IBT Staff Reporter

The following are highlights from a U.S. Senate Budget Committee hearing on Friday with testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Economy in both the euro area and the EU27 grew at a much slower pace in the second quarter, according to the second estimate by Eurostat, the official statistical office of the European Union

Employers hired fewer workers than expected in December and a surprise fall in the unemployment rate to its lowest level in more than 1-1/2 years was in part due to people giving up the search for work.

Dell, known for its laptop and desktops, has launched a new Android 2.2-based touchscreen tablet computer Streak 7, expanding its mobility portfolio. The computer giant also showcased a new smartphone, the Venue.

The aluminum industry has struggled for two years since the recession, but demand and prices have started to rise and one of the metal's biggest producers, Alcoa Inc , is poised to start growing in profitability, analysts say.

Shares in bailed-out insurer American International Group Inc hit their highest level since early October 2008 on Friday after the company took a major step toward closing its recapitalization.

The economy may be finally hitting its stride, even if growth remains too weak to put a real dent in the nation's jobless rate, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday.

Employers hired far fewer workers than expected in December, showing the world's biggest economy still struggling to gain momentum, but the unemployment rate dropped to a more than 1-1/2 year low.

Wall Street was set to open little changed on Friday after a mixed U.S. payrolls report failed to confirm heightened expectations of a healing labor market.

A series of investigative articles in British Medical Journal conclusively prove that Dr Wakefield falsified data and there were irregularities and discrepancies in his study

Stocks were set to open lower on Friday after a mixed U.S. payrolls report failed to confirm heightened expectations of a healing labor market.

Microsoft's plan to make Windows compatible with ARM Holdings chip designs will help the software giant establish a major presence in smartphones and tablets, ARM's president said.

The U.S. economy probably created more jobs in December than any month since May, confirming a self-sustaining recovery is underway, but the unemployment rate is seen edging down only slightly.

South Korea's LG Electronics Inc aims to more than quadruple smartphone shipments this year and will focus on expanding premium products to catch up with bigger rivals, an executive said on Thursday.

Glasses that could change their prescriptions electronically could make bifocals obsolete.

The average time required by full time MBA graduates of 2010 to recoup their MBA investment is estimated to be 6.5 years, according to Bloomberg Businessweek

The touch screen mobile device is common enough at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, but Hewlett-Packard was showing of what a touch screen can do when it gets bigger and stays in the living room.

Alcatel Lucent's ng Connect program is looking to reshape retail with LTE technology.

The all-in-one software looks to combine all forms of communication on a simple interface.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors waited to see if U.S. non-farm payroll figures were as strong as previous data seemed to indicate.

Ford Motor Co released a new app for smartphones, that enables electric car users to monitor their car even from a distance, assuaging many fears drivers have about an electric car.

Facebook is generating profits at a faster-than-expected rate, and will likely attract so many investors this year that it will have to disclose financial data similar to a publicly traded company by April 2012, according to a document distributed by Goldman Sachs.

The euro fell to a four-month low against the dollar on Friday ahead of U.S. jobs data and next week's bond issues from euro zone peripheral countries, while world stocks and copper eased. A surprise sharp increase in U.S. private sector job creation in December have raised expectations of stronger non-farm payrolls for the month, with economists now expecting 175,000 jobs were created, up from 1...

U.S. stock index futures edged down on Friday, as caution prevailed ahead of the release of U.S. non-farm payroll figures, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq down 0.1 to 0.2 percent by 4:42 a.m. ET.

(Corrects headline, 1st and 6th paragraph to reflect LG's official correction that it targets 2011 smartphone shipments of 30 million units, not 2-3 times rise)

Chinese securities regulators on Friday approved the joint ventures of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co and Morgan Stanley , bringing the banks a step closer toward operating securities businesses in China that they, and other banks, have long sought.

Sony Corp aims to slide in behind Apple Inc as the world's second-largest maker of tablet devices by 2012, a senior executive said on Thursday, adding that a PlayStation phone was also a potential opportunity.

Japan's Toshiba Corp saw better-than-expected television sales in November and December thanks to a spike in Japanese sales, the head of the company's TV unit told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

American International Group Inc has agreed in principle to pay $450 million to settle a lawsuit with rival insurance companies over alleged under-reporting of premiums on workers' compensation policies, court documents showed.