IBT Staff Reporter

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.

The European Central Bank held interest rates at 1.5 percent on Thursday and is likely to indicate that a policy tightening cycle it began in April is on hold in the face of growing evidence the euro zone's economic recovery is losing momentum.

Apple's latest litigation was filed in Japan against its rival Samsung for violating patents for the iPhone and iPad.

The European Central Bank is expected to signal a change in policy direction on Thursday, halting an interest-rate rise cycle just five months after it started as the euro zone debt crisis weighs on the economy.

The outlook for economic growth in developed countries has got much worse in the last three months, the OECD said on Thursday and urged central banks to keep rates low and be ready to pursue other forms of easing.

Motorola Droid Bionic, one of the most anticipated smartphones this year along with iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S2, is launching today on Verizon’s fast 4G network.

Apple is seeking to ban sales of some Samsung Electronics gadgets in Japan, accusing its rival of violating patents relating to the iPhone and iPad, the latest salvo in a series of patent battles between the two companies.

Stock index futures pointed to a firmer open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 flat to 0.2 percent higher at 0916 GMT.

Growing numbers of China's rich want to avoid publicizing their wealth, Forbes said, reflecting fears of official scrutiny amid a vast and growing rich-poor divide after several billionaires have ended up in jail.

Research firm Gartner slashed its growth forecast for the global PC market this year to 3.8 percent from its earlier forecast of 9.3 percent, citing slower economies in Western Europe and the United States.

In early August, Philipp Hildebrand pulled out of an expedition to mark the bicentennial of the first ascent of the Jungfrau, one of the highest mountains in the Alps.

Pop music icon, Neil Diamond has announced via Twitter that he is engaged to Katie McNeil, his co-manager.

Hitachi Ltd <6501.T> said on Thursday it has bought struggling California-based network storage company BlueArc Corp in an all-cash transaction after a five-year OEM partnership, in the latest such move to take advantage of the yen's strength.

Samsung Galaxy S2 has already wasted a lot of time, missing its summer window to hit the U.S. smartphone market and it isn’t set to launch until Sept.16, when Sprint will launch Galaxy S 2 Epic 4G Touch.

HTC Corp has extended its lawsuit against Apple Inc to include nine more patents the Taiwanese firm acquired from Google Inc last week, underscoring intensifying legal actions between the Google camp and Apple.

Apple is suing Samsung Electronics in Japan, accusing it of patent violations relating to the iPhone and iPad, Kyodo news agency said, the latest salvo in a series of patent battles between the two firms.

Middle-aged women, who indulge in moderate consumption of an alcoholic beverage on a regular basis, stand a better chance of staying healthy as they grow older, research shows.

The euro slipped on Thursday ahead of a European Central Bank meeting that is expected to call a halt to its rate tightening cycle to support economies battered by a two-year-old sovereign debt crisis, while a stock rally ran out of steam.

The euro slipped and European stock index futures inched up on Thursday ahead of a European Central Bank meeting that is expected to call a halt to its rate tightening cycle to support economies battered by a two-year-old sovereign debt crisis.

Forbes' latest ranking of China's richest people pits stolid industrial muscle against high-tech, with the head of an earth-moving company pipping the co-founder of the nation's biggest Internet search engine for the top spot.

There are few surer ways for an executive to lose a good reputation than to be CEO of Yahoo Inc. Just ask Carol Bartz or Terry Semel.

Amazon.com Inc is in a deal with legislators to avoid a ballot battle over the state's insistence that the online retailer collect state sales tax on purchases by Californians, the LA Times said.

China's local currency debt rating could face a downgrade over the next 12 to 24 months if an expected deterioration in asset quality materializes, according to ratings agency Fitch.

IBM has signed an extended deal estimated at up to $1 billion to manage the information technology systems of Vodafone's Indian unit until 2017, the Economic Times reported on Thursday.

U.S. investigators probing the alleged manipulation of interbank lending rates are now focusing on possible violations of a commodities law that has previously been used to send financial executives to prison, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the probe.

A passenger plane carrying a Russian ice hockey team to a season-opening match crashed after takeoff from a provincial airport on Wednesday, killing 43 people and plunging the Russian and international sports world into grief.