The US economy grew by an annualized rate of 5.7% between October and December, official figures have shown. The number, which is a first estimate, is a big rise from the previous quarter’s growth rate of 2.2%.

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The carmaker made $2.7bn (£1.7bn) in 2009, compared with a loss of almost $15bn in 2008, and said it expects to be profitable this year as well. For the final three months of last year, the company made $868m, a dramatic improvement on the $6bn loss it made a year earlier.

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Samsung Electronics has reported strong profits in the fourth-quarter of 2009 thanks to increased sales of flat screen televisions and mobile phones. The company’s net profit in the three months to 31 December rose to 3.1 trillion won ($2.7bn;£1.7bn).

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Toyota says it is recalling up to 1.8 million cars across Europe, including about 220,000 in the UK, following an accelerator problem. The carmaker says it will recall eight models including the Yaris, the Corolla and the RAV4 sports utility vehicle.

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