IBT Staff Reporter

Financial leaders of the world's richest countries will hold talks on Friday on ways to calm global markets roiled by Japan's nuclear plant crisis and concern it will unravel the world economy's fragile recovery.

The yen briefly hit record highs versus the dollar on Thursday as quake-hit Japan's nuclear crisis unleashed a global risk sell-off, while world stocks ticked higher after Tokyo stocks came off earlier lows.

The scandalous 'Two and Half Men' actor Charlie Sheen is expected to give a major boost to the Japan relief fund as his estimated earnings from his upcoming tour gigs has been put up at $300,000, a part of which he has vowed to donate to Red Cross.

Bahrain arrested several opposition leaders on Thursday as part of a crackdown on anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom, driven by majority Shiites, who are calling for democracy and civil rights.

LONDON, March 17 - Oil was up over $1 on Thursday as tensions in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain fueled fears of further supply disruption while investors weighed the impact on energy demand from quake-hit Japan.

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, the three highest ranked players in the World, all progressed to the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals with straight-set wins.

The International Atomic Energy Agency lists out the human injuries or contamination at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, after an official statement from Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary.

After seeing his side advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho said that he hoped to avoid facing his former clubs Inter Milan and Chelsea due to the emotional difficulty that comes with it.

SINGAPORE, March 17 - Brent reversed early losses to hold above $111 on Thursday as tensions in the Middle East kept a floor under prices, while investors continued to weigh the impact on energy demand from a worsening nuclear crisis in quake-hit Japan.

Japan's Nissan Motor has been able to repair some damaged facilities and/or equipment, it is still taking time to arrange delivery of parts from our suppliers, the company said in a statement on the latest update on post-earthquake operations.

Global major in financial software, MetaQuotes Software Corp. set a new example in CSR when it recently announced a free offer of its groupware TeamWox to any educational institution in the world.

The yen surged to a record high against the dollar and Asian shares fell on Thursday after U.S. officials said the risk of a catastrophic radiation leak from an earthquake-stricken Japanese nuclear plant was rising.

Bank of America, Citigroup and Barclays have received subpoenas from U.S. regulators probing the setting of the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, for U.S. dollars between 2006 and 2008, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the investigation.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange and Japanese financial regulators plan to keep markets open despite a report that some foreign financial institutions are calling for Japan's stock market to halt trading.

Selena Gomez, who seemed hesitant to speak about her relationship with Justin Bieber, failed to conceal with, courtesy her blushing.

Police from around the world have arrested 184 suspected child sex offenders and identified over 200 victims of child abuse following one of the biggest investigations of its kind by law enforcement agencies across the world, the European Police Office (Europol) said.

Presenting a look at the five best engineering schools in the U.S. as ranked by U.S. News and World Report

Real Madrid broke the jinx and qualified for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in seven years after a 3-0 victory over French side Olympique Lyon at the Santiago Bernabeu.

SINGAPORE - Brent crude reversed losses, heading back toward $111 after losing 1 percent earlier on Thursday, as investors weighed Middle East tensions against risks to demand from the nuclear crisis in quake-hit Japan.

Japanese officials blamed the yen's surge to a record high on speculators and kept markets on alert for a possible intervention ahead of Group of Seven talks later on Thursday about steps to calm financial markets roiled by Japan's deepening nuclear crisis.

The yen surged to a record high against the dollar and shares in Japan and elsewhere in Asia fell on Thursday after U.S. officials said the risk of a catastrophic radiation leak from an earthquake-stricken Japanese nuclear plant was rising.

The Group of Seven advanced nations will hold talks later on Thursday to discuss the impact of Japan's deepening nuclear crisis, Japanese officials said, while dismissing the need for joint intervention in currency markets.

SINGAPORE, March 17 - Brent crude fell by as much as 1 percent on Thursday to below $110 as Japan's worsening nuclear crisis buffeted stock markets, raising questions about the impact of the earthquake on growth and energy demand.

Mizuho Bank <8411.T> said that all of its automatic teller machines throughout Japan and its Internet transaction system have stopped working on Thursday, after computer glitches disrupted $7.3 billion worth of transactions over the previous two days.

Video game maker THQ Inc said it sold 375,000 copies of its new military-themed video Homefront on the first day of sales in North America.

The yen soared to a record high against the dollar on Thursday before pulling back to near 80, surging in chaotic trading as a break of the previous peak triggered a cascade of stop-loss and algorithmic sales.

The head of the main soft commodity exchange said on Wednesday he loved high-frequency traders, lauding their liquidity despite complaints from other traders that they're wrecking the market.

The board of News Corp has been sued by shareholders for agreeing to buy a business owned by Chairman Rupert Murdoch's daughter for about $675 million, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.

The Group of Seven rich nations will discuss on Thursday possible steps to calm volatile financial markets roiled by fears about the deepening crisis in Japan.