The mission of the first robotic probe to land on a comet reached a high point on Friday when the spacecraft radioed back to Earth that it had successfully drilled into the comet's body.

A group of Walmart employees pushing for higher wages said on Friday they were planning protests at 1,600 Walmart stores nationwide on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States.

Shares of Virgin America Inc, a low-cost airline partly owned by Richard Branson, soared more than 30 percent in their market debut, underscoring the buoyant mood in an industry that is emerging from a long spell of turbulence.

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives approved the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, but a similar measure struggled to get enough support in the Senate and President Barack Obama indicated he might use his veto if the bill does get through Congress.

The head of the World Bank said on Friday the idea of establishing a global emergency fund that could quickly respond to a health crisis has received interest and funds for it could be raised on the international bond markets.

The oil market has entered a new era with lower Chinese economic growth and booming U.S. shale output, making a return soon to high prices unlikely, the West's energy watchdog said on Friday.

The International Olympic Committee will unveil plans to overhaul parts of the sporting extravaganza next week as they look to make the Games more attractive to fans and sponsors alike.

A new U.S. spaceship designed to fly astronauts to the moon, Mars and other destinations beyond the International Space Station arrived at a Florida launch pad on Wednesday in preparation for an unmanned test flight next month.

European stocks fell back on Friday and U.S. stocks looked set to open flat after a mixed bag of euro zone growth numbers that showed France and Germany growing marginally but others like Italy still firmly in recession.

U.S. carmaker Ford is hesitant about investing further in its South African operation because of repeated production stoppages caused by strikes, its regional chief said on Thursday.

In a paradoxically good development for the U.S. economy, Americans quit their jobs in September at the fastest rate in over six years.

The G20 leaders summit in Australia starting on Saturday is setting up as a showdown between Western leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin, following fresh reports of Russian troops pouring into eastern Ukraine.

Asian stocks dipped on Friday following fresh signs of slowing Chinese growth, with energy stocks depressed across the region as crude oil hovered near a four-year low in an oversupplied market.

The Smithsonian Institution, the world's biggest museum complex, unveiled a $2 billion plan on Thursday to revamp the south side of the National Mall, a favorite draw for Washington's millions of tourists.

Christie's held the biggest art auction in history on Wednesday, selling $853 million worth of contemporary and post-war art, led by a pair of Andy Warhol works featuring multiple images of Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Thursday he "couldn't disagree more" with remarks made by the head of the players union that the league's salary cap is unjust and un-American.

Geron Corp licensed its cancer compound, the last in its pipeline, to a unit of Johnson & Johnson for up to $935 million, sending its shares up as much as 33 percent in extended trading.

Hachette Book Group and Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday they reached a multi-year agreement for e-book and print book sales after months of bitter fighting that pitted writers and publishers against the world's largest online retail store.

The U.S. government warned iPhone and iPad users on Thursday to be on the alert for hackers who may exploit a vulnerability in Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iOS operating system that would enable them to steal sensitive data.

Electronic trading company Virtu Financial LLC hopes to go public in the spring, about a year after it originally planned its market debut, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The dollar stood tall against the yen in early Asian trade on Friday, not far from this week's seven-year high as investors continued to monitor whether Japan's leader would call an election and delay a sales tax hike.

Market expectations that U.S. interest rates will start to lift off sometime in mid-2015 are reasonable, New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley said on Thursday.

U.S. stock prices held firm on Thursday after the Dow and Standard & Poor's 500 reached record intraday highs, while crude fell below $80 a barrel for the first time in four years on further signs of a slowdown in China's economy.

Hedge funds specializing in bets on mergers and acquisitions are starting to see investors withdraw funds, prompting them to take a more cautious approach after being caught out by more than 500 corporate deals globally failing this year.

Sony Network Entertainment International LLC, a unit of Sony Corp of America, unveiled a new cloud-based TV service, PlayStation Vue, expected to be commercially launched during the first quarter of 2015.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd aims to restore its crumbling lead in the global smartphone industry in part by ramping up high-end devices with curved screens full of advanced technology that's tough for rivals to replicate.

U.S. stocks inched higher shortly after the open on Thursday, as the Dow and S&P touched new record intraday highs following earnings from Wal-Mart and data on the labor market.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, yet it remained near a 14-year low in a reminder that the labor market appears to be moving toward full health.

Germany's Fresenius Medical Care (FMEG.DE) said it agreed to take over Cogent Healthcare, a U.S. provider of specialist physicians to hospitals, as part of its drive to offer additional services linked to its core business of kidney dialysis.

A large group of professional forecasters cut their outlook for euro zone inflation and growth, underlining a trend that could prompt the European Central Bank to take more policy action to kick-start the region's flagging economy.