IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks edged higher in choppy trade on Thursday, led by gains in the technology sector ahead of a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama laying out a major jobs package.

Spain wants the European Union to crack down on social networking profiles that promote anorexia after Twitter refused the country's request to block messages promoting eating disorders.

Phil Masterson, a mixed martial arts fighter, was found dead in the woods of Put-in-Bay in northern Ohio, and when an arrest was made Wednesday, the suspect also shows exposure to mixed martial arts.

New U.S. jobless claims rose unexpectedly last week, further evidence of a weak labor market just hours before President Barack Obama delivers a major address to Congress on the issue.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Thursday as data showed a weaker labor market ahead of a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama detailing his plan for jobs growth.

Droid Bionic may not be able to enjoy its hallowed title of the most powerful phone on Verizon LTE network for long as rumors of some strong 4G LTE contenders have been doing rounds lately.

The U.S. economy may be stumbling, but it is still standing.

Booming demand for Apple's iPhone and phones using Google's Android software lifted second-quarter smartphone sales in Western Europe by 48 percent year on year, while former market leader Nokia fell further behind.

Basketball Wives' star Evelyn Lozada has been heavily in the rumor mill this week as the cast-member has reportedly chosen to leave the hit reality TV show for the upcoming fourth season to prepare for motherhood and marital bliss with fiancé and NFL player, Chad Ochocinco.

The search is on for new investment safe havens following Switzerland's blocking off of its franc, diverting flows into less traditional assets that may already be too expensive.

* THE ISSUE: The end of Carol Bartz's rocky two-year tenure as chief executive at Yahoo and replacement by an interim chief suggests the company's turnaround is still down the road. The question is what's next for its shares.

DirecTV is expanding its NFL Sunday Ticket television package, which lets viewers watch football outside their local markets, to see if it can make some extra money from broadcasting the games on the Internet.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed much more than expected in July as strong Latin American demand helped push exports to a new record and imports fell slightly, a government report showed on Thursday.

NASA's GRAIL launch delayed due to high winds.

Stocks slipped on Thursday after data showed continued softness in the labor market but a shrinking trade gap, ahead of a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama detailing his plan for jobs growth.

The heated patent war between Apple and Samsung has found a new battlefield: Japan.

Britain's central bank left interest rates at a record low 0.5 percent for the 30th straight month on Thursday, leaving open the possibility that it may restart its quantitative easing program should the economy weaken further.

South Korea's LG Electronics Inc has slashed about 30 percent of overseas staff at its struggling mobile phone division as a part of broad-based reforms to turn the money-losing business around, media reported on Thursday.

Anger at Greece's failure to meet fiscal targets that are a condition for its international bailout is nearing breaking point in Germany and the Netherlands, with senior politicians talking openly about a possible Greek exit from the euro zone.

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose unexpectedly last week, further evidence of a weak labor market just hours before President Barack Obama unveils a plan on job creation in a major address to Congress.

The questions surrounding the way in which the San Francisco’s Police Department assisted the Apple security employees for a missing iPhone prototype believed to be iPhone 5, has triggered an internal investigation at the SFPD.

Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon, the 35- year-old Academy Award winner, was struck down by a car on Sept. 6 in Santa Monica.

A former friend of Michele Le, a Northern California nursing student missing for more than three month, was arrested Wednesday in connection with Le's disappearance.

Apple is planning on shipping out more than 20 million iPhone 5 units this year.

Water for Elephants star Reese Witherspoon was hospitalized after being struck by a car while jogging Wednesday morning, the Santa Monica Police Department confirmed.

New U.S. jobless claims rose unexpectedly last week, further evidence of a weak labor market just hours before President Barack Obama delivers a major address to Congress on the issue.

After learning the economy added no new jobs in August, investors say they are ready for bold ideas from Washington to put people to work.

Fitch Ratings warned on Thursday that it might downgrade China's credit rating within two years as the country's banks struggle with debt loads following a lending surge to help lift the economy during the 2008 financial crisis.

Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors awaited data on the labor market ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's speech unveiling his plan to stimulate jobs growth.