CALIFORNIA

Quest Software Inc said it will be acquired by private equity firm Insight Venture Partners in a nearly $2 billion deal.

The director of a video sensation that calls for the arrest of Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel leader of a Ugandan militia group, agreed on Friday with skeptics who have called the film oversimplified, saying it was deliberately made that way.

The economic picture got considerably messier this week, as positive data on job creation battled with gasoline-price-fueled inflation concerns in economists', policymakers' and consumers' minds. Joyous declarations that the economy is finally getting better have turned into more studious critiques of how the incipient recovery is actually affecting poor, working-class and middle-class people.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D - Calif.) spoke at the 2012 'Women in the World Summit' on Friday in New York, urging women to take on more leadership roles in government and business, removing the influence of money in politics and advocating for women's rights in the health care debate. Some of the former House Speaker's most popular lines began popping up on Twitter throughout the day.

On Friday, President Barack Obama appointed Todd Park, a 39-year-old former entrepreneur and founder of Athenahealth, to be the new U.S. Chief Technology Officer of the United States. Park takes over for Aneesh Chopra, the first U.S. CTO, who resigned in February.

Britney Spears, who is currently in talks to become the newest judge on Simon Cowell's The X Factor, has re-listed her Mediterranean-styled Beverly Hills mansion for $2.995 million. Check out photos of Spears' sprawling abode, presented by Nancy Sanborn of Prudential California Realty.

Since it exploded into the American consciousness earlier this week, Invisible Children's methodology has been much scrutinized, but ICC chief Louis Moreno Ocampo has defended has defended the campaign.

I hope it all works out, said the Valentine's Day director.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi will change their soft drink recipes in order to avoid a law that would put a cancer-warning label on every can and bottle.

Coke and Pepsi will reduce the amount of caramel coloring in their sodas so they won't be required to add a cancer warning label. However, both companies maintain their products have always been safe.

TMZ reports that Humphries will not hire a lawyer to help with his divorce case. Instead, he has chosen to represent himself.

It has been reported that Samsung Electronics is likely to make an important announcement at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, Friday.

A video calling for the arrest of Joseph Kony, the fugitive leader of the Lord's Resistance Army militia group in Uganda, swept across the Internet this week, attracting a wave of support on Twitter and Facebook along with a skeptical backlash against a little-known team of filmmakers based in San Diego.

The U.S. experienced a trade deficit of $52.6 billion in January, an increase of $2.2 billion from December, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Stacie Halas, a science teacher at Richard B Haydock Intermediate School in Oxnard, was reportedly identified as porn star Tiffany Six by her students.

With the 4G-ready New iPad set to be launched in the global markets next week, Apple has slashed the price of iPad 2 worldwide Thursday.

PC shipments will continue grow at a moderate rate particularly boosted by a new Microsoft operating system and new ultrabook models according to industry analyst firm Gartner.

Facebook Inc added several women- and minority-owned investment banks to the roster of underwriters for its initial public offering, following in the footsteps of General Motors Co and Goldman Sachs Group Inc, which did the same during their own offerings.

Wells Fargo & Co., the bank with the most U.S. branches, is ending free checking in six eastern U.S. states starting in May, expanding a $7 monthly service fee for the use of its basic checking account.

Stacie Hallas, a middle school science teacher, may have been living a double life as Tiffany Six, a porn star in several graphic videos online. Here's everything we know so far about the Halas-Six case, from how the story broke to whether Halas can be fired for her Tiffany Six persona.

The U.S.-based oil giant is questioning the judicial conduct of Nicholas Zambano after the Ecuadorean jurist was dismissed for improperly freeing an alleged drug trafficker.