IBT Staff Reporter

New 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.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said it would manage nearly 1,600 stores in 20 eastern U.S. states from Atlanta, putting a closer focus on opportunities to grow its business in states such as New York.

NATO has agreed to take over the job of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya from U.S. led coalition.

Lady Gaga is thanking her fans for making her latest single Born This Way number one for the sixth week on the Billboard chart by releasing Born This Way (The Country Road Version) on Twitter on Friday.

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.

The legal battle between Sony Computer Entertainment America and a hacker who published a jailbreak has taken a new turn in the wake of accusations that he deliberately withheld evidence from Sony

On a warm, Lisbon day last May, Jean-Claude Trichet, the ice-cool president of the European Central Bank, was asked whether the bank would consider buying euro zone governments' bonds in the open market.

Global stocks rose for a sixth day on Thursday and are now higher than when Japan's earthquake and tsunami struck, buoyed by confidence that the world economic recovery remains on track.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday as investors shifted focus to jobs data later in the morning, temporarily brushing off euro zone debt concerns.

Brean Murray Carret & Co. cut its profit estimates and price target of Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. (NYSE: PVH), saying it makes more sense in the current environment to be conservative.

According to research group NPD Group, the shuttering of Limewire's music file sharing service has led to a similar decline in the usage of such services throughout the US.

Brent crude see-sawed on Thursday, as concerns about instability in the Middle East were offset by worries about the economic health of the eurozone following the resignation of Portugal's prime minister.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday as investors shifted focus to jobs data later in the morning, temporarily brushing off euro zone debt concerns.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it has lifted restrictions against using tap water for consumption by infants in Tokyo's 23 wards and 5 adjacent cities, according to a report from public broadcaster NHK.

Britain's triple-A sovereign debt rating could be at risk if slower economic growth makes it harder for the government to rein in its budget deficit, ratings agency Moody's said on Thursday.

ASIASOFT forays into Indonesia

Oil rose on Thursday, as concerns about instability in the Middle East outweighed worries about the economic health of the eurozone following the resignation of Portugal's prime minister.

Flurry, a mobile application provider, announced the launch of its Game Acceleration Program (GAP) for iOS and Android platforms on Thursday .

Global stocks inched higher on Thursday and are now higher than when Japan's earthquake and tsunami struck, buoyed by confidence that the world economic recovery remains on track.

The resignation of Portugal's prime minister will dominate a summit of EU leaders on the European economy on Thursday and Friday, with pressure intense on Lisbon to seek a bailout package.

U.S. stocks were expected to open little changed on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 trading flat to 0.1 percent higher.

Political turmoil in Portugal and looming elections in other countries are expected to prevent a summit of European Union leaders this week from taking tough decisions to address the region's debt crisis.

U.S. regulators have asked Citigroup , Deutsche Bank , Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase to make employees available as witnesses in a Libor probe, Bloomberg said, citing two people briefed on the plans.

Japan, which is grappling with the impact of March 11 earthquake and the resultant tsunami, may be pushed towards a recession, an expert told IBTimes.

(Corrects 11th paragraph to state that Fukushima factory assembles digital cameras and audio equipment and Sendai plant makes optical pick-ups, not vice-versa.)

China still sees risks from euro-zone debt problems and has increased its holdings of European government bonds to help the region, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Baidu Inc, China's largest search engine, said on Thursday it would introduce anti-piracy technology for its document and books product in May, countering criticism that the firm has been lax in dealing with copyright-infringing material.

As the world closely watches the latest developments at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in earthquake-torn Japan, work to prevent meltdown resumes, workers are hospitalized after radiation exposure, while IAEA said serious concerns remain.

Brent crude fell for a second day on Thursday, shedding as much as 0.4 percent toward $115, after the resignation of Portugal's prime minister rekindled euro-zone concerns, prompting oil traders to unwind long positions and take profits.