Leaders of UAL pilots' union call for strike vote
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pilots' union leaders at United Continental Holdings , parent of the world's biggest carrier United Airlines, called on Thursday for its members to hold a strike vote after failing to agree on a contract after two years of talks with management. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents pilots who flew for what were United and Continental Airlines before the two merged in 2010, did not set a date for a vote. ...

US futures set to rebound as G-8 leaders gather

U.S. stock futures rebounded Friday as leaders of eight of the world's biggest economies began to gather outside of Washington to determine how best to limit damage from the debt crises rattling Europe.

Japan government ups economic outlook on consumption, exports

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government took a brighter view of the economy in a report on Friday, thanks to improvements in private consumption and exports, but it warned that Europe's debt crisis and financial market swings could worsen the outlook. The upgrade, the first since August last year, comes one day after data showed Japan's economy grew faster than the United States, Germany and Britain in the first quarter as subsidies boosted sales of energy-efficient cars. ...

Buffett tried to buy ResCap before bankruptcy: report
(Reuters) - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett sought to buy Residential Capital (ResCap) from Ally Financial before the U.S. auto and mortgage lender put its home-lending unit into bankruptcy, Bloomberg said, citing three persons familiar with the matter. The news agency said Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc's controlling shareholder, appointed investment manager Ted Weschler for talks with Ally, quoting the persons who preferred anonymity. ...

Oil edges up to near $93 after big 2-week sell-off
Oil prices edged toward $93 a barrel Friday as financial markets stabilized after a sharp two-week sell-off caused by the latest flare-up in Europe's debt crisis and a gloomy economic outlook.

China cries foul after U.S. sets tariffs on solar imports
(Reuters) - The United States imposed punitive tariffs on solar panel imports from China, the latest in a series of trade disputes between the world's two biggest economies and sparking accusations by Beijing of protectionism. The new tariffs of around 30 percent, much bigger than had been expected, were set on Thursday by the U.S. Commerce Department after it ruled in favor of local firms which said Chinese exporters were dumping cut-price panels on their market. ...