提示：文本转自普特听力论坛

In business:

New data shows retail sales in Britain rallied sharply in January. It comes as weather conditions eased after what was seen as a snow-induced slump in December. Sales jumped just under 2 per cent in January from the previous month. Experts say the trend was also affected by a government sales tax hike which took effect this year.

G20 ministers have gathered in Paris for a two-day meeting. They'll be seeking to agree on the indicators to measure the economic gaps and imbalances in the financial market. The G20 last met in Seoul last November, but walked away without any meaningful agreement. Now host country France hopes its year at the G20 helm will lead to an overhaul of world finance. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to reform the world monetary system and commodities markets.

And taking a look at the markets now, the Dow is up 0.3 percent. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were largely flat. Europe's main stock markets are mixed. Elsewhere in our region, Japan's Nikkei closed Friday six points stronger. And local stocks have finished flat with investors taking profits on a solid week's trading. The Australian dollar is buying just over parity with the greenback and about 62 British pence.