IBT Staff Reporter

New York Federal Reserve officials debated in November 2008 whether the terms of the bailout of American International Group could be kept secret from the public and whether securities regulators would even permit it to do so, according to emails obtained by Reuters on Friday.

Oilfield services leader Schlumberger Ltd posted a quarterly profit tarnished by weak margins, but talked of more spending by oil companies this year, including those in Iraq.

Memory technology company Rambus rounded out the week with another legal dispute ending in its favor as it fights to defend its patent portfolio.

Motorola Inc has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to bar BlackBerry maker Research In Motion from the U.S. sale of products that it says infringe on five Motorola technology patents.

A security research firm said it discovered another set of vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer, a day after Microsoft Corp patched the Web browser following a high-profile cyber attack on Google in China.

As the Obama Administration seeks backing for a tax on banks' lucrative pay packages, the Internal Revenue Service has been stepping up its oversight of executive pay through its auditing and other powers.

Stocks capped their worst three-day slide in 10 months on Friday on fears the White House's plan to curb bank risk-taking would cut profits, and tech shares slumped after Google Inc's disappointing results.

Firms with strong earnings escaped a broader decline among U.S. stocks while the effect of President Barack Obama's bank restrictions, which weighed on the whole market, may be most pronounced in investors' preference between big banks and regional bank stocks.

Ben Bernanke's nomination for a second term as U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, once seen as a sure thing, appeared in jeopardy on Friday after two more Senate Democrats said they would vote against it.

Stocks tumbled in their worst three-day slide in 10 months on Friday on fears the White House's plan to curb bank risk-taking would cut profits and a drop in tech shares after Google Inc's disappointing results.

Ben Bernanke's nomination for a second term as U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, once seen a sure thing, appeared increasingly under threat on Friday after two Senate Democrats said they would vote against it.

A client of Swiss bank UBS won an appeal to prevent her account data from being given to the United States as part of a U.S. probe into possible tax evasion among wealthy bank customers.

Stocks extended losses on Friday with technology shares leading the way down after Google Inc's revenue and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc's sales outlook disappointed investors.

The Treasury Department said on Friday it will be seeking comments from bond dealers on the impact its purchases of mortgage-backed securities will have on fixed income markets.

Nearly 50 ready-to-wear and couture designers from 40 countries displayed sleek garments in the Thursday night show that ushered in the International Year of Biodiversity in the middle of the autumn/winter catwalk season under way in Milan, Paris, London and New York.

Twitter is proving to become an ever increasingly powerful tool of communication, even in space.

U.S. stocks fell for a third-straight day on Friday, dragged lower by technology shares after Google Inc's revenue and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc's sales outlook disappointed investors.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that more than 209 countries have reported confirmed A (H1N1) virus, including at least 14,142 deaths.

Consumers spent more than five hours on social networking sites in December, representing an 82 percent jump over the previous year, marking the longest consumption times on record.

U.S. confectionery group Hershey on Friday ruled itself out of making a rival bid for Cadbury Plc after the British confectioner agreed a takeover by Kraft Foods earlier this week.

EU regulators are seeking market views on whether a Microsoft Corp plan to use Yahoo Inc's search technology would help the U.S. software firm compete against dominant search engine Google Inc.

Today celebrities and tourists still relax and enjoy the scenic and historic charm of the city. Reuters correspondents with local knowledge offer tips on how to get the most out of one of the few California towns where walking shoes will suffice to see most of the sights.

China hit back at U.S. criticism of Internet censorship and hacking on Friday, warning that relations between the two global heavyweights were being hurt by a feud centered on web giant Google.

U.S. stocks turned negative for the year on Friday, led lower by technology shares after Google Inc's revenue and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc's sales outlook disappointed investors.

Major European economies offered support on Friday for U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to limit banks' size and trading activities but indicated they had no plans to follow suit.

Two U.S. Senate Democrats on Friday said they would vote against Ben Bernanke for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman, adding an element of uncertainty for Wall Street.

A flaw in Twitter's website has left the login credentials of its users vulnerable to hackers, according to a security researcher who has asked the social media company to fix the problem.

American Airlines parent AMR Corp said on Friday it would furlough up to 175 pilots in the first half of 2010 because it has reduced flight capacity and not enough pilots are leaving on their own.

General Motors Co and Volkswagen are best positioned in the largest and fastest-growing emerging markets at a time when auto sales in those countries could grow over 40 percent by 2014, a study released on Thursday said.