IBT Staff Reporter

Japan's Sharp Corp said it plans to dedicate more than 70 percent of output at one of its liquid-crystal display panel plants to small panels for smartphones and tablets, a move the Nikkei newspaper says is expected to boost the company's 2011/2012 earnings.

Ford Motors is investing $100 million to install robotic plant laser inspection technology to improve quality through reduced wind noise, the carmaker said in a statement.

Microsoft Corp showed off a version of its next operating system at technology conferences in the United States and Taipei, as some PC makers grumbled over restrictions on their involvement in the development of the system.

Asian stocks slid on Thursday, with a steady stream of weak U.S. data putting a damper on risk taking ahead of Friday's payrolls report, though valuations will probably in the near term limit a big decline in global share prices.

Toyota Motor Corporation is recalling 106,000 Prius cars globally to replace the electric power steering pinion shaft attachment nuts, the carmaker said in a statement. Of the total, approximately 52,000 would be from the United States.

Deadly tornadoes swept through the heart of western and central Massachusetts, leaving a trail of destruction and killing 4 people even as rescue efforts were hampered by heavy thunderstorm and hail.

Teens should no longer be allowed to use ultraviolet tanning beds, the California Senate decided Wednesday, with a 24-9 vote.

Oil trading firm Arcadia Petroleum, sued by regulators last week for allegedly manipulating U.S. oil prices, used hardball tactics in Yemen to buy the country's oil exports at below market prices, until authorities revamped their sales process to break the trading house's long-standing monopoly, according to a confidential State Department cable.

Three academics say there was a bubble in LinkedIn Corp's shares during the first four days of its trading, which they have determined definitively using a model they designed.

New York Congressman Anthony Weiner said on Wednesday that he did not send a lewd photo over his Twitter account but cannot be sure that the photo was not of him.

May sales results from U.S. retailers are expected to show how higher gasoline prices have crimped consumer demand for summer clothing and other discretionary items.

The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that cell phone use may cause cancer and carries carcinogenic hazard such as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.

Marilyn Monroe would have turned 85 today.

Boston is in danger of being hit by tornadoes on Wednesday evening as a couple of tornadoes already swept through western and central parts of Massachusetts and killed four people, according to the National Weather Service.

New York Congressman Anthony Weiner said on Wednesday that he did not send a lewd photo over his Twitter account but cannot be sure that the photo was not of him.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma didn't shed new light on his negotiations with Yahoo Inc and Softbank during an appearance at a conference on Wednesday, but he did offer some unexpected advice for Yahoo.

Google said that Gmail email accounts in United States and Asia have been penetrated by hackers who stole the passwords through a phishing scam. Many of the accounts broken belonged to senior US government officials Chinese political activists, military personnel, and journalists.

The National Weather Service has declared Boston is at risk of being struck by tornadoes on Wednesday evening as extreme weather in the western part of Massachusetts has hit Springfield with two twisters which have killed at least 4 people.

Google Inc has yet to agree with authors and publishers on a legal plan to create the world's largest digital library, and a federal judge who struck down an earlier accord gave it another seven weeks to try.

Does the company's new photo sharing service spell doom for the Twit-pics of the world?

Samsung Electronics Co said on Thursday it had filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission against Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp and some of its customers for importing and selling flat-screen devices that it says infringe a number of its patents.

A New York judge dismissed part of a lawsuit brought by bond insurer MBIA against Credit Suisse , and rejected MBIA's request for punitive damages in the case.

Li Na of China became the first Chinese to make it into the semifinals of the French Open. With tactical play and tenacious drive, the sixth seeded Na beat fourth seed Victoria Azarenka 7-5 6-2.

Bruins and Canucks face off in the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals.

A look back at some of Endeavour's most memorable moments.

New York Congressman Anthony Weiner said on Wednesday that he did not send a lewd photo over his Twitter account but cannot be sure that the photo was not of him.

Google Inc confessed it tried unsuccessfully to team up with Facebook, as the search giant adapts to a shifting technology landscape and strives to maintain growth.

New York Congressman Anthony Weiner said on Wednesday that he did not send a lewd photo over his Twitter account but cannot be sure that the photo was not of him.

U.S. companies hired far fewer workers than expected in May and output in the manufacturing sector slowed to its lowest level since 2009, adding to concerns that the U.S. recovery is running out of steam.