IBT Staff Reporter

Tokyo, July 7 - Suzuki Motor Corp <7269.T> plans to spend 40 billion yen ($494 million) to relocate several coastal facilities further inland to avoid damage from possible tsunamis, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday.

Jiang Zemin: Is he dead or alive?

Asian shares drifted up toward a one-month high on Thursday as Chinese bank shares bounced higher on hopes of a near-term pause in policy tightening, while the euro steadied before a widely expected rate hike from the European Central Bank later in the day.

A downgrade of Portugal's credit rating to junk status underlines how the Greek crisis is poisoning other weak countries in the euro zone, regardless of their own efforts to shrink their debt and return to growth.

A massive sandstorm stormed raged through Phoenix Tuesday night, halting air traffic and initiating coughing fits across the the city. At its climax, visibility declined to zero.

Bank of America Corp lost its bid to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of reneging on promises to help borrowers modify their mortgage loans under a much-criticized federal program.

Employees at Starbucks Corp's outlets in Chile plan to walk out on Thursday because, they say, their wages are so low that they can't afford to buy lunch, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Christine Varney, the top antitrust official in the U.S. Justice Department, is stepping down to become a partner at an elite law firm in New York.

Egyptians are protesting military trials this week, with the largest protest slated to erupt Friday.

Brokerage Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, a joint venture between Morgan Stanley and Citigroup , said personal information of 34,000 investment clients stored on two CDs was lost in transit to a government office last month, the Wall Street Journal reported citing a company spokesman.

Natalaie Portman and her fiancé Benjamin Millepied have revealed their baby's name.

According to the National Retail Federation, certain mainstays in the technology industry experienced the largest growth among all retailers in 2010.

Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer's run as the host of a political show on CNN lasted only nine months, as the cable network eliminated the In the Arena program from its evening lineup.

Rupert Murdoch promised full cooperation on Wednesday to resolve a scandal shaking his media empire after British Prime Minister David Cameron promised an inquiry into what he called disgusting phone hacking by a newspaper.

A U.S. judge denied Apple Inc's attempt to quickly stop online retailer Amazon.com Inc from using the App Store name, according to a court document.

The fashion industry's most famous celebrities, including Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani, showcased their talent at the ongoing during Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2011/2012 fashion show in Paris this week.

Samsung Electronics, the world's top maker of memory chips and televisions, estimated April-June operating profit would fall 26 percent, as its LCD display business is widely expected to report another loss.

Internet video company Hulu expects its number of paid subscribers to top 1 million by summer's end, earlier than previously forecast, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

A federal appeals court initiated an order Wednesday blocking the don't ask, don't tell policy in the military today. The 9th U.S. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said that the process of repealing the policy is well underway, and the preponderance of the armed forces are expected to have been trained by mid-summer on new procedures.

Moroccan constitutional reform isn't sitting well with some of the North African nation's activists.

Lender Processing Services Inc said its Chief Executive Jeffrey Carbiener resigned due to medical reasons, adding uncertainty at a time when the company is facing various legal and regulatory challenges.

Visa Inc , the world's largest card processing network, said revenue growth will slow next year as a result of a U.S. regulatory crackdown on debit card processing fees.

Hackers have disclosed a bug in software from Apple Inc that security experts said could be exploited by criminals looking to gain remote control over iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.

Facebook announced the 'super awesome' news that they will be partnering with Skype with plans to offer users video chat through the social network website - is it in response to a growing threat called Google+ Hangouts?

The judge in the Clemens perjury trial seemed annoyed by both the defense and prosecution during the trial's first day.

The City Council of Chicago has agreed to today Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s ordinance which allowed gun ranges to operate in the city, but with restrictions.

The final shuttle launch may be hit by a wave of tropical storms, pushing the possibility of delay up to 70 percent.

A century ago, it was the explorers and infantrymen of Europe's great powers slugging it out for slices of Africa. Now, it is the agents of Chinese and Brazilian capital, but the competition is just as fierce.

Visa Inc , the world's largest card processing network, said revenue growth will slow next year as a result of a U.S. regulatory crackdown on debit card processing fees.