NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc has begun talks with the U.S. government as its plummeting share price raises doubts about the bank's ability to survive, a person familiar with the matter said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The board of directors of embattled U.S. automaker General Motors Corp is considering "all options" including bankruptcy, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's website late on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking regulators seized California banks Downey Savings and Loan and PFF Bank & Trust late Friday as the housing crisis claimed two more victims from the financial crisis.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street faces stiff headwinds in the week ahead, the fate of Citigroup largest among them, that stand in the way of building on Friday's big rally and preventing November from winding up as one of the worst months for stocks on record.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks stormed higher in a late rally on Friday to cap another volatile week as investors welcomed reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his point person to combat the U.S. economic crisis, instilling confidence about the administration's ability to take action.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, which is gaining market share amid a global economic downturn, said Lee Scott will retire as chief executive early next year and will be succeeded by Mike Duke, who heads its international operations.

DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Detroit automakers began work on turnaround plans demanded by Congress in return for $25 billion in aid as General Motors Corp said it would cut production more and give up two of its controversial corporate jets.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Struggling smartphone maker Palm Inc said Friday it is cutting its workforce, a move the company takes as it loses market share to rivals Apple Inc and Research in Motion Ltd.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc provided details to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on how it values what has so far been a money-losing $37.04 billion derivatives bet, after the regulator asked for better disclosure.

US shares rise sharply on reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his treasury secretary, reassuring investors.

More than 15,000 primary seven pupils across Northern Ireland sit the second part of the last 11-plus exam.

Oxford and Cambridge give the engineering Diploma a boost by saying they will accept the qualification in applications.

A primary school teacher becomes the first in Scotland to admit charges of serious professional incompetence.

Liberata, the company behind severe delays in education maintenance allowances, is replaced by Capita.

A printing error on a GCSE exam being taken on Thursday has caused confusion for schools and students.

More than 30 Nobel Peace Prize winners are calling for an effort to improve education in war zones.

Ofsted's annual report says too many poor children are further disadvantaged by "inadequate services" including schools.

Fewer children in Wales are living in poverty and academic achievement is rising, a report says.

The 11-plus ends in Northern Ireland but not grammars

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Vampire romance "Twilight" sucked in more than $7 million at U.S. box offices from its first midnight showings, a strong take for the highly anticipated film, industry sources said on Friday.

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. pop star Madonna and Guy Ritchie ended eight years of marriage in a few minutes Friday when a British court granted them a "quickie" divorce.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The day many rock fans never expected to see in their lifetimes is nigh.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Warren Beatty has sued a unit of Tribune Co over the film and television rights to comic strip detective Dick Tracy, a character he played in a 1990 hit film of the same name.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Live Free or Die Hard" actor Bruce Willis has sued a Malaysian prince and his company over a $2 million investment in "green rubber" the actor wants returned.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After 60 years in the make-believe world of acting, Roger Moore admits to telling the occasional fib or little white lie now and again.

NEW YORK/LONDON (Billboard) - Franz Ferdinand's 2005 album may have promised "You Could Have It So Much Better," but the sales figures begged to differ -- the band's second album failed to match the transatlantic success of its self-titled predecessor.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Three top U.S. comedians next week will bring variety shows to television and one, Rosie O'Donnell, believes the format could stage a comeback amid the slumping economy if families start gathering around TVs for cheap entertainment.

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - November 4 was a historic night for the United States, the city of Chicago and, on another level, for C3 Presents.

Lewd calls to actor Andrew Sachs were a "deplorable intrusion with no editorial justification", the BBC Trust says.

GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - Park rangers returned to a reserve that is home to nearly a third of the world's remaining mountain gorillas Friday, more than a year after fighting forced them to abandon the area, a park chief said.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Over a third of China's land is being scoured by serious erosion that is putting its crops and water supply a risk, a three-year nationwide survey has found.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Declining stocks of Alaska pollock mean officials are likely to scale back 2009 catch limits for the largest U.S. fishery next month but scientists insist stocks are not in danger of collapse.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian hunters in a remote Arctic community have started killing a large number of narwhals -- small, white whales best known for their long tusks -- that are trapped by ice, a federal official said on Friday.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - NASA is having problems with a $250 million system it just delivered to the International Space Station to recycle urine and other wastewater into drinking water for astronauts.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Critics of biotech crops were trying to head off rule changes by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the waning days of the Bush Administration that the critics said would ease restrictions on the controversial crops.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Native Indians and communities of slave descendants in Brazil are pushing for a greater say in shaping laws and public works projects, creating a potential minefield for business and government in Latin America's largest economy.

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German government spokesman said on Friday he could not confirm that Europe's big four auto making nations had reached an agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The world's top two producers of ethanol, the U.S. and Brazil, will join forces to speed up research into cellulose-derived biofuels, which use inedible plant matter rather than crops as their feedstock.

