The nation?s largest lender to college students is in talks to be taken private in what could be a $20 billion deal.

Venture capitalists face a question: Is private equity becoming too public for its own good?

The Beatles are among the last big holdouts from digital music services like iTunes from Apple Inc.

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz says he is sorry for 'mistakes' made over the pay and promotion of his partner.

Search giant Google launches its online payments service, Google Checkout in the UK.

Reuters - Finance chiefs from rich nations were expected to offer reassurances on Friday that dangers from rising U.S. mortgage defaults and high-risk hedge funds globally were manageable and not a threat to expansion.

Reuters - Nasdaq Stock Market has held preliminary and intermittent talks with Nordic bourse operator OMX over the past year, but a deal is not imminent, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Thursday.

The continuing global outsourcing boom helps India's Infosys report a 70% leap in quarterly profits.

Northern Racing, which owns nine UK racecourses, is sold to property tycoons the Reuben Brothers.

Reuters - Japan's All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd. said on Friday that it will sell 13 hotels and two property management units to Morgan Stanley for 281.3 billion yen ($2.37 billion), making the U.S. investment bank the largest hotel owner in Japan.

Reuters - Sallie Mae , the largest U.S. student loan company, is in talks to be bought out by private equity in a deal that could top $20 billion, the New York Times reported on its Web site on Friday.

Quality issues will delay the release, an uncharacteristic schedule slippage that is particularly embarrassing for Apple.

The World Bank adjourns a meeting to discuss the row over Paul Wolfowitz's role in the promotion of his partner.

Imperial Tobacco is reported to be facing a rival in its attempt to buy Gauloises cigarette maker Altadis.

A big investor in Sainsbury's says it should return cash to shareholders after an attempt to take it over failed.

Reuters - Morgan Stanley will buy 13 hotels and two property management units from Japanese airline All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd. for $2.4 billion in the biggest hotel transaction in Asia, the U.S. investment bank said on Friday, making it the largest hotel owner in Japan.

Reuters - Nokia (NOK1V.HE) said on Friday that Qualcomm Inc is the largest user in the world of its technology and patents, firing the latest volley in an increasingly bitter public quarrel over patent royalties.

The World Bank's board says it did not approve a hefty pay rise ordered by its president Paul Wolfowitz for his partner.

Reuters - General Electric Co. reported higher first-quarter earnings on Friday, with strong demand for heavy equipment driving the infrastructure segment, while the GE Plastics business weighed on industrial results.

Reuters - Nokia (NOK1V.HE) said on Friday that Qualcomm Inc is the largest user in the world of its technology and patents, firing the latest volley in an increasingly bitter public quarrel over patent royalties.

Two senior executives were fired for holding a series of secret meetings about selling the company in a leveraged buyout.

Fiat is now level with Renault as Europe's fifth-largest carmaker, industry figures show.

Shares in Sony hit a five-year high after a newspaper predicts a sixfold leap in the tech firm's profits this year.

Northern Racing, which owns nine UK racecourses, is sold to property tycoons the Reuben Brothers.

South Africa's policy of black economic empowerment needs to be reviewed, finance minister Trevor Manuel says.

Reuters - Rising energy costs pushed producer prices up by a greater-than-expected 1.0 percent in March, but producer prices excluding food and energy were flat, a Labor Department report showed on Friday.

Reuters - General Electric Co. reported higher first-quarter earnings on Friday, with strong demand for heavy equipment driving the company's infrastructure business.

Reuters - Stock futures rose on Friday, suggesting a higher market open, after government data showed producer prices, excluding food and energy, were unchanged in March, easing fears about inflation and higher interest rates.

Reuters - The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly in February to $58.4 billion, as crude oil imports fell sharply to the smallest in four years and average imported oil prices were the lowest since December 2005, a government report on Friday showed.

South Korea says it will not renegotiate a free trade deal with the US, after signs America may want changes.

Pay deals edge up in March after dipping in February, a survey suggests, sparking fresh worries about inflation.

Reuters - McDonald's Corp. on Friday gave a first-quarter earnings outlook above analysts' expectations, citing strength of new U.S. products such as Snack Wrap chicken sandwiches and growth in Europe and Asia.

Reuters - U.S. consumer sentiment fell to its lowest in eight months in April on rising gasoline prices and troubles in the housing market, while inflation expectations also rose sharply, a survey showed on Friday.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Friday after data showed both consumer sentiment and consumer expectations fell to an eight-month low in April, erasing earlier positive sentiment about the outlook for inflation.

G7 finance chiefs gather in Washington amid concerns over the US economy and the absence of Chinese officials.

A technical problem affects Visa transactions across Europe leading to some card payments being declined.

Wholesale prices in the US spike 1% in March, reflecting more expensive food and petrol prices.

Reuters - Magna International Inc. (MGa.TO) confirmed on Friday its involvement in a possible deal for DaimlerChrysler's (DCXGn.DE) Chrysler division.

Reuters - The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly in February in a positive sign for the economy, but rising gasoline prices and troubles in the housing market knocked consumer sentiment to its lowest in eight months this month.

