Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, has announced plans to shed 1,700 jobs worldwide as part of a major cost-cutting drive.

Singapore's exports fell for a 10th month in February, as a collapse in global demand for electronics and pharmaceuticals extended the longest slump in the nation's overseas sales since 2002.

AMD spin-off Global Foundries will take an "agnostic view" of the market according to its head of communications, Jon Carvill.

Japanese companies have cut spending on research equipment by far more than their US counterparts in response to the global slump, according to the president of Shimadzu, the scientific instrument maker.

The next phase of the world's economic downturn is taking shape: a global jobs crisis. How governments react will shape labour markets for years to come.

"We'll see the recession coming to an end probably this year," Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said. "We'll see recovery beginning next year."

Government's aggressive actions should reinforce some of the economy's normal mechanisms for recovery. As pent-up demand builds, so will the pressure for more spending.

As LCD television buyers moved toward larger-larger screen models, Corning Inc. had to move to keep up.

Vizio said Friday that the U.S patent office had rejected claims made by Funai on one of the patents that are the subject of an ongoing patent suit between the two companies.

Infineon sites in Asia are working far below capacity. The company denied to break down utilization rates by fab, but provided figures more or less in line with the industry-wide average.