LONDON (Reuters) - The United Nations published a report on Thursday to help lawmakers meeting at an upcoming U.N. climate summit to move closer to sealing a new agreement to confront potentially devastating global warming.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Babies born four months before the peak cold and flu season have a 30 percent higher risk of developing asthma, U.S. researchers said on Friday, suggesting that these common infections may trigger asthma.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Like many other elderly Americans, Edie Stark has been hard hit by the meltdown in U.S. financial markets. She is 84 and has been worried a lot lately about outliving her savings.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who make it to the age of 100 may indeed have some "good genes" that they pass on their children, according to a new study.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In people with type 1 diabetes, adequate control of blood sugar over the long haul helps reduce the risk of diabetes-related eye and kidney disease, new data suggest.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In people with type 1 diabetes, adequate control of blood sugar over the long haul helps reduce the risk of diabetes-related eye and kidney disease, new data suggest.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The lung cancer pill Iressa has shown surprising results for patients with advanced disease where it has been at least as effective as a standard chemotherapy treatment, researchers reported on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children born "small for gestational age" -- that is, significantly smaller than most babies born after the same number of weeks of pregnancy -- appear to be at increased risk for rapid gains in weight and body fat during adulthood, researchers from Paris, France report.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who are heavy in their middle years are at greater risk of Alzheimer's disease, especially if they have large waists. However, for men, being underweight during that period of life actually increases the likelihood of developing the degenerative brain disease, researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While the incidence of stroke as a complication of heart attack has decreased since the late 1990s, death during hospitalization in affected patients has not shown a corresponding decrease, new data suggest.

Excessive drinking by children is causing a health time bomb, with record levels of liver disease in the under-30s, a charity warns.

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida teenager committed suicide by drug overdose in front of a webcam streaming live video to the Internet and some viewers may have egged him on, authorities said on Friday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Internet search giant Google Inc is known for hosting the most extravagant holiday parties in Silicon Valley, often drawing crowds of over 10,000 and prompting some employees to post ads for party dates on classifieds Website Craigslist.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Wireless said on Thursday that some employees had gained unauthorized access and viewed a personal cell phone account held by President-elect Barack Obama that is now inactive.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hundreds of people lined up at some Verizon Wireless stores on Friday to buy the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion that aims to compete with Apple's iPhone.

(Reuters) - Google Inc said it would shut down its three-dimensional virtual experience website by year end to focus more on its core search, advertisements and applications business.

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Every once in a while, urban bachata duo Xtreme will dial up the fans that leave their phone numbers on the group's MySpace page.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC News has made a big pitch to the Facebook generation, offering users of the social-networking site the chance to test their knowledge using video from the network's vast archives.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Who said bras are only for women? A Japanese online lingerie retailer is selling bras for cross-dressing men and they've quickly become one of its most popular items.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc previewed some of the deep discounts it plans to offer right after Thanksgiving next week, part of a promotional strategy that has kept cash-strapped customers scouring its stores for bargains.

A gang leader has been ordered to pay back £26 million of the money that he stole from HM Revenue & Customs, or spend a further ten years in prison.

A group of depositors who lost savings in offshore accounts with Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander, the failed Icelandic-owned bank, has hired one of Londons top class action law firms to help recover their money.

The UK legal industry was hit with a fresh wave of job losses today with confirmation that Mayer Brown is looking to cut 11 lawyers and Field Fisher Waterhouse has entered redundancy talks with over half of its support staff.

Conrad Black, the peer who once owned The Daily Telegraph, has asked for a pardon from President Bush as part of a last ditch attempt to get out of jail early.

The wife of the Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone confirmed yesterday that she is leaving her husband after 24 years of marriage.

Alpha Mummy: Can you really 'share' children?

Old Bailey

Thousands of victims of a fatal asbestos-related lung cancer are in line for six-figure sums in compensation after a victory today that lands insurers with a multi-million pound bill.

Commercial lawyers already under pressure to reduce fees as the market worsens are facing a new challenge with the introduction of new accounting rules governing M&A transactions.

London's High Court will play host to a superstar next week when Michael Jackson testifies in person to contest a claim that he owes millions of pounds to an Arab sheikh.

AP - Police have arrested a man suspected of leaving greasy, graphic imprints on the windows of stores, churches and schools in a small Nebraska town. A 35-year-old man was caught in the act by police early Wednesday morning, Cherry County Attorney Eric Scott said Friday. The man hasn't been charged yet, but authorities believe he is the vandal some townsfolk have dubbed the "Butt Bandit."

AP - A school bus driver will be charged with endangering a 10-year-old boy for intentionally braking suddenly so the boy would fall down, police said. The driver was upset because the boy would not remain in his seat, Harmony Township police Sgt. Jim Essek said. The driver told the boy to stop moving around before allegedly threatening him by saying, "If you do it again, I'll knock you down," Essek said.

