Reuters - Google Inc's Android software will become the world's second most popular operating system for cell phones this year, leapfrogging rival offerings from Microsoft Corp, Research in Motion and Apple Inc, according to a new report.
Reuters - U.S. biotech company Genzyme Corp began laying off an unspecified number of employees on Friday but said the move was unrelated to Sanofi-Aventis SA's efforts to take over the company, local media reported.
AFP - California firefighters were grimly searching smoldering ruins Friday after a huge gas pipeline explosion triggered an inferno killing four people, amid fears the toll will rise.
U.S. News & World Report - Kathleen Rehl shares an unwanted identity with 11.5 million other American women. She's a widow. Unlike most of them, she's a financial planner. And now, more than three years after the death of her husband, Tom, she is also an author. "Moving Forward on Your Own: A Financial Guidebook for Widows," is a short, 80-page journey through the stages of grief that she felt. It's also an emotional as well as financial guide to the types of adjustments faced by a sadly growing number of women who have outlived their husbands.
Reuters - The Dow and S&P 500 gained modestly on Friday, led higher as energy shares were boosted by a jump in oil prices, but weak tech stocks and light volume capped gains.
Reuters - Securities regulators are probing "fund-of-funds" firms that channel investors' money into hedge funds, looking at supervision of client assets and potential conflicts of interest, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Reuters - Michael Barr, assistant treasury secretary for financial institutions, and Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency will testify on Capitol Hill next week on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac .
AP - The Greek government pledged Friday to radically overhaul loss-making state rail company OSE, as official data showed efforts to cut the country's bloated budget deficit remained on track, if slightly asthmatic.
Reuters - Nokia has hired Stephen Elop, a Canadian Microsoft executive with Silicon Valley credentials, to replace its embattled chief executive and renew its drive to compete with Apple.
BusinessWeek - Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management (Marriott Full-Time MBA Profile) offers students more than a rigorous business education. Students at the school, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are required to abide by a strict honor code, based on the tenets of the Mormon religion. The code includes rules against academic dishonesty and requires students to "live a chaste and virtuous life." It also prohibits drugs, alcohol, and coffee -- even at home. ...
AP - It may take a while yet to phase out the special credit support that was given to banks in the wake of the financial crisis, the European Central Bank's president has said.
AP - Retail Ventures Inc., which operates the DSW shoe store chain, posted a 67 percent jump in second-quarter net income as a key revenue figure improved.
Reuters - Democrats in Congress are distancing themselves from President Barack Obama's push to let taxes rise for the wealthiest Americans, fearing it will further harm them in November's mid-term elections.
Investor's Business Daily - The SEC, which is probing the stock market "flash crash" on May 6, still hasn't identified a single cause, but a trade practice known as "stub quotes" and other issues contributed to the market's dramatic drop, sources said. Stub quotes are orders placed by market makers that are well off the market prices for stocks. The SEC wants to ban stub quotes.