IBT Staff Reporter

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below the asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August than in July, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

The U.S. House approved $82.8 billion for federal nutrition programs ranging from food stamps to school lunch on Wednesday, including a plan to compensate poor families for lunches missed during flu epidemics.

Film star Ellen Page is adding a TV writer-producer credit to her resume.

UK fund house Threadneedle said on Thursday it has hired Campbell Fleming as its new head of distribution, with responsibility for wholesale and institutional business as well as marketing and product development.

Barbra Streisand scored her ninth No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart on Wednesday with a jazz release that overshadowed high-profile releases by some much-younger artists.

Stocks headed for a higher open on Thursday as a surprise profit from Alcoa Inc boosted the start of the earnings season and surging commodity prices underpinned a global equity advance.

An Australian talent show skit based around late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 has backfired after U.S. guest star Harry Connick Jr called for an apology and viewers accused the program of racism.

Call it delayed reaction.

Actor Leonard Nimoy returns to U.S. television this week in his new guise as a mysterious mastermind on the show Fringe, but doubts that his Mr. Spock will head back to space, the final frontier.

Poorer countries are helping shape a broader pact to fight climate change but their efforts are being stymied by rich nations' lack of commitment on finance and tougher emissions cuts, the U.N. said on Thursday.

Marriott International posted an adjusted quarterly profit that exceeded analyst expectations on Thursday buoyed by higher leisure demand during the summer season and higher than expected revenue.

British actress Carey Mulligan plays a teen who gets seduced in An Education.

U.S. retailers, including Macy's Inc and Abercrombie & Fitch , surprised Wall Street with better-than-expected September sales, suggesting shoppers could be loosening their purse strings ahead of the crucial holiday season.

The quality of healthcare Americans receive depends largely on where they live, with insurance coverage, access to preventive medicine and disease treatment varying widely from state to state, according to a study released on Thursday by the Commonwealth Foundation.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless insurance fell more-than-expected to a nine-month low last week, data showed, suggesting the labor market was healing despite a setback in September.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless insurance fell more-than-expected to a nine-month low last week, data showed, suggesting the labor market was healing despite a setback in September.

A U.S. Senate Finance Committee health plan would cost $829 billion and cut the budget deficit by $81 billion over 10 years, nonpartisan budget analysts said on Wednesday in a report that could

Stock futures added to gains on Thursday following a report on weekly jobless claims that suggested some stabilization in the labor market.

Manhattan rents are expected to continue their fall until New York City's economy picks up and fortunes improve on Wall Street, according to a quarterly report issued by a New York realty firm.

The number of employees calling in sick to work with fake excuses is holding steady at one-third among U.S. workers each year but fewer are getting fired for it, according to research released on Tuesday.

California's plan to slow climate change will boost the state economy and save hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk from rising energy costs, a study by a University of California economist said on Wednesday.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless insurance fell more-than-expected to a nine-month low last week, according to a government report on Thursday that suggested the labor market was healing despite a setback in September.

PepsiCo Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by increased sales volumes of snacks and beverages, and its shares rose nearly 2 percent.

Every 13 seconds in America, there is another foreclosure filing.

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below the asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August than in July, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

Britain's top share index rose on Thursday, helped by gains in mining stocks on firmer metals prices and a surprise quarterly profit from U.S. aluminium producer Alcoa (AA.N).

Stock futures rose on Thursday as the latest earnings season got off to a positive start after Alcoa posted a surprise profit and as surging commodity prices underpinned a global equity advance.

Higher credit costs are likely to weigh on earnings for the U.S. mid-cap banks in the third quarter, but expectations appear fairly realistic going into the period, Morgan Stanley said.

PepsiCo Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by increased sales volumes of snacks and beverages.