the world's top diamond producer, said demand should pick up in the second half meaning it will not need more shareholder loans, when reporting tough markets had all but wiped out first-half profit.

Billionaire Bill Gates on Friday urged India to move away from low-cost labor toward high-end research and development to keep its giant IT sector competitive.

For the past six months or so, Wall Street has been bracing for what many fear may be the next shoe to drop on the already battered U.S. economy: a U.S. commercial real estate bust that could rival the housing market collapse.

Vodafone , the world's largest mobile phone firm by revenues, reported a slight decline in quarterly organic sales in line with muted expectations and reiterated its full-year outlook, lifting its shares on Friday.

World stocks pushed up to 9-month highs on Friday, cutting demand for government bonds as euro zone manufacturing and services reports beat expectations, fuelling optimism about economic recovery.

Vodafone , the world's largest mobile phone firm by revenues, reported a slight decline in organic sales, in line with muted market expectations, as strength in India and Africa compensated for European weakness.

China's Beijing Auto said intellectual property issues were behind its failure to reach an deal with General Motors over its Opel unit.

U.S. criminal authorities are probing whether Corey Ribotsky, Managing Member of NIR Group, a Roslyn, New York hedge-fund, defrauded investors about their returns and the holdings of his various funds, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Asian stocks hit a 10-month peak on Friday, with Hong Kong vaulting back to levels last seen before the collapse of Lehman Brothers as investors rushed into equities following upbeat corporate earnings around the world.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the country would upgrade the defense of its allies in the Perisan Gulf if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, during a visit to Thailand for an Asian security conference on Wednesday.

CIT Group Inc , which is looking at selling off some assets, is most likely to sell its aviation-finance and rail-finance operations, the Wall Street Journal said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Microsoft Corp posted the first-ever drop in annual sales of Windows and its quarterly revenue fell a steeper-than-expected 17 percent as its business continued to be hurt by the weak global PC and server markets.

Corrects Microsoft's profit excluding items to 36 cents per share from 38 cents per share in first bullet point and paragraph 7

Network equipment maker Juniper Networks Inc's reported a double-digit fall in revenue and a decline in gross margin as it struggled with weak technology spending, and gave an outlook that disappointed investors looking for stronger signs of a recovery,