IBT Staff Reporter

The Nasdaq rose on Friday as quarterly results from Oracle and Research In Motion boosted optimism about a recovery in technology spending, but the U.S. dollar's rise weighed on the Dow and S&P 500 as investors pared back risky bets.

Two rules in venture capital: VC firms tend to give money to entrepreneurs who've gotten venture capital before. VCs also like to fund companies that already have customers and revenue. Now that the economy's in a slump, these rules are doubly true.

Russian regional telecom operator VolgaTelecom (NNSI.MM) reported on Friday a net profit of 2.8 billion roubles ($92 million) for the nine-month period through end-September.

Nordic telecoms operators Tele2 (TEL2b.ST) and Telenor (TEL.OL) picked China's Huawei [HWT.UL] to supply their joint 4G network in Sweden, shutting out Ericsson (ERICb.ST) in its home market, Tele2 said.

The trustee for bankrupt U.S. mortgage lender Thornburg Mortgage Inc (THMRQ.PK) gained court approval on Friday to auction the company's $11 billion mortgage servicing portfolio early next year.

World leaders worked toward a target of halving greenhouse gas emissions on Friday, but a draft text abandoned ambitions for a legally binding climate treaty next year in a sign divisions remain.

Professional golfer, Tiger Woods, is doing all he can to save his marriage according to reports from TMZ citing a source connected to the couple.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will retain technocrats in key ministries when he unveils his new cabinet, parliamentary officials said on Friday, a move likely to appease Western backers who want him to clamp down on corruption.

Women find sex just as pleasurable with circumcised men as with men who are uncircumcised, a new study suggests.

A U.S. advisory panel on Thursday narrowly backed Photocure ASA's proposed imaging drug to help detect bladder cancer.

Women who take high-dose vitamin C supplements may be increasing their risk of age-related cataracts, hint findings of a Swedish study.

A suicide bomber killed up to 10 people in Pakistan Friday, while a suspected U.S. drone killed six militants, as rising political tension threatened to distract the government from its war against the Taliban.

Out of control binge eaters who get help from a therapist do better in the short-term than people who use self-help techniques, new research shows.

Videos that depict different options for end-of-life care may help terminally ill cancer patients decide on what they want, a new study suggests.

Bargain-hunting shoppers are expected to flood stores on Super Saturday weekend -- the last before Christmas -- and deliver retailers the highest weekend sales so far this holiday season.

Crude oil rose and the U.S. dollar gained in a safe-haven bid on Friday after Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraqi territory and took up positions in a disputed southern oilfield.

Computer hackers blocked Twitter.com on Thursday, redirecting its users to a website where a group calling itself Iranian Cyber Army claimed responsibility for the disruption.

Buyouts are finally returning for the deal-hungry private equity industry, which is looking at 2010 to deploy huge cash reserves into deals that buyers hope could get back up to double-digit billions.

At least seven private equity firms have submitted bids for Pets at Home, increasing the likelihood of a sale of the UK retailer rather than an initial public offering (IPO), sources familiar with the matter said.

Empire State of Mind singer, Alicia Keys, appeared on The Bill Cosby Show at the age of 4 winning a competition on the show.

A Paris court on Friday found U.S. Internet giant Google guilty of violating copyright by digitizing books and putting extracts online, following a legal challenge by major French publishers.

Afghanistan sees 60 percent jump in respiratory infections * Pandemic flu straining health care system * Country set to be among first to receive donated vaccine

The Dow and the S&P 500 slipped on Friday as the U.S. dollar's advance led investors to pare back risky bets, but the Nasdaq edged higher as upbeat results from Oracle and Research In Motion boosted optimism about technology spending.

U.S. officials said on Thursday they will give up on a trial in Botswana that was trying to show whether it is possible to prevent HIV infections by taking a daily pill because too few people are being infected.

Elderly men and women who sip on several cups of green tea a day may be less likely to have the blues, hint findings of a study from Japan.

Cardiovascular disease and stroke will cost the United States an estimated $503.2 billion in 2010, an increase of nearly 6 percent, and many cases could have been prevented, the American Heart Association said on Thursday.

Avatar, the sci-fi movie created by director James Cameron (Terminator, Titanic) who promised it would fill your eyes and fill your vision with all sorts of amazing things that you haven't seen before, hits theaters in the U.S. today.

The dollar is likely to extend gains in the upcoming week, continuing to draw support from growing signs of a stable U.S. recovery as well as a Federal Reserve plan to wind down most of its emergency lending early next year.

News Corp's Fox television unit said on Friday that testy carriage negotiations with Time Warner Cable Inc could leave viewers unable to see Fox programing, including American Idol and NFL football.