Greece’s two largest labor unions are organizing work stoppages and a protest rally outside parliament Friday, as lawmakers vote on new harsh austerity measures.

A congressman who has played a key role in the long-running health care bill debate says he and 11 other Democrats will vote against the overhaul bill unless a provision subsidizing abortion is removed.

The Bank of England held fire on both interest rates and quantitative easing on Thursday as it paused to assess the impact of the massive stimulus it has already injected into the economy.

The Bank of England is keeping interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent and taking no further action on purchasing assets to boost the money supply this month.

—-UCLA Anderson School of Management:

NEW YORK—-Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and AmeriChoice, the UnitedHealth Group company that provides health benefits for state and public programs, are partnering to develop a bilingual education outreach program aimed at helping low-income families make food choices that are affordable, nutritional and set the foundation for lifelong healthy habits.

DUBLIN—-Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Tallinna Kaubamaja AS : Company and Country Update” report to their offering.

Reining in spending is more important than reworking the portfolio.

Investors aren’t making any big moves ahead of a crush of data over the next two days that culminates with the monthly jobs report. Stock futures are trading in a narrow range Thursday.

Portugal’s government refused to back down from its austerity plan despite a national strike by civil servants Thursday.