IBT Staff Reporter

Hutchison Whampoa Ltd <0013.HK>, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's flagship ports-to-telecommunications company, reported a more than sevenfold rise in first-half net profit, helped by a hefty one-off gain from the spin-off of its port assets.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on the economy's health.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates at 1.5 percent as expected on Thursday, but may signal it is back in crisis mode at its upcoming news conference as the euro zone debt crisis continues to roil the bloc.

A stuttering economy and anemic profit growth means company bosses' pay is unlikely to rise as fast this year as in 2010, but complaints from politicians and disgruntled shareholders over executive rewards are not going away.

General Motors Co.'s quarterly profit nearly doubled, beating expectations, as the top U.S. automaker took a larger share of sales globally and raised prices on its vehicles.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on economic health.

Japan intervened in the currency market and the central bank eased monetary policy on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the health of the global economy.

While shooting for "Machete", the director was mighty impressed with her multitasking skills and that inspired him to create Jessica Alba's role in the movie Spy Kids. Jessica Alba plays the step mother of the new faces Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook in the franchise. The movie kicks into action when the kids discover that Jessica Alba is a former spy and she is called back into action.

Hutchison Whampoa Ltd <0013.HK>, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's flagship ports-to-telecommunications company, posted a 632 percent rise in first-half net profit, helped by hefty one-off gain from the spin-off of its port assets, but lagging market forecasts.

A baby was born during a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident that claimed another person's life in Washington D.C.

Google Realtime Search, which was disabled for the launch of Google+ is being revived once again to feature data from Google+, Facebook, Twitter and other social sources.

Hollywood's highest paid Actresses

Some of Europe's biggest consumer goods groups defied high input costs and tepid demand to report higher sales.

Kraft Foods Inc said it would split itself into two listed companies, a global snacks business and a North American grocery business, and raised its full-year outlook on better-than-expected quarterly results.

Japan sold one trillion yen ($12.5 billion) and loosened its monetary reins on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the deteriorating health of the global economy.

A method of predicting which individuals may become friends on social networking sites based on the places they visit out in the real world has been developed by researchers at Cambridge University in Britain.

Deutsche Telekom is on track to meet its 2011 targets, it said on Thursday, despite a poor performance in the United States, continued economic weakness in southeastern Europe and sluggish growth in Germany.

Food maker Kraft Foods Inc said it would split itself into two listed companies, comprising its global snacks business and its North American grocery business.

Euro zone sovereign bond markets steadied on Thursday ahead of a crucial European Central Bank policy-setting meeting that investors hope will signal a more aggressive approach to fighting the currency area's debt crisis.

An economic slowdown and debt market turmoil mean the European Central Bank will probably hit 'pause' on its interest rate raising cycle for several months and may even signal on Thursday a readiness to buy bonds again.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly weaker open on Wall Street on Thursday after a late recovery in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 all down 0.1 percent.

Spain paid sharply higher yields to sell 3.3 billion euros ($4.70 billion) of bonds on Thursday after a renewed market attack that has driven its costs of borrowing close to unsustainable levels.

As Facebook's recently launched competitor Google+ is raging ahead with 25 million unique visitors, Randi Zuckerberg, Director of Marketing Facebook, has decided to leave.

Deep discounts and the warmest July weather in decades should help retail chains report a rise in monthly sales, with many expecting warehouse clubs and high-end chains to lead the way.

Global miner Rio Tinto reported a 35 percent jump in first-half profit on Thursday, but it missed market expectations and sweetened the result with a $2 billion expansion of its existing share buyback program.

The Bank of Japan eased monetary policy by boosting its asset buying scheme in a rate review that was cut short by one day in the wake of Tokyo's solo intervention to weaken the yen.

More than 30 North Korean hackers were hired to work in China by a South Korean crime ring to steal the personal data of South Korean gamers, and channeled $5 million to their impoverished country in compensation, South Korea's police said on Thursday.

Charles "Bubba" Smith, former American Football star turned actor, was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Wednesday. He was 66.

Euro zone sovereign bond markets steadied Thursday ahead of a crucial European Central Bank policy-setting meeting that investors hope will signal a more aggressive approach to fighting the currency area's debt crisis.