UNITED STATES

A few months ago economists were all but certain the U.S. economy would slow sharply at the start of this year, with many warning that recession risks were growing.

For the Missionary Church of Kopimism, which holds the computer commands CTRL+C and CTRL+V as sacred symbols, Internet is the altar, information is holy and copying is a sacrament.

China's stock market improvement could be jeopardized by a higher than expected inflation reading for January.

More than three quarters of U.S. company bosses think that the federal government did not do its part to effectively deal with the implications of the global economic crisis.

Asian shares struggled but the euro recovered on Thursday, as markets were left without a clear direction after Greek political leaders failed again to conclude a deal for a bailout package, which Athens needs to avoid a messy debt default.

The BSE Sensex dropped 0.4 percent on Thursday on concerns about earnings outlook and investors took profits after the main index rallied 15 percent over the past five weeks.

Cognizant Technology Solutions has reported a net profit of $240 million for the fourth quarter ended December 2011. This is a 16.4 per cent increase over $206 million reported in the corresponding quarter of last year and 5.7 per cent increased sequentially.

China's annual inflation rate hit 4.5 percent in January, which is the highest level in three months, according to the official data released Thursday.

Asian shares and the euro struggled Thursday, as sentiment grew cautious after Greek political leaders failed to conclude a deal for a bailout package crucial to avoiding a messy debt default.

'Friends of Democratic Syria' would look at tightening sanctions on Syrian government and getting humanitarian aid through.

Armoured reinforcements poured into Homs as President Bashar al-Assad's forces bombarded the rebellious Syrian city for a fourth day, opposition sources said Thursday, worsening the dire humanitarian situation and prompting a new diplomatic push from Turkey.

Diamond Foods Inc removed top management after a probe by its audit committee found that the company improperly accounted for payments to walnut growers, sending its shares down 40 percent in after-hours trading.

Japan's Nikkei average eased from a three-month high to trade below 9,000 Thursday amid uncertainty over the outcome of the Greek bailout talks.

A few months ago economists were all but certain the U.S. economy would slow sharply at the start of this year, with many warning that recession risks were growing.

Groupon Inc shares slumped Wednesday as the daily deal company's first quarterly results since it went public stoked concern about limited disclosure and slowing growth.

California and New York, two big holdout states in a $25 billion mortgage settlement, are expected to join the deal, smoothing the way for an announcement on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

California and New York, two big holdout states in a $25 billion mortgage settlement, are expected to join the deal, smoothing the way for an announcement on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

U.S. prosecutors expanded a criminal case over the alleged theft of industrial secrets from chemical giant DuPont , securing an indictment against a Chinese company on economic espionage-related charges.

California and New York, two key holdout states for a multi-state mortgage settlement, are expected to join the deal, smoothing the way for an announcement expected on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Foreign and U.S. banks warned lawmakers on Wednesday that broad application of U.S. swaps rules could undermine U.S. competitiveness abroad, increase the cost of hedging and even provoke brinkmanship among international regulators.

BP Plc won a court order keeping several potentially damaging emails out of a scheduled trial to determine responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.