IBT Staff Reporter

Employers unexpectedly cut 20,000 jobs in January, but the unemployment rate surprisingly fell to a five-month low of 9.7 percent, according to a government report on Friday that hinted at some labor market improvement starting to take root.

The Taliban have said they will not enter into any deal with the Afghan government or the West to bring peace to Afghanistan, and their fighters will continue to die to achieve a victory they say is around the corner.

The outlook for recovery in most of the world's major economies improved in December but the indicator for China dipped slightly, according to an OECD survey released on Friday.

Beazer Homes USA Inc posted a profit for the first quarter, helped by a federal tax benefit and a 37 percent rise in new orders.

India's National Spot Exchange has begun spot delivery contracts for agri commodities such as soybean, chana, wheat, mustard and coriander seeds at Guna in Madhya Pradesh. India's Minister of State Commerce and Industry, Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday inaugurated the initiative to set up an electronic spot market in the state of MP.

Facing the most severe economic strains since its birth 11 years ago, the euro zone looks likely to hold together for now but the exit of some of its weaker members cannot be ruled out in the long term.

European policymakers scrambled on Friday to reassure markets on the stability of their 16-nation currency bloc as investors shed euro assets for a second day on fears about debt-laden member states like Greece and Portugal.

British Airways posted a surprise third-quarter operating profit, helped by heavy cost cutting, but said it was still in a worse position than last year, despite attempts to adapt to the realities of global recession.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday, following Wall Street's worst day in more than nine months, as lingering worries over the fiscal health of some European countries curbed risk appetite ahead of a key U.S. jobs report.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday, following Wall Street's worst day in more than nine months, as lingering worries over the fiscal health of some European countries curbed risk appetite ahead of a key U.S. jobs report.

Toyota Motor Corp is preparing to recall its iconic Prius hybrid car to address more than 100 complaints about delayed braking, spreading the top automaker's quality woes to one of its most important models.

The euro and the stocks and bonds of debt-laden members of the currency bloc fell for a second straight day on Friday as fears over Portugal and other European sovereigns spread, pushing investors into safe havens.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Friday, after heavy falls in the previous session and following declines in Europe and Asia, with some caution expected ahead of a key labor market report.

Global shares hit three-month lows and the euro fell to an eight-month low against the dollar on Friday as euro zone sovereign debt problems and nerves ahead of U.S. jobs data led investors to dump riskier assets.

Kraft Foods on Friday said it had 75.41 percent acceptances from Cadbury Plc shareholders by 1900 GMT on February 4 in its takeover of the British confectioner and will now move to delist Cadbury no earlier than March 8.

Oil fell below $73 a barrel on Friday, extending losses after its biggest one-day fall since July, and as the U.S. dollar hit a seven-month high against a basket of currencies.

Toyota Motor Corp is preparing to recall up to 300,000 of its latest model Prius hybrid cars due to braking problems, in a further blow to the reputation of the world's largest car maker.

Asian stocks fell to five-month lows on Friday as investors dumped riskier assets after growing sovereign debt problems in the euro zone and rising U.S. jobless claims sparked jitters about the global economic recovery.

Oil edged up on Friday after its biggest one-day fall since July a day ago, as intervention by the Swiss National Bank to buy euros pared dollar gains.

U.S. employers probably stopped cutting jobs and added 5,000 payrolls in January, the second monthly gain since the recession started in December 2007, the government is expected to report on Friday.

Toyota Motor Corp is preparing to recall its iconic Prius hybrid car to address more than 100 complaints about delayed braking, spreading the top automaker's quality woes to one of its most important models.

Asian stocks fell to near five-month lows on Friday as investors dumped riskier assets after rising sovereign debt problems in the euro zone and poor jobs data sent U.S. and European stocks tumbling.

Changes that Google Inc and the Authors Guild made to an ambitious plan to create a massive online library were inadequate because they fail to address antitrust and copyright concerns, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

Changes that Google Inc and the Authors Guild made to an ambitious plan to create a massive online library were inadequate because they fail to address antitrust and copyright concerns, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

The chief executive of book publisher Macmillan said on Thursday his company is still in talks with online retailer Amazon.com Inc over the pricing of its books, even as Hachette Book Group vowed to protect its authors through a new model for prices.

Global miner Rio Tinto hired Ian Bauert, a fluent Mandarin speaker, to head its China business on Friday in an effort to improve relations with its largest customer after the arrest of a top executive there.

Oil was steady near $73 on Friday, near lows for the year after its biggest one-day drop since July in the previous session, as the dollar jumped to its highest against the euro in eight months.

Toyota Motor Corp, already reeling from two massive recalls, faced the possibility of a third when U.S. safety regulators opened a probe on Thursday into a braking problem on the Prius, the world's top-selling hybrid.

Deutsche Telekom AG is considering an initial public offering or spinoff of its U.S. wireless service T-Mobile USA, the Wall Street Journal reported.