IBT Staff Reporter

When the recession took hold, Sally Hodge was forced to make some drastic changes at her small Chicago-based public relations firm, Hodge Schindler Integrated Communications.

During a visit to New York's Museum of Modern Art, Aaron Radin had an a-ha moment. Browsing the Internet on his cellphone for details on the art in front of him, he got to thinking: what if there was a mobile app for that?

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose last week to its highest level in close to six months, a fresh signal of a weak jobs market.

Many teens in secondary schools are experimenting with anabolic steroids, according to a survey of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC).

Some parents will have to pay up to $50 more in weekly child care service if the proposed new standards in family day care is approved and implemented.

Oil fell to a two-week low near $76 a barrel on Thursday, marking a third straight session of sharp losses, as fickle fuel demand continued to sour investor risk appetite. Demand worries grew as data showed that people filing new claims for unemployment benefits in the United States unexpectedly rose in the latest week to its highest level in close to six months.

Health authorities revealed on Thursday that there are three Australians infected with the superbug or bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

Devastating drought in Russia and neighboring countries has reduced world wheat harvest prospects more than expected, a U.S. government report showed on Thursday, threatening to renew a blistering price rally that has revived memories of 2008.

The majority of Americans do not favor making affordable high-speed Internet access a government priority, according to a study released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project on Wednesday.

Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc is in talks with Ronald Burkle's investment firm to end the billionaire's lawsuit and avoid a potential fight over the company's board, a source with knowledge of the talks told Reuters late Wednesday.

Every Monday afternoon, a 40-foot (12-meter) motorhome converted to serve as a mobile health clinic pulls into Boston's gritty Roxbury neighborhood and opens its doors to people like Angie Santiago.

Home loan rates set new lows in the latest week on more evidence of a soft U.S. economy and high unemployment, home funding company Freddie Mac said on Thursday.

Stocks fell on Thursday as an unexpected rise in jobless claims and a bleak outlook from technology bellwether Cisco underscored concerns about sluggish economic growth.

General Motors posted its biggest quarterly profit in six years on Thursday, a day ahead of an expected IPO filing that will clear the way for the U.S. government to relinquish its majority stake in the top U.S. automaker.

The number of people filing new claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose in the latest week to its highest level in close to six months, a fresh signal of a weak jobs market.

Research In Motion's encrypted BlackBerry email and instant messaging services will be shut down if the Canadian maker does not address Indian national security concerns by August 31, the government said on Thursday.

More Americans fell into foreclosure in July as a sour job market kept them from making payments, and banks took over homes at a near record pace.

Kohl's Corp reported better-than-expected earnings as exclusive lines helped it win market share, but its outlook fell short of Wall Street forecasts, sending its shares were down 3.8 percent in premarket trading.

Shares of technology bellwether Cisco Systems Inc fell 8 percent in pre-market trade Thursday, a day after CEO John Chambers' comments about an uncertain economy spooked investors, prompting at least one brokerage to cut its rating on the stock.

Stocks fell at the open on Thursday after an unexpected rise in new claims for unemployment insurance added to concerns about a slowing economic recovery.

Kohl's Corp reported better-than-expected earnings as its strategy to ramp up exclusive lines helped it win market share but its outlook for the rest of the year, which includes the crucial holiday season, fell short of Wall Street forecasts.

Stocks were set to fall about 1 percent at the open on Thursday as an unexpected rise in jobless claims heightened fears of a double-dip recession and a bleak outlook from Cisco weighed on the technology sector.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose to its highest level in close to six months, a fresh signal of a weak jobs market.

The Indian government put off a decision on Thursday on whether to ban BlackBerry services over national security fears in the world's fastest growing telecoms market.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday following a steep Wall Street sell-off that erased gains for the year.

Euro zone industrial production declined in June, with output in France and Germany falling sharply, but a strong showing over the second quarter as a whole suggests Friday's GDP data for the bloc will be robust.

The yen's surge to a 15-year peak against the dollar this week comes amid mounting worries that the U.S. economic recovery is losing steam and follows a broad, two-month slide in the dollar. A drop in U.S. Treasury yields, a perception among market players that the U.S. Federal Reserve may be more willing to conduct aggressive monetary easing than the Bank of Japan, and talk of seasonal fund repatriation by Japanese investors have all contributed recently to the yen's rise.

Oil slipped to around $77 a barrel on Thursday, heading for a third straight session of losses, on lingering doubts over the outlook for fuel demand in the world's biggest energy consumers. U.S. stockpile data on Wednesday showed a sharp rise in gasoline inventories, highlighting the weakness of demand in what is usually the peak summer driving season.

Have video games finally gone mainstream?