GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) may ditch a plan to return 4 billion pounds ($6.1 billion) to investors, some analysts believe, as the drugmaker prepares to set out its vision for the reshaped group and a new chairman takes the helm.

Expansion in the U.S. manufacturing sector weakened in April as growth in output and new orders fell, according to an industry report released on Friday.

Royal Dutch Shell is pushing ahead with plans to explore for oil in the Arctic Ocean near Alaska this summer despite opposition from environmental groups.

Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) on Thursday unveiled Tesla Energy - storage systems or batteries for homes, companies and utilities that will expand its business beyond electric vehicles and tap into a fast-growing area of the energy industry.

Most top credit rating agencies say they would not cut Greece's rating to default if it misses a payment to the International Monetary Fund or European Central Bank, a stance that could keep vital ECB funding flowing into the financial system.

China's factories stayed stuck in the slow lane in April while Japanese output went into reverse and South Korea suffered its worst export performance in two years, adding urgency to calls for more state stimulus in all three economies.

A holiday in most of Europe thinned trade on Friday after a tumultuous week when the dollar dove, bond yields soared and stock markets in Europe and the United States weakened.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives who are trying to end the decades-old ban on U.S. crude oil exports said on Thursday they were gaining support after a Democrat joined the Republican-led effort. Representative Henry Cuellar became the first Democrat to sign on to a bill launched in February by Representative Joe Barton, a Republican and fellow Texan.

Monsanto (MON.N), the world's largest seed company has again approached Switzerland's Syngenta (SYNN.VX) in recent weeks with an offer to buy the company, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.

Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N) and Charter Communications Inc (CHTR.O) separately held acquisition talks with Bright House Networks, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.

Oil rounded out its best monthly gain in six years on Thursday, with the two global benchmarks for crude rising between 20 and 25 percent in April, helped by a weaker dollar and bets that a supply glut would ease.

Stock markets worldwide posted a second straight session of losses on Thursday after more weak earnings reports, with all three major U.S. indexes plunging more than 1 percent.

Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) is the mystery bidder for Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (SOBIV.ST), the rare disease specialist which disclosed this week that a potential buyer had made a preliminary offer, people with knowledge of the situation said.

U.S. stocks, led by the Nasdaq, sold off on Thursday as Apple shares declined, and tech and biotech quarterly results disappointed.

Beijing authorities have fined U.S.-based J.R. Simplot's China processing unit, which supplies frozen french fries to McDonald's Corp, 3.92 million yuan ($632,370) for water pollution, state media and Simplot said.

The euro zone ended four months of deflation in April with consumer prices unchanged from year-ago levels, removing the threat of persistent price declines as energy costs pushed up in the month.

In the 1980s when Sony and Toshiba were setting the agenda in the global TV and memory chip markets Japan was bristling with confidence as a hub of technological innovation.

U.S. crude oil hit a five-month high on Thursday as the dollar slipped to its lowest since February and as more evidence emerged of a gradual balancing of the U.S. domestic market.

The euro rose for a third day against the dollar on Thursday, pushing above $1.12 for the first time in two months on growing concern over the U.S. economy's prospects.

General Motors (GM.N) on Thursday will announce a multibillion-dollar, multiyear investment in several U.S. manufacturing plants in a move to boost production and vehicle quality, a person familiar with the matter said.

Early adopters of the Apple Watch, Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) first new product in five years, are complaining that a number of its key functions are disrupted by their tattoos.

World stock markets and the dollar remained in a sharp sell-off mode on Thursday, having been jolted sharply lower by weak U.S. growth data and cautious comments from the Federal Reserve.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Wednesday it is recalling more than 591,000 vehicles in North America for four separate problems, including possible broken bolts that could make steering more difficult.

Boeing (BA.N) plans to use newer and more standardised manufacturing techniques for its new 777X jetliner, paving the way for "significant" savings as it gradually feeds the changes back into existing assembly lines, a senior executive said.

China's top two trainmakers have been in discussions with Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) about possibly buying a controlling stake in the Canadian company's railway unit, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Euro zone officials sought to wring policy concessions from Greece on Wednesday to unlock urgently needed aid after Athens said it would present a list of reforms for legislation to show it is serious about implementing its promises.

Stock markets worldwide slumped on Wednesday after a batch of weaker-than-expected corporate results and data showing U.S. economic growth braked more sharply than expected in the first quarter, while the dollar plunged to a nine-week low.

U.S. economic growth nearly stalled in the first quarter as harsh weather dampened consumer spending and energy companies struggling with low prices slashed spending.

U.S. stocks ended lower on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve cited weakness in the U.S. economy and data showed U.S. growth slowed more sharply than expected in the first quarter.

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is making it easier for apps written for rival Google Inc's (GOOGL.O) Android and Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iOS systems to work on Windows phones, in a bid to attract users to its unpopular mobile devices, the company's operating systems chief said on Wednesday.