Slowly, signs of confidence are returning to the region?s housing market. But there are at least three significant bumps on the road to recovery.

Naomi Davis spends her time prodding fellow blacks to participate in the green movement, for their own good and that of their neighborhoods.

Three recycling centers for the city?s Blue Bag recycling program have been turned over to some who used to profit from the program, which is now defunct.

It?s not surprising that people are drinking cheaper wines. But why can?t they be better wines?

AP - Toyota President Akio Toyoda urged thousands of his employees Friday to work toward a new start and win back customer trust following safety lapses that have battered the world's biggest carmaker.

AP - Oil prices rose to near $81 a barrel Friday in Asia as crude traders followed equity markets higher ahead of a key U.S. jobs report.

Reuters - Crude climbed on Friday, capping two consecutive weeks of trading above $80, after China signaled it would maintain its economic stimulus, rekindling hopes for accelerating growth to drain excess oil supplies.

Economists say employers probably reduced their payrolls by about 50,000 jobs last month.

Toyota boss Akio Toyoda dons a worker's uniform to address the company's Japanese workforce in an attempt to boost morale.

Premier Wen Jiabao tells China's annual parliamentary session the gap between rich and poor must be reduced.

The world's biggest advertising group, WPP, says it was 'staring into the abyss' last year but is now recovering.

AP - The once-popular painkiller Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack and was unfit for consumption, an Australian court ruled Friday, awarding a man leading a class action suit against the drug's maker 287,000 Australian dollars ($259,000) in compensation.

AFP - The global oil market is oversupplied and OPEC will not change production quotas when its members next meet in Vienna on March 17, the head of Libya's National Oil Company said on Friday.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin later to discuss Greece's financial crisis.

Germany wary of footing bill for bailing out Greece

AP - Greek workers protesting painful state spending cuts closed down hospitals, schools and public transport Friday, as Prime Minister George Papandreou headed for talks with European leaders in search of concrete support through the debt crisis.

AP - Defense contractor BAE Systems PLC said Friday it has sold a 10.25 percent stake in Swedish defense company Saab AB for 1.066 billion kronor ($149 million) as part of an ongoing divestment process.

AP - Highlighting threats to social stability, China's premier said Friday that more needs to be done to create jobs, strengthen social welfare and boost development in restive regions such as Tibet.

AP - Global stock markets rose Friday amid hopes a key U.S. jobs report would show the world's largest economy was on track toward a sustainable rebound.

AP - German steelmaker Salzgitter AG says it had a pretax loss last year of euro497 million ($675 million) as a result of the economic downturn.

Greek workers took to the streets, shutting down hospitals, schools and public transport to protest painful budget cuts.

The measure, granting payroll tax breaks for new hires, was called the first step in a broad push on the economy.

The world's biggest advertising group, WPP, says it was 'staring into the abyss' last year but is now recovering.

Hong Kong's richest businessman Li Ka-Shing plans to bid for the UK arm of French electricity giant EDF Group.

Iceland's economy grew by 3.3% in the last quarter of 2009, although it contracted by 6.5% over the whole of last year.

Politicians should consider imposing VAT on food, children's clothes and household gas and electricity, a think-tank says.

AP - World stock markets rose Friday as investors grew more confident about key U.S. jobs data later following some encouraging signals earlier this week and worries about the Greek debt crisis subsided following a successful bond issue.

AP - Clashes have broken out in central Athens during a protest outside parliament as lawmakers prepared to vote on austerity measures to deal with Greece's debt crisis.

AP - Toxic pet food. Lead-painted toys. Hazardous baby cribs. The sheer volume of recalled products makes you wonder: What happens to all that stuff after it's ordered off the shelves?

AFP - German industrial orders posted a sharp rebound in January, gaining 4.3 percent from December and wiping away a slump that month as domestic orders soared in the biggest European economy.

AP - Iceland is bracing for a public backlash against the use of taxpayer money to pay its international debts — the latest stumbling block in the tiny island's difficult struggle out of a deep recession.

Reuters - Crude climbed toward $81 a barrel on Friday, approaching a seven-week high, after signals China will maintain its economic stimulus measures boosted hopes strong growth will help drain excess oil supplies.

AFP - Toyota's president swapped his business suit for a worker's uniform Friday as he sought to reassure workers and urge them to make a fresh start following the automaker's global mass recall crisis.

Workers shut down hospitals, schools and public transport to protest budget cuts. The country?s Premier is to seek support from the E.U. later on Friday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledges to 'stand helpfully by Greece's side' but is not expected to offer a cash bailout.

The US unemployment rate stayed at 9.7% in February, official figures show.

