IBT Staff Reporter

ASX Group Ltd (ASX.AX) eked out a small first-half profit growth, but focus was squarely on the completion of Singapore Exchange's (SGXL.SI) $7.9 billion bid for the Australian bourse operator, a move to help the bourses fight growing competition.

Visa and banks will press lawmakers on Thursday for relief from a proposed slashing of debit card processing fees, an issue that has attracted bipartisan support for softening the impact of part of the Dodd-Frank financial law.

Asian shares eked out modest gains for the second consecutive day on Thursday after the Federal Reserve offered a cautiously optimistic view of the U.S. economy, while oil prices edged higher on growing tensions in the Middle East.

In an attempt to sabotage the pro-democracy protests, Iran has censored internet by slowing speed, electronic communication and the media has been gagged.

The National Retail Federation said it expects U.S. retail sales to rise 4 percent in 2011, continuing a trend of improving consumer spending last year that intensified over the holidays.

Memo from Chancellor to Governor's office indicates that the flagship campus at Madison is looking at breaking away from the UW state system altogether.

Zack Snyder the earlier director has been sidelined.

Asian stock markets rose on Thursday, buoyed by strong corporate earnings and as the Federal Reserve expressed cautious optimism about the strength of the U.S. economic recovery.

Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's No.4 PC brand, beat expectations by posting a 25 percent rise in third-quarter net profit, its best result in more than two years, helped by a strengthening Chinese currency and lower component costs.

U.S. bank regulators are finalizing punishments against mortgage servicers after a probe found critical deficiencies with the industry's foreclosure processes.

Actor Corey Haim's mother spoke out for the first time on Wednesday about her son, who died suddenly on March 10, 2010.

Nvidia Corp forecast quarterly revenue above expectations as sales of its cutting-edge processors for smartphones and tablets accelerate this year.

Under the category of artificial intelligence, it represents both a loss and a triumph for humans.

New York City's bank tax collections ran 48 percent above a year-ago, one of several taxes whose encouraging performance might give Mayor Michael Bloomberg some extra cash to spend in next year's budget.

Citigroup Inc granted more than 18 million stock options to 15 senior executives, an award that could handsomely increase their compensation if the slowly recovering bank's share price rises.

A group of Republican lawmakers opened another front in a battle against the Federal Communications Commission's Internet traffic rules, filing a resolution of disapproval on Wednesday.

Arsenal stunned Barcelona, and the rest of the world, with a late comeback win at the Emirates Stadium in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 round, while Shakhtar Donetsk stunned AS Roma in the other fixture.

Blame the high price of cotton for T-shirts that might feel just a bit scratchier this spring, or pants that seem to stretch out after one washing.

Deborah McWhinney, the head of Citigroup Inc's rapidly shrinking wealth management business, is leaving her post following a whirlwind two-year reign.

PepsiCo Inc will sell its Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice in clear bottles, not the familiar coated-paper cartons, as it tries to take back market share from the Coca-Cola Co brand Simply Orange.

Three items totaling about $2.4 trillion combine for nearly two thirds of President Barack Obama's proposed $3.7 trillion 2012 fiscal year budget.

Online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide, reeling from its spat with American Airlines over a distribution method, reported a wider quarterly loss and forecast first-quarter revenue below analysts' expectations, sending its shares down as much as 8 percent.

A day after the App Store subscription service was announced, Google introduces One Pass while Rhapsody rips Apple.

It was announced that Lohan would appear on David Letterman's TV talk show. It was later announced by producers of The Late Show with David Letterman that the troubled actress would not appear on the show because a mistake had been made.

Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz's bid for Family Dollar Stores Inc underscores growing investor appetite for retailers targeting low-income Americans in a slow economic rebound and has sparked a rally in shares of rivals.

Federal Reserve officials raised their forecasts for economic growth last month but remained unhappy with the job market's recovery.

Stocks rose to fresh 32-month highs on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 double the level it was two years ago as Dell earnings and deal announcements appealed to investors.

Fox used footage of 2010 meeting in 2011 coverage, say reports.

The S&P 500 rose on Wednesday to twice its value from just two years ago, a bounce whose vigor has not been seen since the Great Depression.