IBT Staff Reporter

The Washington Post Co posted a quarterly profit on Friday, aided by gains at its educational, cable and television divisions.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday on fears of a financial meltdown stemming from the debt crisis in Greece, but trading was extremely volatile in the aftermath of Thursday's dramatic plunge, keeping investors on edge.

Governments around the world sought on Friday to calm financial markets hit by fears that Greece's debt crisis could cause turmoil in other European economies.

Apple Inc said on Friday it will launch the iPad tablet computer in nine international markets on May 28, following a strong debut in the United States last month.

Federal Reserve officials have agreed to sell some of the central bank's $1.1 trillion portfolio of mortgage-backed securities, but many are undecided on how soon or how aggressively to do so, the Wall Street Journal said, citing several people familiar with the matter.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein called for the besieged company to undertake a rigorous self-examination, at the annual shareholder meeting on Friday.

Nokia, the world's top handset maker, broadened its patent battle against Apple on Friday to include the iPad, deepening the legal battle between the two smartphone rivals.

Mazda Motor Corp and its China venture partners are awaiting government approval for a restructuring, the Japanese automaker said on Friday after talk resurfaced about a possible termination of the three-way tie.

General Motors' European arm Opel expects to get by the end of May a final response from the German government to its request for aid, initially amounting to 1.5 billion euros ($2 billion).

U.S. authorities on Friday were investigating the cause of a nearly 1,000-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrial average that left many investors gasping.

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it approved Bayer AG's new birth control pill Natazia.

(Reuters) - A couple of cups of coffee a day may help some heart attack patients to avoid further serious problems, provided they have normal blood pressure, researchers said on Friday.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday as worry persisted about a financial meltdown stemming from the European debt crisis and after a dramatic intraday drop in indexes in the previous session.

U.S. employment grew at the fastest pace in four years in April as private sector businesses ramped up hiring, showing the labor market recovery gaining steam.

The Securities and Exchange Commission held urgent discussions on Friday to calm investors' raw nerves a day after a plunge of nearly 1,000 points in the Dow Jones industrial average, during which some stocks lost more than 60 percent of their value.

Borders Group Inc said on Friday that it is taking pre-orders for the Kobo eReader, which will arrive in customers' homes starting on June 17, and plans to launch its eBook store in June.

Switzerland's economy minister said on Friday she believed parliament would back a crucial deal to pass on data of U.S. clients of UBS to U.S. tax authorities.

American International Group Inc posted a first-quarter profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, as the bailed-out insurer's investment portfolio gained in value.

Consumer Reports lifted on Friday its warning not to buy Toyota Motor Corp's Lexus GX 460 sports utility vehicle, after the automaker recalled vehicles for repairs and made changes on the assembly line.

U.S. stocks index futures rose in volatile trade on Friday, pointing to a higher open after a steep fall in the previous session, as data showed the economy added jobs at the fastest pace in four years.

General Growth Properties Inc is expected to ask a bankruptcy court on Friday to approve an investment led by Brookfield Asset Management Inc , after reducing a related warrants package by 14 percent, a source familiar with the situation said.

India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, scored a win against his estranged brother on Friday when the Supreme Court ruled they must renegotiate a deal over the country's largest gas field, effectively giving the government control over gas prices.

Stocks worldwide plunged as fears about Greece's debt crisis went global, with investors seeing it as an omen of turmoil in other European economies and governments struggling to calm markets.

Hong Kong's securities watchdog said on Friday that a local court found two warrant traders guilty of manipulating the market in listed derivative warrants issued by Macquarie Group's Macquarie Bank .

U.S. stock index futures pared gains on Friday ahead of the U.S. government's April payrolls report, as nervous investors braced for volatility in the markets following Thursday's dramatic intraday bounce in shares.

Stock exchange operator Nasdaq OMX Group Inc issued the names of hundreds of stocks for which it is canceling trades following Thursday's sudden stock market plunge.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday, with shares set to rebound after a steep fall in the previous session and ahead of a report expected to show the U.S. economy added more jobs last month.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday, with shares set to rebound after a steep fall in the previous session and ahead of a report expected to show the U.S. economy added more jobs last month.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc's lawyers are in talks with representatives of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle the fraud charges brought against it by the regulator, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.