Small browser firms want changes made to Microsoft's browser choice screen to make their programs more prominent.

Michael Page is being asked for twice the amount of bankers after a year that was an 'extreme test' of its strategy.

Talks aimed averting strike action by BA cabin crew must come to a conclusion by the end of Tuesday, the TUC says.

AP - Stock futures rose sharply Friday after the government's employment report showed fewer jobs were cut in February than expected.

AP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is bent on taking a bigger role in the running of French companies, summoning bank leaders to his Elysee palace on Friday to order them to boost lending to the economy and smaller companies.

BusinessWeek - In Mint.com's creation story, as recounted on its Web site, founder Aaron Patzer started the free online personal finance service after a tedious session with Intuit's (NasdaqGS:INTU - News) Quicken budgeting software in 2005. It's a measure of Mint's success that any new complaints about Quicken should now be directed to Patzer himself. Tired of getting its clock cleaned by Mint, Intuit bought the site in 2009 and put Patzer in charge of its entire consumer finance operation. He must figure out how all the pieces will fit together -- while rejuvenating Intuit's aged Quicken franchise.

AP - Oil prices rose Friday as fewer workers than expected lost their jobs in February, a signal that the slow-healing employment market may soon boost demand for energy.

BusinessWeek - Welcome back, dear readers, to the third installment of Jonathan Stern's Adventures in Business School.In our last chapter, I was in the midst of what I described as the busiest time of my life.Now, as I sit here at my keyboard, mere hours from the start of my second quarter at the Anderson School of Management (Anderson Full-Time MBA Profile), I suppose it's time to reflect on the quarter I have just completed and, I hope, recovered from. The best way for me to do that is to address the questions friends and family ask me most. ...

The economy in February shed 36,000 nonfarm jobs, fewer than forecast, as the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent, the Labor Department said on Friday.

The higher open on top of a late-day rally in stocks Thursday indicates that investors are optimistic the United States economy is improving.

Apple announced the date when the Wi-Fi only version of the iPad will arrive in United States stores. The 3G version of the device will be coming later in April.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is questioning how rigorously Toyota tested for sudden acceleration in its vehicles.

The US Labor Department says 36,000 jobs were cut in February, fewer than expected, leaving the unemployment rate steady at 9.7%

The Red Knights consortium say they have not yet put a figure on the value of Manchester United - but say they will not overpay.

Iceland's talks with Britain and the Netherlands over repayment of 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn) of debt have broken up without agreement.

Icelanders prepare to vote on their future

AP - Stocks rose Friday after the government's employment report showed fewer jobs were cut in February than expected.

AP - A House committee is questioning how rigorously Toyota tested for sudden acceleration in its vehicles and is asking the automaker for more records on the safety issues.

AP - Amid allegations of bullying and profiteering by bigger nations, angry Icelanders are expected to deliver a resounding slap down this weekend to plans to use taxpayer money to pay off the tiny island nation's international debts.

AP - A key lawmaker says he is working with banks, regulators and the Obama administration on ways to boost the government's struggling foreclosure prevention effort.

Reuters - Oil rose to a seven-week high above $82 a barrel on Friday after a report showed the United States lost fewer jobs than expected in February and on signals China will maintain its economic stimulus measures.

A better-than-expected snapshot of unemployment in the United States invigorated Wall Street, reviving optimism about a recovery.

Abry Partners will acquire RCN for about $1.2 billion including debt, in the latest in a series of acquisitions by private-equity firms.

Portugal's austerity measures prove bitter medicine

A proposed new High Street bank, Metro Bank, has been given a banking license by the Financial Services Authority.

The European Commission plans an EU-wide tax on carbon as part of the EU's green energy agenda - but the UK opposes such a move.

AP - German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Greece has not made any request for financial support and is calling for an end to market speculation that the indebted country will fail.

AFP - Oil prices rebounded above 82 dollars on Friday as the market got a boost from better-than-expected US jobs data, traders said.

Reuters - General Motors Co will begin notifying some of its 1,160 U.S. dealers marked for shutdown that their franchises will be restored after congressionally mandated arbitration, two sources briefed on the matter said on Friday.

Several signs suggest that, contrary to the views of some economists, we may not be heading for another tumble into the recessionary basement.

The company said that 661 of the 1,100 dealerships seeking to stay would receive letters giving them the option to do so.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, ended talks without making a firm pledge, as Greece was hit by strikes over its adoption of a new austerity package.

Two top members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee questioned how rigorously Toyota tested for sudden acceleration in its vehicles.

Many dubious remedies exist, but immunotherapy and careful cleaning to remove allergens may be the best options.

