IBT Staff Reporter

Unemployment rates in 363 U.S. metropolitan areas rose in January, and 346 areas reported year-on-year declines in their number of jobs, the Labor Department said on Friday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will dramatically increase its promotions over the next six weeks, a Morgan Stanley analyst said on Friday, calling it a major setback for U.S. grocers.

The Federal Reserve may be required to make public some of its records on emergency lending programs to banks in the financial bailout, an appeals court ruled on Friday in cases brought by news organizations.

A small company that has opened the door for companies to quickly sign endorsement deals with top athletes is eyeing the music world as its next target market.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will remove a provision from the financial reform bill that bank regulator Sheila Bair said could allow for backdoor bailouts, a panel spokeswoman said on Friday.

Stocks fell on Friday, following the Dow's eight consecutive days of gains as a rising dollar hurt oil prices and weighed on energy stocks.

According to an Australian study, which focused on the 2009 flu season, catching swine flu is often life-threatening or fatal for pregnant women and their babies.

Removes reference in 9th paragraph to FedEx being the largest package shipping company

Abraxane, the leading breast cancer drug has been found to be effective in fighting non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on an international study.

Buyers should be beware of Gold Coast water for evidences showed that it contains a harmful bacteria, e-coli.

A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew will go ahead from Saturday after talks with management collapsed, Britain's Unite union said Friday.

According to the poll of NSW based renovators, 60 per cent admit to exposing themselves to the deadly material and they appear to be flippant about the associated risks. The poll also found frightening levels of exposure to building materials now linked to fatal lung disease.

The head of the House of Representatives' Oversight Committee said on Friday he had asked the Federal Reserve to provide all documents relating to a rule waiver that allowed then-New York Fed Board Chairman Stephen Friedman to hold and purchase stock in Goldman Sachs Gorup .

U.S. stocks slipped on Friday, after the Dow's eight days of gains, as a rising dollar hurt crude oil prices and weighed on energy stocks.

The representatives of two major Swedish funds resigned from Scania's nomination committee on Friday, citing a disagreement with the truck maker's main owner, Volkswagen.

Mona Marabani, president of Arthritis Australia told a group of politicians in Canberra, that people do not know enough about the autoimmune disease that generally strikes people aged 20 to 50.

Toyota Motor Corp slipped for the second consecutive year in an influential vehicle dependability study released on Thursday.

The European Union's monetary affairs chief urged the bloc's leaders on Friday to agree on a standby aid package for Greece next week after Athens said it could seek IMF help if it gets no firm promise of European aid.

German carmaker Daimler has renewed its commitment to a EADS shareholder pool, leaving a politically sensitive Franco-German balance of power at the European aerospace group intact.

U.S. safety officials believe driver error may be behind the crash in New York of a Toyota Motor Corp Prius that has been investigated as a possible case of unintended acceleration, federal investigators said on Thursday.

Kevin Rudd has made a pledge that no hospitals will close because of his planned shake-up of health funding and attacked state government bureaucrats for using scare campaigns on the matter.

Armed rebel groups in Somalia are using the Internet for fundraising and recruitment, and they achieve better results through the Web than they do on the ground, a United Nations report said.

Wall Street edged lower on Friday, weighed down by energy shares as crude oil prices tumbled under pressure from a rising U.S. dollar.

Shares of mobile phone maker Palm Inc tumbled on Friday on questions over its ability to survive in a tough market dominated by Apple Inc , Google Inc and Research in Motion .

Bailed out British lender Lloyds Banking Group said on Friday it would return to profit this year thanks to a bigger than expected drop in bad debts, wrong-footing forecasts for another loss and sending its shares sharply higher.

Chinese food safety regulator, State Food and Drug Administration is said to have ordered a thorough investigation into the unhygienic supplies of edible oil, which is estimated to be about one-tenth of total Chinese edible oil supplies.

India's cooperative major NAFED has chalked out a scheme to develop country's high potential organic farming, thus to generate income from across the globe.

China's leading banks will likely affirm their lending will remain brisk and be more profitable this year, their immediate capital needs have been met and that souring loans are at manageable levels.

Stocks were set to open slightly higher on Friday with a barren economic calendar providing few catalysts, as Boeing was expected to rise after the planemaker said it will accelerate some production.