Republican 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Friday he will not make another White House run in 2016, following weeks of speculation he would mount another campaign. "After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I've decided it is best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee," Romney said during a conference call with supporters, broadcast live by CNN. "I believe that one of our next generation of Republican leaders, one who may not be as well known as I am today, one who has not yet taken their message across the country, one who is just getting started, may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee," Romney said. The announcement essentially quiets three weeks of speculation about Romney mounting a third presidential campaign, after he told donors in New York that he was still seriously interested in the White House.

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — The mother of the man former New England Patriots standout Aaron Hernandez is accused of killing was overcome with emotion Friday as a prosecutor showed the jury graphic photos of her son's body at the industrial park where he found.

MasterCard Inc , the world's No. 2 debit and credit card company, reported a better-than-expected profit for the holiday shopping quarter as customers dug deeper into their pockets. MasterCard and larger rival Visa Inc have been benefiting as more people use cards instead of cash across the world. The dollar, which gained nearly 13 percent in 2014, is expected to continue to be a headwind through the year on both revenue and the bottom line, MasterCard said on a conference call on Friday. MasterCard's worldwide purchase volume increased 12.1 percent to $858 billion in local currency terms during the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, while its cross-border volumes rose 19 percent.