IBT Staff Reporter

Hewlett-Packard Co is close to a deal to buy British software company Autonomy for $10 billion and will announce on Thursday a long-rumored spinoff of its PC division, the world's largest, two sources familiar with the company's plans said.

Stocks sank on Thursday as data fueled worries the economy was weakening and bank shares tumbled on fears the European financial crisis could spread havoc to other parts of the world.

Global brewer SABMiller is raising a $12.5 billion syndicated loan to back its hostile bid for Fosters , banking sources said on Thursday.

Mosaid Technologies asked shareholders on Thursday to take no action on an unsolicited C$480 million ($490 million) offer from rival patent firm WiLan, the latest sign of swelling global interest in increasingly valuable patents.

AT&T is getting rid of low-end texting plans, opting for an all or nothing model.

Despite decades of efforts to beat it with insecticides, indoor spraying, bed nets and combination drugs, malaria still kills nearly 800,000 people each year, most of them babies and young children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite anemic growth so far this year, the risk of a double-dip recession is quite low, a top Federal Reserve policymaker said on Thursday.

AT&T has confirmed Thursday that it will force customers into all-or-nothing texting option.AT&T users have so far enjoyed an option for $10 plan of 1,000 messages per month, which will be removed in three days.

Existing home sales unexpectedly dropped in July as cancellations of pending contracts continued to depress buying activity.

The New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Amex Cash Markets on Thursday invoked a rule to smooth trading at the market open, as futures pointed to a sharp drop in the major indexes.

U.S. stocks tumbled 3 percent in early trading on Thursday, weighed down by bank shares, as a report that regulators were intensifying their review of European banks' U.S. units shook up investors.

A bold push by China into iron ore projects in Africa and elsewhere will increase its access to supply and may help moderate prices but will only slowly reduce its dependence on the three companies that dominate the market.

News Corp executive James Murdoch did not try to cover up the truth by blacking out sections of an incriminating letter written by disgraced News of the World royal reporter Clive Goodman, lawyers acting for the company said Thursday.

Stocks dropped sharply on Thursday as data fueled worries the economy was weakening and bank shares tumbled on fears the European financial crisis could spread havoc to other parts of the world.

As Dota 2 tournament at the Gamescom 2011 heats up, the end of the giant game event will be followed by the beta release of Dota 2, starting from an invitation-based service moving to a public beta.

Nicolette French, a friend of Jared Cano, the 17-year-old boy accused of planning an attack on a Florida high school, told MyFoxTampaBay.com that the suspect told her that he aspired to another Columbine. The girl described Cano as kind of off and said that he sporadically talked about news that there was another Columbine thing going on at Tampa Bay Tech, or one of those other schools, MyFoxTampaBay.com reported.

Exxon Mobil Corp sued the government to reverse a decision by the Department of the Interior to cancel offshore oil and gas leases estimated to yield tens of billions of dollars of oil.

Barclays Capital cut price targets on several U.S. auto companies including Ford Motor and GM after the recent pullback in their shares.

The Dow Theory confirms what the market is demonstrating today: It’s time to sell stocks as the economy barrels towards another recession

The Federal Reserve Bank is taking a closer look at the U.S. units of Europe's biggest banks, concerned that a euro zone debt crisis could spill into the U.S. banking system, the Wall Street Journal reported.

At least six people died and 25 others were injured Thursday in a three-stage terrorist attack along Israel's border with Egypt. The attack was initiated when terrorists opened fire at an Egged bus on Road 12 near Eilat, Israel's southernmost city.

Along with a portfolio of 17,000 patents, Google also stands to acquire a profile of super Android devices from its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

The number of Americans claiming new jobless benefits rose last week and consumer prices increased at the fastest pace in four months in July, highlighting the challenges facing the Federal Reserve.

Three months ago, with the Federal Reserve nearing the end of its second major stimulus program and inflation pressures on the rise, Albert Edwards' bond market view stood out from the crowd.

Jose Baez, Casey Anthony's lead attorney, is under investigation by the Florida Bar Association.Wednesday, Anthony's lawyers appealed court to overrule an order requiring Anthony to return to Orlando to serve a year of supervised probation on a check fraud conviction.

Caterpillar Inc said growth in dealer sales of its heavy equipment slowed in the three months ended July, particularly in North America, reinforcing concerns about the struggling U.S. economy.

Exxon Mobil Corp sued the government to reverse a decision by the Department of the Interior to cancel offshore oil and gas leases estimated to yield tens of billions of dollars of oil.

The United States and euro zone are dangerously close to recession, Morgan Stanley said on Thursday, criticizing policymakers and predicting the European Central Bank will have to reverse its rates policy.

China Mobile said it hoped to launch Apple iPhones soon to accelerate uptake of high-end 3G services as it reported first-half profit at the top end of expectations.