UNITED STATES

Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. (NYSE:SBUX) late Thursday reported a 35 percent increase in fourth-quarter earnings but forecast earnings for 2008 are below many Wall Street estimates because of weak consumer spending.

Crude oil prices fell on Thursday after a government report indicated an unexpected rise in U.S. oil and gasoline stocks as winter demand approaches.

US President Bush announced steps to tackle air traffic congestion and reduce passenger delays over the Thanksgiving period starting late next week, the White House said on Thursday.

Stocks declined further in a skittish session on Thursday as investors fretted about the likelihood of more credit losses at big financial services companies. Caution also weighed on the market following an upsurge in volatility that has tended to rock stocks around the close of trading in recent days.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday for a second day, led by a drop in financial shares amid news of further credit market problems, lower retail sales at J.C. Penney, and Wells Fargo's dour assessment of the housing market.

Stocks were set to open lower on Thursday after cautious outlooks from J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Applied Materials Inc added to fears about the profit picture, while nervousness about the credit market persisted.

Two Hollywood directors who are part of a wave of films about the war in Iraq and the broader fallout from the September 11, 2001 attacks have said they were only doing what media failed to do -- telling the truth.

World stocks fell on Thursday while the dollar edged lower as a better-than-expected trading update by Barclays failed to wipe away broader credit concerns.

Gold prices slid on Thursday in choppy trade, giving up overnight gains on a rise in the dollar versus the euro and easing oil prices that dented bullion's role as a hedge against inflation.

Oil drifted lower on Thursday ahead of U.S. government data expected to show a further fall in crude oil supplies in the world's biggest oil consumer.

J.C. Penney Co Inc reported a 9 percent drop in quarterly profit on Thursday, saying sales weakened dramatically in September and October, and the department store operator slashed its fourth-quarter forecast.

U.S. firm American International Group will list an office REIT in Japan this year, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday, a move analysts welcomed while questioning its timing amid the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis.

Asia is still about growth and investment strategies focused on this theme will continue to deliver robust returns for stock investors next year, JPMorgan said on Thursday.

The head of the United Nations' intellectual property watchdog will step down next year, a year early, after documents bearing a false birth date brought pressure on him to resign, diplomats said on Thursday.

The rising Canadian dollar knocked down the value of Canadian manufacturing shipments by 0.9 percent in September to their lowest since October 2006, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.

New applications for U.S. jobless aid rose more than expected to 339,000 last week, and the more-reliable four-week moving average held steady at a 6-month high, government data released on Thursday showed.

Expedia Inc, owner of the largest U.S. online travel agency, and InterContinental Hotels Group Plc, the world's largest hotelier, have entered a deal that offers its rooms on Expedia sites globally, the two companies said on Thursday.

Zurich Financial Services Group's nine-month net profit rose 25 percent, outstripping expectations, and the Swiss insurer announced a further round of cost savings.

For a ruler who's given himself ultimate powers, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has provoked an awful lot of doubt over how long he can survive.

Barclays Plc, Britain's third-biggest bank, unveiled a 1.3 billion pound ($2.7 billion) writedown for losses on securities linked to the U.S. subprime housing crisis, less than was feared. In a surprise trading update on Thursday, the Barclays Capital investment bank unit said it would write down 500 million pounds for the July-September quarter and 800 million pounds for October.

IBM is staking out a major new source of business helping clients like banks or retailers manage data centers on a par with Internet players such as Google or Microsoft, a top official said on Wednesday.