UNITED STATES

Asian equities and metals prices slipped on Thursday, after disappointing U.S. private employment and services sector data led investors to trim over extended bets and look for better points to buy again.

Game publishers, in a rare moment of solidarity, joined forces on Wednesday to convey optimism for the future of their $30 billion industry despite spiraling consumer spending and a global economic downturn.

A U.S. District Court on Wednesday dismissed lawsuits against telecommunications companies in a warrantless wiretap case, ruling that former President George W. Bush's administration had properly requested the cases closed for national security reasons.

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday stayed a Texas court's order forcing set-top box maker EchoStar Corp and satellite pay TV provider DISH Network Corp to disable millions of digital video recorders that infringe on a patent held by TiVo Inc.

Apple Inc plans to invest up to $1 billion over the next nine years to build a data center in North Carolina.

President Barack Obama told Congress on Wednesday that any requirement for mandatory health insurance in a proposed overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system should allow exemptions for the poor and for small businesses.

U.S. President Barack Obama will urge Arabs and Israelis to say publicly what they acknowledge in private about Middle East peace moves and Iran when he speaks to the Muslim world on Thursday.

Top executives of General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC were pressed by angry U.S. senators on Wednesday to rethink plans to slash more than 2,300 dealerships as a key part of their restructuring.

Stocks tumbled on Wednesday, halting a four-day winning streak, as falling oil prices hit energy shares, while less upbeat economic reports rekindled worries about recovery prospects.

Automaker Coda Automotive announced today it has an all-electric sedan ready to enter the U.S. market by 2010.

Wind farm costs have fallen significantly for companies big enough to finance their own projects as the economic crisis cripples competitors for turbines, an executive from RWE Innogy said on Wednesday.

Most global industrial companies that emit a lot of greenhouse gases are not adequately detailing their climate strategies in U.S. financial filings, two studies by environmental and investment groups showed on Wednesday.

Morgan Stanley is likely to be part of the first wave of major banks to exit the U.S. government's bank bailout program after recently selling more than $2 billion of shares, research analysts said on Wednesday.

Stocks tumbled on Wednesday, halting a four-day winning streak, as falling oil prices hit energy shares, while less upbeat economic reports rekindled worries about recovery prospects.

The weak labor market is hurting U.S. cities -- centers of many industries and large housing markets -- with 93 metropolitan areas registering an unemployment rate of at least 10 percent in April, according to Labor Department data released on Wednesday.

American Express Co said on Wednesday that it would suffer less than its rivals from a new U.S. law curbing certain practices by credit card companies because it depends less on interest paid by customers.

Global airlines, still reeling from the recent flu-virus scare, have stepped up efforts to protect passengers from health risks on international flights.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sounded a cautiously upbeat note on the U.S. economy on Wednesday but warned that corralling government debt was vital to ensuring the nation's long-term health.

An Internet search deal between Yahoo Inc and Microsoft Corp could provide important benefits in scale and yield up to $700 million in cost savings, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz said.

Nokia's popularity among teenagers is fading, as the world's top handset maker has failed to introduce attractive mass-market models, according to a survey by networking site Habbo Hotel.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will lease approximately 500 plug-in hybrid vehicles worldwide which are based its the third-generation