IBT Staff Reporter

The yen fell and investors took a cautious stance on stocks and riskier assets on Thursday after Standard & Poor's cut Japan's credit rating in a forceful reminder of the fragile state of some leading countries' finances.

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama reiterated his commitment to green technologies by vowing to flood America's highways with plug-in cars and will ask Congress for new programs to support sales and development of electric vehicles.

The Silicon Valley giant will invest $100 million to support research in US universities over the next 5 years to drive innovation in computing and communications.

Features of Sony Next Generation Portable (NGP) a.k.a PSP2 include 5-inch OLED screen, microdual analog sticks, 3G, WiFi, memory card, cameras, touchscreen, touchpad, locations and Game franchises.

Mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been lobbying the Treasury to accept a lower dividend on the preferred stock issued during the government bail out, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the situation.

Nintendo Co Ltd reported a 46.5 percent fall in nine-month profit, as sales of its aging DS handheld device tumbled ahead of the launch of a new, 3D-capable model.

Japanese camera and copier giant Canon Inc on Thursday forecast a 21 percent rise in operating profit for 2011, roughly in line with market expectations, helped by higher camera sales and cost cuts.

Two former Galleon Group portfolio managers admitted to charges of insider trading on confidential company information, strengthening the government's case against Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam a month before his trial

British private equity firm 3i said it made "some high quality" new investments and had significant realisations from the portfolio at good uplifts in the third quarter. 3i said it invested 183 million pounds ($291 million) during the quarter, up from 59 million pounds in the same period of last year.

He has agreed to be a part of the final season

Sony unveiled the successor to the Playstation Portable or the Playstation Portable 2 (PSP2), codenamed the Next Generation Portable (NGP) at the PlayStation Meeting in Tokyo.

Pay-TV firm British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) reported record product sales and strong double-digit growth in profit and revenue for the first half. The company, which lifted its interim dividend by 11 percent to 8.74 pence, said the business has achieved milestone of 10 million customers and total net product growth was 2.193 million.

University makes explicit inclusion of sexual orientation in policy but fails to clarify if this will fully translate into practice

Adam Dell is seeking a greater role in his daughter’s life

Sony on Thursday announced the launch of PlayStation Suite to expand PS Platform to smartphones and other devices at the PlayStation Meeting in Tokyo.

Goldman Sachs on Thursday downgraded motorcycle maker Hero Honda and utility vehicles maker Mahindra & Mahindra to sell, from neutral and buy ratings respectively.

Sony Corp launched a new handheld gaming device, the first to feature 3G wireless connectivity, as it battles with Nintendo's best-selling DS and tries to fend off rising competition from smartphones and tablets.

The BSE Sensex erased early gains and was trading down 0.4 percent on Thursday, as the near-term outlook for foreign funds' interest was far from promising due to better prospects elsewhere.

Nintendo Co Ltd reported a 46 percent fall in quarterly profit, as sales of its aging DS handheld device tumbled ahead of the launch of a new, 3D-capable model next month.

Sony Corp showcased a new handheld gaming device, the first to feature 3G wireless connectivity, as it battles with Nintendo's best-selling DS and tries to fend off rising competition from smartphones and tablets.

Mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been lobbying the Treasury to accept a lower dividend on the preferred stock issued during the government bail out, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the situation.

Microsoft Corp is set to report a dip in earnings on Thursday, a year after the launch of its Windows 7 operating system blew away Wall Street estimates, as sales of personal computers lag expectations and Apple Inc's iPad eats away at the fringes of its core market.

PlayStation Meet 2011 kick starts in Tokyo, Japan even as the anticipation on the Sony PlayStation Portable 2 or PSP2 runs high.

Japanese auto-maker Toyota Motor Corp said it will recall as many as 1.7 million vehicles worldwide over concerns about a possible fuel leakage problem.

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India's top drugmaker, said on Thursday its chief financial officer had resigned, the third top official to quit after Japan's Daiichi Sankyo took majority control.

U.S. owner of warehouses and distribution centers ProLogis said late on Wednesday it is in merger talks with rival AMB Property Corp .

The U.S. dollar held near 2-1/2 month lows on Thursday, while commodity prices and Asian stocks rose after U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers voted unanimously to maintain a $600 billion bond-buying plan to fuel an economic recovery.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc is already feeling pressure from the next Apple Inc iPhone and forecast a steeper than usual drop in sales this quarter as a result, sending its shares down 6.8 percent.

Netflix Inc. reported blockbuster profit and signed up another 3 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, making clear why the movie rental company worries competitors and delights investors.