Reuters - McDonald's Corp. said on Friday that first-quarter earnings would top analysts' expectations due to the strength of U.S. products such as Snack Wrap chicken sandwiches and robust growth in Europe and Asia.

Reuters - U.S. blue-chip stocks gained

Canadian engineering firm Magna confirms it is examining the possibility of making a bid for US carmaker Chrysler.

G7 finance chiefs gather in Washington amid concerns over the US economy and the absence of Chinese officials.

UK estate agent chain Countrywide backs a £1bn takeover offer from US private equity firm Apollo.

Reuters - McDonald's Corp. said on Friday that first-quarter earnings would top analysts' expectations due to the strength of U.S. products such as Snack Wrap chicken sandwiches and robust growth in Europe and Asia.

AP - When a group of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. shareholders staged a board coup recently, an unlikely participant was among those leading the charge: A mutual fund.

The sale gives Google access to DoubleClick's software and its close relationships with Web publishers, advertisers and advertising agencies.

The World Bank board promises to make a speedy decision on the future of embattled president Paul Wolfowitz.

Charles B. Wang masterminded accounting gimmicks that inflated sales and profits at Computer Associates for years, a report released today by the company?s directors says.

G7 finance chiefs remain confident about world growth despite concerns about the impact of a US slowdown.

Search giant Google buys web ad network Doubleclick in a $3bn cash deal, the biggest in Google's history.

Reuters - Web advertising leader Google Inc. said on Friday it will acquire DoubleClick Inc., a leading online advertising network, for $3.1 billion, consolidating Google's grip on the Internet ad market.

Reuters - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was sued by an shareholder who said the investment bank manipulated stock option grants from 1998 to 2001 to secure a "huge financial windfall" for Chief Executive Richard Fuld and other top officials.

AP - Wholesale prices shot up by 1 percent in March, mostly reflecting more expensive gasoline and food. However, when those volatile energy and food prices are removed, all other prices were flat in March, suggesting that inflation is not spreading throughout a wider range of goods in the economy, the Labor Department's report, released Friday, also showed.

AP - Wal-Mart's board of directors should open an independent investigation of claims the retailer spied on shareholders, suppliers and others, a large state investor said Friday.

The US says it expects World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz to stay despite criticism of his behaviour.

AP - Finance officials from the world's wealthiest countries expressed confidence Friday that the global economy will experience strong growth despite risks.

Critics say the V-22 Osprey?s limitations may make it vulnerable to attack.

Google agreed to its largest acquisition Friday, reaching a deal to purchase DoubleClick for almost double what it paid for YouTube last year.

An interim approach to total hip replacement is offering an alternative that still leaves open the possibility of successfully receiving an artificial hip later in life.

CA accused its founder of masterminding a huge accounting fraud at the company.

A weakening economy is getting some relief from abroad as American companies step up their sales to foreigners, the latest data, released Friday, suggests.

At the New York International Auto Show, doors swing open to reveal push-button starters ? no key necessary.

The effort by DaimlerChrysler to find a buyer for Chrysler is becoming a drawn-out, complicated process beset by issues including debt, health costs and unions.

With its billowing sheets of curved glass, its partly white windows, and the world?s largest high-def screen in its expansive lobby, the new headquarters of IAC is unlike anything in Manhattan.

Even with federal and state credits, installing a home solar power system can mean waiting years for savings on energy bills.

The flameout of the radio host Don Imus dominated the discourse this week, but there was other intrigue.

Although protectionist tendencies in the U.S. do not break perfectly along party lines, some Democrats have been more vocal in urging action against what they see as unfair trade from China.

Fred Hassan, chairman and chief executive of Schering-Plough, discusses how the pharmaceutical industry is tackling the challenge of cholesterol.

The term ?merger mania? could be an astute diagnosis of a malady spreading through boardrooms and financial markets.

Todd Haskell, the vice president for business development for the media group, will take on the added responsibility of advertising on The New York Times Web site.

A strict anti-immigrant measure allowing only Russians to sell vegetables and other market goods is resulting in acute shortages and price increases in some regions.

Comcast is warning its customers to limit their bandwidth or face a one-year termination of service.

In an article in The Harvard Business Review, the former chairman and chief executive of Allied Signal suggests a new way of doing performance appraisals.

In learning about parental controls and filters for the Internet, one first has to learn the language.

Shares of Sallie Mae, the nation?s largest lender to college students, surged on the prospects that the company could be bought out in a deal worth more than $20 billion.

The General Electric Company benefited from robust sales of engines, turbines and other big-ticket items in the first quarter, even as it grappled with problems in its consumer finance, plastics and health care businesses.

For nearly a year, Charles O. Prince III had been courting a former top Morgan Stanley investment banker. Yesterday, he got his man ? Vikram S. Pandit, who will head Citigroup?s alternative investments group. But Mr. Prince may be paying a steep price.

Reuters - Google Inc. said on Friday it would pay $3.1 billion for Web ad supplier DoubleClick Inc., its biggest acquisition, accelerating a push into the graphic ad market led by Yahoo Inc. .

AP - Finance officials from the world's wealthiest countries expressed confidence Friday that the global economy will experience strong growth despite risks.