IBT Staff Reporter

Crude oil prices held near 2-1/2 year peaks on Thursday as worries about supply disruption persisted given ongoing unrest in Libya, but upbeat U.S. economic news and a firmer Wall Street helped Asian stocks find a steadier footing.

State and municipal government fiscal conditions that have been battered by the economic downturn will get some relief as growth picks up, but a full recovery will be slow in coming, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.

Corrects iPad 2's mobile operating system

Anheuser-Busch InBev , the world's largest brewer, is set to report a rise in fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, driven by a sharp increase in drinking in Brazil and cost savings in the United States.

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release on bond of a Credit Suisse banker arrested on charges of helping wealthy American clients hide their money from U.S. tax authorities when he worked for UBS AG.

American International Group Inc sold $9.6 billion worth of MetLife Inc shares on Wednesday, producing gross proceeds of about $6.3 billion to accelerate its payback of U.S. Treasury bailout funds.

American International Group sold $9.6 billion in shares of insurer MetLife Inc on Wednesday, closing the offering a day earlier than expected, on strong demand.

U.S. securities regulators issued a proposal on Wednesday to curb bonuses at brokerage and investment advisory firms over the objections of Republicans on the panel and even some doubts expressed by Chairman Mary Schapiro.

Apple Inc unwrapped a sleeker iPad 2 on Wednesday and its maestro Steve Jobs took the stage in San Francisco to a standing ovation after a brief medical absence.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been removed from his position as head of microlender Grameen Bank, Bangladesh's central bank said on Wednesday, but Grameen said he remained in charge.

Political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa adds a dose of uncertainty to an already-fragile U.S. economic recovery, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart said on Wednesday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday a Republican spending cut plan would not cause a big dent to U.S. economic growth, but could cost around 200,000 jobs over two years.

NYSE Euronext lucrative interest rate futures franchise on March 21, the exchange operator said on Wednesday.

Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs surprised investors by presenting the company's new iPad personally at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, calming some fears about his health and helping the company's stock higher.

The U.S. military said it has brought 22 new charges against a soldier accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive U.S. government documents that were later published by the website WikiLeaks.

The energy-hungry U.S. military plans to help develop advanced power storage devices with the help of a branch of the Energy Department that fosters innovation in high-risk, but high-potential, technologies.

The largest industry group representing global gold miners said a proposed U.S. rule aimed at cutting funds to armed rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo will jeopardize Africa's gold mining and economic activities.

Scientists say Earth could be on the brink of its sixth mass extinction.

Economic activity kept slowly gaining strength as 2011 opened and manufacturers and retailers were having some success in pushing their prices up, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.

Apple Inc's maestro Steve Jobs took the stage to unveil the iPad 2 on Wednesday, drawing a standing ovation with his surprise return to the spotlight after a brief medical absence.

Time Warner Inc's HBO is making nearly all of its titles available for its HBO Go service, upping the ante in its fight against Netflix.

Apple Inc's maestro Steve Jobs took the stage to a standing ovation on Wednesday, returning to the spotlight after a brief medical absence to unveil the second version of the iPad.

February sales at Costco Wholesale Corp and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc surpassed Wall Street's expectations, as members drove in for deals on gasoline and stayed to do more of their shopping.

Britain may approve News Corp's $12.5 billion buy-out of BSkyB this week, two sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday, forcing Rupert Murdoch's group to spin off TV news channel Sky News.

Here is a look of five actors that would successful play the role of the Australian editor in chief of WikiLeaks.

U.S. stocks eked out gains on Wednesday despite another rise in oil prices, as investors bet the latest signs of economic strength may be able to absorb expected higher energy costs.

Arsenal made their disastrous Carling Cup loss a distant memory with a 5-0 hammering of league one side Leyton Orient in the FA Cup fifth-round replay at the Emirates Stadium.

Steve Jobs said the difference between Apple and its competitors is in its DNA.

British designer John Galliano, who was sacked by fashion house Christian Dior for his alleged anti-Semitic behavior, won a cyber-squatting case on Wednesday.