UNITED STATES

United Airlines unveiled on Thursday a second-bag fee for passengers on some international routes, following a trend set by U.S. Airways Group Inc and Continental Airlines.

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Dennis Lockhart said on Thursday the U.S. economic recovery has started and made a plea for central bank independence to assure global markets the U.S. will pursue responsible monetary policies.

U.S. stocks rose for a fifth straight session on Thursday as a brighter outlook from consumer product company Procter & Gamble and a successful Treasury bond auction encouraged investors about an economic recovery.

U.S. copper futures closed down on Thursday, as prices extended a phase of consolidation below the $3.00 a lb level and fell under the weight of renewed concerns about near-term demand prospects, analysts said.

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Dennis Lockhart said on Thursday the U.S. recovery has started and he made a plea for central bank independence to assure global markets the U.S. will pursue responsible monetary policies.

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With global oil consumption having decreased relative to year-earlier levels in every quarter since the middle of last year, we have now experienced four consecutive quarterly declines in world oil use, with another decline expected in the current quarter.

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Dennis Lockhart said on Thursday the U.S. recovery has started and he made a plea for central bank independence to assure global markets the U.S. will pursue responsible monetary policies.

A key U.S. lawmaker on Thursday expressed concern that much of the eastern part of the United States could be disqualified from broadband grants because of the way remote communities are considered.

Time Warner Inc, News Corp and a dozen other top media companies officially announced plans on Thursday to create a coalition to study new ways to measure television audiences.

Stocks rose on Thursday as a brighter outlook from consumer product company Procter & Gamble and a successful Treasury debt auction put Wall Street on pace for a fifth straight session of gains.

Google Inc, criticized for scanning books without copyright permission, has said it would open its digital library to rivals and bookstores, the search engine giant said on Thursday.

U.S. carmaker General Motors has decided to sell Opel to a group led by Canadian car parts maker Magna, signaling an end to months of uncertainty for the European unit and its 50,000 workers.

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres, one of the top U.S. talk show hosts, was named on Wednesday as the new fourth judge on American Idol, replacing Paula Abdul, who quit the most-watched American television show last month.

Oil prices rose on Thursday after a U.S. government report showed a surprise decline in stockpiles in the world's largest energy consumer, and OPEC said it would maintain official output curbs.

General Motors Co will roll out a new marketing campaign next week offering consumers a 60-day, money-back guarantee on new vehicle purchases, backed by ads featuring its chairman, Ed Whitacre, sources briefed on the plans said.

The news website BigGovernment.com revealed Thursday a videotape and transcript showing officials of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)in assisting individuals how to lie to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Ford Motor Co sees no near-term North American labor cost disadvantage with rivals General Motors Co and Chrysler Group LLC, but is in talks with its unions to address longer-term concerns, its global labor chief said on Thursday.

General Motors does not plan to retake majority control of Opel at a later date, the U.S. carmaker's chief negotiator John Smith said on Thursday after GM decided to sell the unit to a group led by Canada's Magna.

Oil slipped below $72 a barrel on Thursday, reversing earlier gains, as large increases in U.S. fuel inventories overshadowed a drop in crude inventories and outlooks for a rise in global demand.

Stocks rose on Thursday on brighter outlooks from Texas Instruments and Procter & Gamble that prompted investors to push market gains into a fifth straight session.