Obama's small business plans: Where they stand - President Obama has been talking -- a lot -- about what Washington needs to do to help save small businesses.

Australia in huge China coal deal - An Australian firm signs a $60bn deal to supply coal to Chinese power stations from a mine to be built in Queensland. [BBC]

G7 focuses on Europe debt - IQALUIT, Canada (Reuters) - Finance chiefs from the world's rich powers took a close look at European debt problems at an Arctic summit, and a senior official said Europe was determined to solve its problems without the International Monetary Fund.

Google Asks Spy Agency for Help With Inquiry Into Cyberattacks - The collaboration with the N.S.A. raises questions about how much Google knew when it said it might end its operations in China. [Global Business NYTimes]

China Rejects U.S. Complaints on Its Currency - Beijing signaled Thursday that it had no sympathy for the American complaint that China’s devalued currency is fueling a persistent trade gap. [Global Business NYTimes]

YouTube's Eun latest Google exec to join AOL - Reuters -

Ford rolls out software fix for hybrid brakes - Ford Motor Co. announced Thursday that it will ask owners of its Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrids sedan to bring their car into their Ford dealer to replace software that operates the car's braking system. [CNNMoney.com]

Congress OKs $1.9 trillion boost in debt limit - The House on Thursday approved a record $1.9 trillion increase in the cap on how much the government can borrow. [CNNMoney.com]

Oil plunges 5 percent, biggest drop since July - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell 5 percent on Thursday in the steepest daily drop since July and the fifth-largest trading volumes ever on the New York Mercantile Exchange as investors dumped commodities and other risky assets.

Russia Plans to Promote Technology Innovations - The Russian finance minister floated a new approach to catching up with the West in technology. [Global Business NYTimes]