German leader Angela Merkel says the stability of the eurozone is 'assured', as Athens sees its most violent protests over spending cuts.

AP - Consumer borrowing broke a record stretch of declines with a small increase in January as a boost in auto loans offset continued weakness in credit card borrowing.

AFP - A stolen disk of Swiss banking data bought by Germany last week revealed that Bulgarian tax evaders held about 200 million euros in Swiss banks, Bulgaria's revenue agency chief said Friday.

AP - Standard Motor Products Inc. said Friday that its fourth-quarter loss narrowed on higher sales to auto parts suppliers and lower costs.

AP - The nations that ordered the Airbus A400M military transporter have agreed to pay euro3.5 billion (nearly $4.8 billion) more to address cost overruns and keep the troubled project alive, manufacturer EADS NV and the German Defense Ministry said Friday.

AP - The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by 23 this week to 1,396.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) has not adequately supported its contention that it has rigorously evaluated electronic throttle systems for possible problems, lawmakers said on Friday.

Consumer borrowing in January broke a record stretch of declines as a rise in auto loans offset continued weakness in credit card borrowing.

Two top members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee questioned how rigorously Toyota tested for sudden acceleration in its vehicles.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, ended talks without making a firm pledge, as Greece was hit by strikes over its adoption of a new austerity package.

Gauging human capital, meaning a person?s future earnings, is getting more attention as unemployment becomes a bigger factor in personal finances.

AP - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged Friday to redouble the country's stimulus program to focus on job creation, signaling that Beijing's main worry is keeping its factories humming and its restive workers making money from strong exports to the world.

AP - Blount International Inc., which makers chains for saws, said Friday that its fourth-quarter earnings fell 6 percent as one-time costs outweighed a gain in sales.

AP - The Treasury Department was forced Friday to reiterate its financial support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after a key lawmaker rattled investors by pointing out that their debt does not enjoy the explicit guarantee of the federal government.

AP - Energy prices jumped Friday as a government job report showed a smaller-than-expected loss, signaling a potential boost in gasoline demand.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) has failed to support statements of top executives that the automaker has rigorously evaluated electronic throttles in its vehicles, Democratic leaders of a congressional committee said on Friday.

The people of Iceland will go to the polls later to vote on plans to repay the UK and the Netherlands debts owed from the collapse of Icesave bank.

Borrowing by US consumers rose for the first time in a year in January, boosted by a 5% rise in car loans, according to figures released by the Federal Reserve.

AP - Holly Energy Partners LP said Friday that it has priced an offering of $150 million of senior debt due 2018.

Edward B. Montgomery can?t bring auto jobs back, but he?s helping depressed former car-assembly towns tap federal money to build new futures.

Japanese drivers have reported unintended accelerations, but Toyota denied the problems existed in Japan, where a pro-business culture undermines consumer protections.

Many of these companies, such as payday lenders and debt collectors, take aim at lower-income customers, and consumer advocates say they are less regulated than banks.

Until recently, the shareholder votes of small investors were largely meaningless. But the tide is beginning to turn.

Consumer borrowing in January broke a record stretch of declines as a rise in auto loans offset continued weakness in credit card borrowing.

The entire first page of The Los Angeles Times on Friday was an ad for the film ?Alice in Wonderland? that was designed, in part, to look like the front page.

The companies, which are negotiating a new deal involving WABC in New York, exchanged critical statements on Friday.

Several signs suggest that, contrary to the views of some economists, we may not be heading for another tumble into the recessionary basement.

Gauging human capital, meaning a person?s future earnings, is getting more attention as unemployment becomes a bigger factor in personal finances.

Seven European governments that signed on as customers will pay a 10 percent price increase that will allow the troubled project to continue.

AP - Regulators on Friday shuttered banks in Florida, Illinois, Maryland and Utah, boosting to 26 the number of bank failures in the U.S. so far this year following the 140 brought down in 2009 by mounting loan defaults and the recession.

The Christian Science Monitor - German Chancellor Angela Merkel met her Greek counterpart George Papandreou here tonight to discuss Greece’s financial crisis, as tensions rise over whether Germany will provide crucial support to an EU bailout for the heavily indebted Mediterranean country.

In creating an agency to protect consumers from deceptive financial practices, their biggest hurdle is figuring out how independent it should be.

Japanese drivers have reported unintended accelerations, but Toyota denied the problems existed in Japan, where a pro-business culture undermines consumer protections.

AFP - China said Saturday it could take up to three years for its exports to return to pre-financial crisis levels, as the Asian powerhouse shifted its focus to domestic demand.