IBT Staff Reporter

Online coupon service Groupon has hired a Google Inc executive to be its new chief operating officer, filling a key slot in its management team ahead of a potential initial public offering, according to a media report.

Easter is just a few days away. On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches.

A ban on early broadcasting of election results that dates from the 1930s puts Canada on a collision course with social media like Twitter and Facebook, making a scofflaw of anyone who tweets too soon.

During Apple's first quarter 2011 earnings Wednesday, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook updated stockholders and analysts on the status of CEO Steve Jobs, who has been on a medical leave of absence since January.

NYSE Euronext directors rejected as too risky and lacking value a sweetened takeover offer from Nasdaq OMX Group and IntercontinentalExchange , the second time in 11 days the board backed a lower bid from Germany's Deutsche Boerse AG .

OK! Magazine is reporting that the extra who tweeted spoilers about the show's prom king and prom queen episode was fired.

New York Times Co's risky attempt to charge fees to website readers looks to be paying off.

Citigroup Inc can be more than just a survivor of the financial crisis, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit told shareholders on Thursday.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday as strong earnings reports lifted big names like Apple, but underwhelming economic data and caution ahead of the long weekend kept gains in check.

A U.S. jury found Mattel Inc misappropriated trade secrets from MGA Entertainment relating to the Bratz doll line and awarded MGA $88.5 million in damages in what appears to be a stunning reversal of legal fortunes.

Apple Inc must clear up a string of open questions about user data stored by its iPhone, iPad, and other devices, a spokesman for Germany's consumer protection ministry said on Thursday.

World number one Rafael Nadal cruised into the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open with a straight-sets victory over Colombia's Santiago Giraldo.

Medical products makers Baxter International Inc and Covidien Plc posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, boosted by robust demand, and they raised their full-year outlooks.

Silver Prices extended their Dollar gains to 7.7% for this week alone, also reaching new multi-decade and all-time highs vs. the world's other major currencies.

A pair of air traffic controllers have been fired and officials are probing a Monday landing incident involving First Lady Michelle Obama, as weeks of embarrassing sleeping incidents and procedural gaffes have prompted a top-to-bottom review of federal air traffic controller training.

General Electric Co posted an 80 percent rise in profit that topped Wall Street's expectations, helped by a strong recovery in its finance arm.

General Motors Co Chairman and Chief Executive Daniel Akerson received $2.53 million in total compensation in 2010.

Raj Rajaratnam's lawyer took his last shot at a trial to keep his client out of prison, telling jurors on Thursday that phone taps and a parade of government witnesses did not prove that the hedge fund manager traded on material inside information about companies.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday as a flurry of strong earnings reports lifted big names like Apple, but underwhelming economic data and caution ahead of the long weekend kept gains in check.

The Lyrid meteor shower peaks tomorrow night, though it starts tonight (April 21) between midnight and dawn. The time for the most activity will be during the day, at 7 p.m. Greenwich time on April 22, but for people watching from the U.S. the best time is probably the early morning hours of April 22 and 23.

NextEra Energy Inc said its unit will sell 100.8 megawatts of wind energy to Google Inc's energy subsidiary, the companies' second such agreement that could help the Internet search giant power its data centers using renewable sources of energy.

Apple Inc's iPhone pushed Verizon Communications Inc's wireless subscribers higher in the first quarter but it also took a toll on profits, sending shares down 1.8 percent.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, but held above the key 400,000 level, according to government report on Thursday.

BP Plc and its partners in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have unleashed a $100 billion-plus barrage of legal claims against each other a year after the rig blast killed 11 workers and created an environmental disaster.

Morgan Stanley's first-quarter profit fell nearly 50 percent, but the results were better than many analysts had forecast thanks to stronger-than-expected fixed-income trading revenue.

Skyrocketing fuel costs and disasters in Japan took a bite of out major U.S. airline earnings reported on Thursday, but higher fares helped the carriers, including United Continental Holdings , meet or beat Wall Street forecasts.

The dollar hit a three-year low against a basket of currencies on Thursday as strong corporate earnings buoyed risk appetite in illiquid pre-Easter trade, threatening to drive the greenback to historic lows.

Morgan Stanley said first-quarter profit dropped nearly 50 percent, hurt by a decline in fixed income trading revenue. The investment bank and brokerage posted net income for shareholders of $736 million, or 50 cents per share, down from $1.411 billion, or 99 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Minnesota Senator Al Franken has called out Apple after reports emerged that the company's products were keeping detailed records of the location data of their users.