UNITED STATES

The dollar gained versus the euro on Thursday as members of the European Central Bank gather today for a meeting to decide on economic policy.

ZymoGenetics Inc., developer and manufacturer of therapeutic proteins, was told by the Food and Drugs Administration that its promotion of the treatment Recothrom had false and misleading material according to a letter released today.

Chinese Food and Drug regulators said pharmaceutical Baxter International Inc. did not fully co-operate in an investigation to address the case of the blood thinner heparin to which 81 deaths are linked due to the presence of a chemical contaminant.

French oil company Total SA said Wednesday its first-quarter net profit jumped 18 percent as record oil prices made up for the weak dollar and a drop in refining margins.

Satellite television service provider DirectTV reported that profit grew 10.4 percent during the first quarter, beating analysts' estimates.

Microsoft will invest $280 million to establish a Research and Development(R&D) Building in Zhongguancun, Beijing, and double the staff within three to five years to reach 3,000 the company said today.

Cablevision announced that its programming unit agreed to buy the Sundance Channel, the network founded by actor Robert Redford, in a deal worth $496 million.

Grand Theft Auto IV, the latest version of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s gangland video game, raked in more than $500 million in sales during its first week in stores, selling more than 6 million units.

Crude futures fell slightly on Wednesday after a report showed U.S. crude inventories rose more than analysts expected the week ended May 2.

U.S stocks fell on Wednesday for the second day this week after reports showed home sales fell in March and oil prices remained in higher territory.

For many, the sight of a bird’s eggs hatching or tulips blooming signifies the arrival of spring. Historically, spring is also the time for rising gasoline prices. Over the last 10 years, the monthly average retail price for regular-grade

Tokyo stocks closed higher Wednesday as optimism over the U.S. economic outlook and the U.S. dollar's strength against the yen during a four-day holiday in Japan spurred buying.

U.S. officials detained a senior banker at Swiss bank UBS as part of an investigation to see if the bank helped its American clients evade taxes, the Financial Times reported.

Dollar drifted lower against the euro yesterday and closed at 1.5529 (1.5491)

The dollar fell versus the euro on Tuesday after the biggest U.S. mortgage financing company, Fannie Mae, reported a bigger than expected first quarter loss.

Chennai-based business conglomerate, Murugappa Group said it has set aside Rs.1300 crore ($325 million) in the current fiscal towards business expansion.

Walt Disney Co shares climbed near 3 percent after the firm reported on Tuesday its quarterly profit climbed triggered by stronger park attendance and better studio results.

Gold futures rose for a third straight session after the dollar fell against the euro and oil surged to a new record above $122 a barrel, boosting the appeal of the precious metal as a hedge against inflation.

Wheat increased the most in more than a month, boosted by speculation that a price cut will increase the demand for U.S. supplies.

Vodafone Plc announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Apple, Inc to sell its iPhone device in ten countries and two carriers in Italy.

Corn advanced on Tuesday following a report that showed that farmers were planting the grain at a slow pace due to excessive rains.