IBT Staff Reporter

Global Internet sensation Susan Boyle competes in the final of Britain's Got Talent on Saturday amid signs she is struggling to cope with her sudden rise to stardom and constant media intrusion.

Germany reached a landmark deal with Canadian auto parts group Magna, General Motors and governments to save carmaker Opel from the imminent bankruptcy of its U.S. parent, German leaders said on Saturday.

The U.S. bankruptcy judge overseeing Chrysler LLC's bankruptcy case said on Friday he would issue an opinion sometime on Monday on the automaker's proposed sale of most assets to a new company run by Italy's Fiat SpA.

The European Union, the United States and Russia will hold detailed ministerial talks next week on Moscow's bid to join the World Trade Organization, diplomats said on Friday.

- A U.S. judge has given final approval to $695 million in settlements to shareholders suing Qwest Communications International Inc for securities fraud.

The U.S. bankruptcy judge overseeing Chrysler LLC's bankruptcy case said on Friday he would issue an opinion sometime on Monday on the automaker's proposed sale of most assets to a new company run by Italy's Fiat SpA.

Germany reached a landmark deal with Canadian auto parts group Magna, General Motors and governments to save carmaker Opel from the imminent bankruptcy of its U.S. parent, German leaders said on Saturday.

Shares of U.S Silver Corp. rose nearly 14 percent on Friday after the firm reported strong first quarter profits on higher silver demand and various cost savings despite the economic downturn.

Advisers to General Motors Corp bondholders representing $27 billion in the automaker's debt urged investors on Friday to support a debt swap negotiated over the past week with the Obama administration.

U.S. auto parts maker Visteon Corp received interim court approval on Friday to pay employees, parts suppliers and vendors, but it still lacks debtor-in-possession financing to keep it afloat during its restructuring.

A federal judge on Friday approved New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's request to delay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's pension kickback case, rejecting defense attorneys' arguments that this could give the federal regulator an unfair advantage.

Young job-seekers face a tough time ahead looking for work as the recession deepens, with almost half of 500 firms in a survey saying they will not be taking on school-leavers or graduates this year.

Microsoft Corp said on Friday it would not limit the number of applications available at one time on the Starter edition of its upcoming Windows 7 operating system, reversing its earlier strategy of limiting its capabilities and urging users to upgrade.

Days after the makers of Slumdog Millionaire said they had bought an apartment for one of the child actors whose shanty had been demolished, the state's chief minister said he had allotted flats to both child stars.

Rewarding employees for hard work, and not just for showing up, has become a key tenet of good corporate compensation policy. So why are some Wall Street firms sending a very different message?

Pakistani forces cleared a Taliban stronghold in Swat and drove militants out of a town in the northwest valley, the military said on Friday, amid worries over the return of more than 2 million displaced people.

President Barack Obama said he will name a White House-level czar to coordinate government efforts to fight an epidemic of cybercrime, which even touched his presidential campaign.

Stocks rose on Friday, capping their third straight monthly advance, as rising commodity prices lifted shares of natural resource companies, while a sliding dollar boosted the allure of multinationals, including Coca-Cola Co .

Internet singing sensation Susan Boyle bids to justify her favorite tag on Saturday when she competes in the final of Britain's Got Talent, a show which turned her from dowdy, unemployed church volunteer into A-list celebrity.

Electric cars are not the short-term solution in the shift to greener vehicles, a British research and advocacy group on mobility issues said.

Climate change accounts for more than 300,000 deaths per year around the world and $125 billion of economic losses annually, as this factor creates condition where more people feel the effects of natural disasters or suffer environmental degradation, the Global Humanitarian Forum said in a report Friday.

Latin American art works fetched a total of more than $11 million in a comparatively strong sale that set five world auction records for the artists, Christie's said.

Britain's Prince Harry made his first official visit to New York on Friday to pay somber respects to September 11 victims and wounded veterans and was met by crowds who greeted him as a fun-loving heartthrob more than as a royal diplomat.

If Thais are chili aficionados in the south, gourmands in the center, and food daredevils in the northeast, then those in the north, an area ruled for centuries by warring empires, are culinary mixologists.

U.S. stocks soared late Friday just before the close of the May month giving Wall Street a gain for a third consecutive month.

Name a top issue and President Barack Obama has probably got a czar responsible for tackling it.

Interior ministers from G8 industrialised nations on Friday discussed closer cooperation in fighting organised crime and greater aid to African states to tackle drug trafficking cartels and rising maritime piracy.

The interactive video game industry's biggest convention meets next week in Los Angeles promising a return to its glitzy past, but on the heels of weak sales and the slumping economy, the future of this fun and games business is no laughing matter.

The U.S. economy shrank slightly less in the first quarter than initially estimated, while corporate profits rebounded, according to government data on Friday that pointed to moderation in the recession.