IBT Staff Reporter

Two people died and 19 more were taken to hospital Thursday evening, after being overcome while sitting in a sweat dome during a spiritual retreat at the Angel Valley Resort in Sedona, Arizona, the Associated Press reports.

The U.S. jobs market continued to remain tight in August amid recent payroll data showing job cuts nationwide, according to new data released Friday.

YouTube now gets over a billion hits a day, according to a new video blog post by the founder of the website.

Solar thermal power company eSolar Inc said on Friday it granted South African company Clean Energy Solutions exclusive rights to represent and distribute eSolar's concentrating solar power technology across seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Germany's Economy Minister sought to shore up support for his government's rescue plans for Opel amid signs of growing opposition at home and abroad to the Berlin-brokered deal with Canadian automotive firm Magna (MGa.TO).

General Motors Co GM.UL is looking for a new advertising agency for its luxury Cadillac brand as it tries to reverse a slide in sales in its home market.

General Motors Co's flagship Chevrolet brand expects to boost sales driven by new launches such as the Cruze small car and may represent 70 percent of the automaker's North American sales, the brand's chief said on Friday.

Canada's largest public sector union said on Friday that the strong Canadian dollar is hurting manufacturers and called on the government to take action to help pull the currency closer to its historic range.

General Motors Co GM.UL said on Friday that its China vehicle sales in the first nine months of this year jumped 55.6 percent from a year earlier, boosted by Beijing's stimulus policies and boding well for record sales for the full year.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) is getting close to a deal revising its contract with the United Auto Workers, according to a person briefed on six-week-old talks in which the automaker has aimed to gain concessions the union has already granted to GM and Chrysler.

Tata Motors Ltd (TAMO.BO), India's largest commercial vehicle maker, said it raised $750 million by issuing global depositary receipts and convertible bonds to pay down debt taken on for its acquisition of the loss-making Jaguar and Land Rover brands last year.

U.S. stocks climbed on Friday, with the Dow hitting a closing high for 2009, as investors anticipated positive news from next week's key earnings reports and bullish broker comments boosted tech shares.

The number of U.S. homes listed for sale fell nearly 2.0 percent in September compared to August, according to inventory data released by national real estate brokerage ZipRealty on Friday.

Oil field services company Trico Marine Services Inc said its unit Trico Shipping AS plans to raise $400 million through senior secured notes, and will use the proceeds to repay debt.

General Motors Co signed a deal on Friday to sell its iconic but tarnished Hummer brand to an investment partnership headed by an obscure Chinese machinery maker in an agreement that underscores the fast rise and global ambition of the Chinese auto industry.

Anticipation, indeed.

U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday, extending the rally to a five-day gain, as investors anticipated positive news from next week's key earnings reports, while bullish broker comments boosted tech shares.

The world's book trade meets in Frankfurt next week on the brink of a long-feared transformation of the industry for which few are well prepared.

Sunoco Inc agreed to pay a $148,315 penalty to settle allegations it violated federal hazardous waste regulations at its 178,000 barrel-per-day oil refinery in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday.

Pay Czar's Role at Citi; Hummer Milestone; Trade Gap Smaller

D'oh! doesn't even start to cover it.

British actress Keira Knightley will make her debut on a London theater stage this year in a modern adaptation of French playwright Moliere's The Misanthrope.

France will return five segments of an ancient Egyptian tomb mural held by the Louvre museum, committee, Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said Friday.

Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police, has always had a few choice, four-letter words for his bandmate Sting. And while that is not news for fans of the 1980's megagroup, his new word may be. It is love.

YouTube now gets over a billion hits a day, according to a new video blog post by the founder of the website.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co's plan to restructure the debt of Energy Future Holdings following a massive 2007 leveraged buyout is in jeopardy because of opposition from key bondholders, a source close to the deal said on Friday.

Phish's fall tour is kicking off on November 18 in Detroit, MI, includes three nights in New York City's Madison Square Garden and ends on December 5 in Charlottesville, VA.

Citigroup Inc agreed to sell its Phibro energy trading business to Occidental Petroleum Corp for a pittance, allowing the bank to calm regulators who were outraged over a $100 million pay package the unit was obliged to pay a star trader.

Ford Motor Co is nearing a deal with the United Auto Workers to bring its labor contract in line with concessions granted to GM and Chrysler, according to a person briefed on the talks.