IBT Staff Reporter

Shortly before the release of the 3DS, Nintendo is hinting at a reduced 3D effort.

The U.S. Standard & Poor's 500 index will finish the year with double-digit gains, unfazed by Japan's nuclear crisis or unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, which is driving up oil prices, a Reuters poll found.

Grocery retailers' store-brand products are expected to double their share of the global packaged food market over the next 15 years to make up half the market, according to a report issued on Thursday.

A new study claims that religion may be on the way out in some parts of Europe, largely because it isn't as useful to adherents as it once was.

The Associated Press is reporting that singer Chris Brown apologized for his outburst during his appearance at Good Morning America earlier this week.

Jeremy Morlock, a U.S. soldier who admitted to the murders of three Afghan civilians in 2009 and 2010 and struck a plea deal to testify against other soldiers in his unit also accused of crimes, was sentenced on Wednesday by a military judge to 24 years in prison, with the opportunity for parole within 7 years.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell as expected last week, with the four-week moving average dropping to it lowest level in more than 2-1/2 years, showing the labor market healing was becoming entrenched.

ConAgra Foods Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as it raised prices, but said inflation would reduce earnings for the current period.

China's ZTE Corp <0763.HK> is seeing higher prices for phone parts such as batteries, displays and radio filters due to supply shortages in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, helped by optimism about earnings and investors buying the quarter's high performers, while the S&P 500's push above a key level could signal further gains.

Brent crude oil prices edged back up on Thursday on news that a French fighter jet, part of a U.N. coalition enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, had destroyed a Libyan war plane, raising more worries of a longer supply outage from the strife-torn North African nation.

As news of the star's death spread a number of celebrities took to Twitter to post their reactions and condolences to Taylor's family.

Dutch navigation and digital map maker TomTom, which is struggling with competition from map offerings by Google and Nokia, is not looking to sell its mapping unit, denying a report it might consider a sale.

Stone Rose men's apparel company now has the hair on loan from Golden Palace and is hosting a picture day with Bieber's hair to raise money for tsunami victims in Japan.

An association representing companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft is speaking out against the potential merger between AT&T and T-Mobile.

Gwen Stefani is the latest celebrity reaching out to help Japan. OK! Magazine is reporting that the singer and fashion designer has donated $1 million to the country which was devastated after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

Google says the DUI checkpoint evasion apps in question do not appear to violate its app policies.

Amazon.com Inc is well-positioned to grab market share from Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Target Corp given its competitive pricing and wide assortment, analysts at William Blair & Co said, and upgraded Amazon to outperform.

Former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chief Executive Officer Mark Hurd wants to keep a letter that he says describes his relationship with a contractor under seal.

ConAgra Foods Inc reported quarterly earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations due to price increases, but said inflation would eat into the next quarter's profits.

Brent crude fell over $1 on Thursday after mixed U.S. data, against a backdrop of instability in the Middle East and new eurozone debt worries following the resignation of Portugal's prime minister.

Best Buy Co Inc beat quarterly profit estimates as strength in its mobile business offset weak demand for televisions and entertainment software in the all-important holiday season.

The 24-year-old actress turned down a plea deal that included jail time and chose to move forward with a trial in her felony grand theft case, People.com confirmed.

U.S. stocks gained on Thursday as portfolio managers and hedge funds purchased high-performing shares near the end of the quarter, but options investors placed more defensive bets on the market.

French Fighter jets shot down a Libyan warplane about 150 mile east of Tripoli Thursday after Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces violated a no-fly zone, according to a report on Wednesday about 150 miles east of Tripoli.

Shares of companies active in Thursday's early trade are: Red Hat, IMAX, Steelcase, Micron Technology, Best Buy, Salesforce.com, Paychex, Hologic, H.B. Fuller Co. and Northern Oil & Gas.

Approximately a week after it was announced that Julianne Moore will take on the role of Sarah Palin in HBO's Game Change the casting for the presidential nominee, John McCain, has been announced.

European Central Bank policymakers underscored the case for an April rate hike on Thursday as Portugal's political crisis raised the prospect of another spell of reluctant ECB bond market intervention.

Astronomers may have found the coldest stars known, a set of brown brown dwarf stars.