AP - Police are looking for a man they say stole two rings worth nearly $25,000 from a woman after grabbing her dog. Brunswick police Detective William Collins said a woman was walking her Shih Tzu on Monday when a man picked up the dog and demanded the rings if she wanted the dog back.

AP - A truck-driving thief made off with more than $3 million worth of merchandise from a venerable maker of cowboy boots and other footwear, authorities said.

AP - A thief who robbed a general store apologized to the owner and left the singles behind so workers on the next shift would have something in the till. The knife-wielding man made off with an undetermined amount of money from Joe's Pond Country Store on Wednesday after threatening owner Jeff Downs.

Reuters - Bulgaria plans to free thousands of minor offenders in an attempt to relieve its overcrowded jails and ease the work of the legal system, the government said Thursday.

Reuters - Drivers caught going more than 20 mph over the speed limit could lose their license after just two offenses under government proposals published Thursday.

Reuters - His name is on a monument to victims of Gen. Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, his family buried his mistakenly identified remains -- now a Chilean court is probing how German Cofre has come back from the dead.

Reuters - German police searching nationwide for a convicted drug dealer who escaped from jail by hiding in a cardboard box to be taken away for recycling plan to issue an international arrest warrant for him.

Reuters - A member of parliament who got a court order blocking online encyclopedia Wikipedia in Germany for two days because of entries linking him to communist-era security police apologized on Tuesday for overreacting.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama on Friday moved toward nominating Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary and charging the respected head of the New York Federal Reserve with helping pull the United States out of an economic nosedive.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top Republican said on Friday that Democratic U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is "off to a good start" and indicated he was pleased to see President George W. Bush get ready to leave.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama may consider Lawrence Summers as a successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose term expires in January 2010, a Democratic source told Reuters on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey returned to work on Friday after a "fainting spell" during a speech sent him to hospital the night before.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Passage of a broad economic stimulus bill, including tax cuts, will be a top priority of the next Congress when it convenes in January, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's popularity fell to its lowest level in three years after he pushed through a law allowing him to seek a third four-year term, according to a poll released on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Automakers must provide Congress with cash and sales data as well as current plans for making energy-efficient vehicles if they hope to receive a government bailout next month, lawmakers said on Friday.

LIMA (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush held talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program with Chinese leader Hu Jintao on Friday, the first in a series of meetings U.S. officials hope will lead to a renewal of six-party talks by early December.

LIMA (Reuters) - World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy should not call another Doha round ministerial meeting unless there is a "good shot" at reaching a breakthrough, the top U.S. trade official said on Friday.

Alistair Darling may be forced to set out future taxes rises to pay for a short-term boost to the economy, the BBC understands.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Spiders flying as an educational project aboard the International Space Station seem to have gotten the hang of weightlessness.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - NASA is having problems with a $250 million system it just delivered to the International Space Station to recycle urine and other wastewater into drinking water for astronauts.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A radar instrument aboard a NASA spacecraft has detected large glaciers hidden under rocky debris that may be the vestiges of ice sheets that blanketed parts of Mars in a past ice age, scientists said on Thursday.

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A massive ball of fire that lit up the skies over two Western Canadian provinces on Thursday evening was likely among the biggest meteor events to be witnessed in Canada this year, one expert said.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - People in a vast seismic zone in the southern and midwestern United States would face catastrophic damage if a major earthquake struck there and should ensure that builders keep that risk in mind, a government report said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have sequenced the gene map of a long-extinct, mummified woolly mammoth, using DNA taken from its hair.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A balloon-borne instrument soaring high over Antarctica has found evidence of a possible large clump of mysterious so-called dark matter relatively close to our solar system, scientists said on Wednesday.

BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank (Reuters) - An Israeli archaeologist said on Wednesday he had unearthed what he believed were the 2,000-year-old remains of two tombs which had held a wife and daughter-in-law of the biblical King Herod.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stem cells from tiny embryos can be used to restore lost hearing and vision in animals, researchers said Tuesday in what they believe is a first step toward helping people.

Conservationists plan to bring the sea eagle, the UK's largest bird of prey, back to the skies above England.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz has been fined $20,000 by the NFL for public criticism of game officials earlier this month, the league said on Friday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Boston's Kevin Garnett made his long-awaited return to the court in Minnesota on Friday and led the Celtics to a 95-78 victory over the Timberwolves.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Philadelphia goalie Martin Biron recorded a season-high 40 saves against his former team as the visiting Flyers shut out the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Friday.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Britain's Ricky Hatton has pledged to deliver a performance for his fans to savor when he defends his IBO light-welterweight title against American Paulie Malignaggi Saturday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Knicks acquired Golden State Warriors forward Al Harrington in exchange for guard Jamal Crawford on Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Knicks offloaded Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford in deals on Friday to clear salary-cap space for 2010 when the potent free-agent class of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh hits the market.

