IBT Staff Reporter

Wall Street was set to open little changed on Thursday after economic bellwether FedEx reported quarterly results that missed expectations, suggesting an economic recovery remained tentative.

Nokia, the world's top cellphone maker by volume, has filed 13 new patent infringement suits in Europe against U.S. rival Apple, accusing it of using Nokia technology in its iPhones and iPads.

Stock index futures turned flat on Thursday, giving up some gains after economic bellwether FedEx reported quarterly results that missed expectations.

European Union leaders will be warned on Thursday that a rolling debt crisis poses a systemic threat to the euro zone as they seek to paper over divisions at a summit on how to restore confidence.

All 22 people on board a small passenger plane that crashed in the foothills of the Himalayas of eastern Nepal have been found dead. The Rescue Co-ordination Committee at Kathmandu Airport stated that the wreckage of a the plane was recovered on Thursday at a village 150 kilometers from the capital Kathmandu.

The British government on Wednesday said all the nine electric cars, which will be bought in the country, are eligible for a subsidy of up to £5,000 (or $7,935).

Global regulators said on Thursday that banks in low debt countries like Australia and Denmark will get more leeway to comply with tough new liquidity rules.

For decades, their ability to sell masses of cars and oodles of televisions was how corporate Japan, and its government at home, benchmarked its progress in conquering overseas markets.

For the second time in three years, Bon Jovi topped the annual Billboard Boxscore as the highest money grossing touring act for 2010.

Stock index futures were slightly higher on Thursday as investors awaited data on jobs and housing and corporate earnings from bellwether FedEx for signs of improvement in the economy.

The war in Afghanistan is unlikely to be won, US Intelligence reports suggest. Even as President Barack Obama is all set to announce policy review on the war in Afghanistan, two classified reports state that it could be improbable to end Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgency in the Tribal regions of the country. The reports however, have fueled a bitter row between the intelligence agencies and the military over who has a better perspective and proximity in the war zone.

UK retailer Sports Direct International Plc (LON: SPD.L), controlled by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, reported a 73 percent rise in pretax profits for the first half as the World Cup and strong online sales drove revenue growth.

For decades, their ability to sell masses of cars and oodles of televisions was how corporate Japan, and its government at home, benchmarked its progress in conquering overseas markets.

Year-long survey conducted by Glassdoors.com puts social networking giant Facebook at the top of preferred employers' list

The Basel Committee of global banking regulators published on Thursday the final text of Basel III, which will force banks to triple the amount of capital held to withstand shocks.

A deal that President Barack Obama struck with Republicans to extend tax cuts for nearly every working American and spur job growth moves to the House of Representatives for passage as early as Thursday.

Toyota Motors India said on Wednesday that it has received 12,000 orders for its Etios sedan, even as the production of the low-priced car is yet to begin.

General Motors has paid $2.1 billion to complete the repurchase of preferred shares issued under a federal government bailout, the U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday. With this the auto maker has brought the total sum recouped by taxpayers to more than 23 billion dollars.

Bank of America Corp has started negotiating with powerful mortgage investors that accused the bank of failing to buy back bad home loans, in an apparent shift in the lender's stance.

European leaders sought to paper over deep divisions on how best to resolve the debt crisis ahead of a summit on Thursday, and Spain and Portugal came under renewed pressure to get their finances in order.

Chinese banks should ensure that the normal demand for loans is satisfied this month, the banking regulator said on Thursday, signaling that the government wants to avoid an over-tightening of credit.

European tech start-ups are eyeing an early move to the U.S. West Coast, lured by the deeper pockets and stronger track record of venture capitalists in Silicon Valley.

Toshiba Corp may turn its first annual profit on liquid crystal display panels in four years as sales of smartphones and tablet computers boom, the company's CEO said in an interview on Thursday.

Japanese video game maker Square Enix on Thursday slashed its full-year net profit forecast by more than 90 percent to far below the market consensus and said it will postpone the launch of two key game titles.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat to slightly higher open for Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones industrial average and for the Nasdaq flat to up 0.1 percent by 0913 GMT.

Honda Motor Co said on Thursday it would recall about 1.35 million Fit subcompacts globally to repair defective wiring in the headlights.

Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables reveal BP suffered a blowout on an Azerbaijan gas platform in September 2008 and was fortunate to evacuate workers safely after a blast that preceded the one that killed 11 workers in the Gulf of Mexico in April, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported.

Toshiba Corp may see profit in its liquid-crystal display business recover to more than 10 billion yen ($119 million) for the year to March, compared with its previous forecast of zero, its chief executive said on Thursday.

The euro steadied on Thursday as dealers squared up positions ahead of a meeting of European Union leaders, while U.S. Treasuries bounced after a selloff overnight took 10-year yields above 3.5 percent, sending some investors hunting for value.