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (Reuters) - Spain pulled level with Argentina in the Davis Cup final on Friday when Feliciano Lopez surprised an ailing Juan Martin del Potro in four sets.

HOBART, Australia (Reuters) - Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber has been seriously injured after being hit by a car while competing in a charity multi-sport event in Tasmania.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Annika Sorenstam's LPGA Tour farewell came to a shuddering halt when she missed the cut at the season-ending ADT Championship on Friday.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Mexican world number one Lorena Ochoa has been named the LPGA Tour's Player of the Year for the third season in a row.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hundreds of people lined up at some Verizon Wireless stores on Friday to buy the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion that aims to compete with Apple's iPhone.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Internet search giant Google Inc is known for hosting the most extravagant holiday parties in Silicon Valley, often drawing crowds of over 10,000 and prompting some employees to post ads for party dates on classifieds Website Craigslist.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Struggling smartphone maker Palm Inc said Friday it is cutting its workforce, a move the company takes as it loses market share to rivals Apple Inc and Research in Motion Ltd.

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida teenager committed suicide by drug overdose in front of a webcam streaming live video to the Internet and some viewers may have egged him on, authorities said on Friday.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC News has made a big pitch to the Facebook generation, offering users of the social-networking site the chance to test their knowledge using video from the network's vast archives.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. mobile service provider Sprint Nextel Corp said on Friday that the president of its CDMA business unit, John Garcia, is leaving the company.

(Reuters) - Google Inc said it would shut down its three-dimensional virtual experience website by year end to focus more on its core search, advertisements and applications business.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc previewed some of the deep discounts it plans to offer right after Thanksgiving next week, part of a promotional strategy that has kept cash-strapped customers scouring its stores for bargains.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian computer game simulating a new war between Russia and Georgia, in which NATO-member Poland backs a fresh bid by Tbilisi to take back its rebel regions, is to hit shops soon.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nokia Corp plans to launch a mobile phone service in Japan next spring, a move expected to intensify competition among Japanese cell phone carriers, Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday.

Alistair Darling may be forced to set out future taxes rises to pay for a short-term boost to the economy, the BBC understands.

The Mayor of London is to commission a study of a potential amnesty for illegal immigrants in the capital.

Excessive drinking by children is causing a health time bomb, with record levels of liver disease in the under-30s, a charity warns.

Conservationists plan to bring the sea eagle, the UK's largest bird of prey, back to the skies above England.

A senior MP says he believes energy companies are increasing customers' direct debit payments by more than is needed.

Shetland Islanders benefit from the highest quality of life in Scotland, according to a new survey.

Lewd calls to actor Andrew Sachs were a "deplorable intrusion with no editorial justification", the BBC Trust says.

Gordon Brown dismisses talk of a summer general election telling the BBC he is "100% focused" on the economy.

Rail passengers will face big fare rises in January - with some tickets going up by double the rate of inflation.

Comic Angus Deayton is named as the new host of this year's Comedy Awards after Jonathan Ross stepped down.

DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Detroit automakers began work on turnaround plans demanded by Congress in return for $25 billion in aid as General Motors Corp said it would cut production more and give up two of its controversial corporate jets.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey returned to work on Friday after a "fainting spell" during a speech sent him to hospital the night before.

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida teenager committed suicide by drug overdose in front of a webcam streaming live video to the Internet and some viewers may have egged him on, authorities said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Interior Department said on Friday it took disciplinary action against government workers who had sex, used drugs and took gifts from employees of regulated oil and gas companies.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. households could cut spending on Christmas gifts by about 11.3 percent this year, the Conference Board said on Friday, as the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression erodes consumer wealth.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawyer argued on Friday that an appeals court should change legal standards so corporations are not easily held criminally liable for the actions of employees who break company regulations.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc previewed some of the deep discounts it plans to offer right after Thanksgiving next week, part of a promotional strategy that has kept cash-strapped customers scouring its stores for bargains.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Warren Beatty has sued a unit of Tribune Co over the film and television rights to comic strip detective Dick Tracy, a character he played in a 1990 hit film of the same name.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hundreds of people lined up at some Verizon Wireless stores on Friday to buy the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion that aims to compete with Apple's iPhone.

AP - A college student committed suicide by taking a drug overdose in front of a live webcam as some computer users egged him on, others tried to talk him out of it, and another messaged OMG in horror when it became clear it was no joke. Some watchers contacted the Web site to notify police, but by the time officers entered Abraham Biggs' home — a scene also captured on the Internet — it was too late.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Dozens of Somali Islamist insurgents stormed a port on Friday hunting the pirates behind the seizure of a Saudi supertanker that was the world's biggest hijack, a local elder said.