IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks rose for a third straight session on Thursday with financial stocks leading gains after U.S. manufacturing data and a rebound in Chinese stocks reassured investors.

China's top online auction firm, Taobao, recorded transaction volume of 80.9 billion yuan ($11.8 billion) in the first half of 2009, up 97% year-on-year, according to mid-year metrics released on Thursday, despite the slight drop in spending per order due to the economic slow-down.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Thursday the eye of Hurricane Bill was about 695 miles southeast of Bermuda and expected to reach Canada's Atlantic Maritime Provinces by Sunday.

Manufacturing in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region expanded in August for the first time in 10 months but new filings for unemployment benefits rose last week, an indication weak spending would constrain recovery.

U.S. researchers said on Thursday they have found a way to make large-scale flexible display screens that can be stretched to fit the contours of a bus yet are transparent enough so riders can see out windows.

The U.S. government on Thursday announced grants of almost $1.2 billion to help hospitals and healthcare providers implement and use electronic health records.

Coffee chain Starbucks Corp , which for years raised prices without any customer pushback, said on Thursday that it is cutting prices for the first time on some drinks while boosting prices on others.

The United States strongly condemned Thursday's decision by Scottish authorities to free a terminally ill Libyan convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie plane bombing, saying there was no justification for his release.

Oil prices rose slightly to near a seven-week high Thursday, as optimism for economic recovery and rising fuel demand outweighed a rise in new U.S. jobless claims.

Gap Inc posted a slightly stronger than expected quarterly profit on Thursday as more full-priced sales, inventory controls and cost cuts helped offset declining revenue at all its chains.

U.S. researchers said on Thursday they have found a way to make large-scale flexible display screens that can be stretched to fit the contours of a bus yet are transparent enough so riders can see out windows.

Robert Zemeckis is in negotiations to direct a remake of the 1968 animated Beatles feature

Jon Cryer first found fame in 1984 with a starring role opposite Demi Moore in

Usain Bolt of Jamaica broke his own world record in the 200 meters at the World Championships in Berlin 2009 on Thursday.

The U.S. government's

The United States has filed new charges against Mexico's top drug lord and other drug cartel leaders for smuggling billions of dollars worth of cocaine across the border, but they remain at large, U.S. authorities said on Thursday.

Hurricane Bill weakened slightly on Thursday but was expected to regain power on a northwest ocean track that will take it between Bermuda, where inhabitants prepared for high winds and heavy seas, and the U.S. East Coast.

AT&T Inc has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which accused the largest U.S. phone company of age discrimination for refusing to rehire previously retired workers over age 40.

The United States stepped up efforts to crack Swiss bank secrecy codes on Thursday by indicting a banker who moved from UBS AG to another bank and a Zurich lawyer, on charges of helping wealthy Americans hide their assets from U.S. tax authorities.

The United States stepped up efforts to crack Swiss bank secrecy codes on Thursday by indicting a banker who moved from UBS AG to another bank and a Zurich lawyer, on charges of helping wealthy Americans hide their assets from U.S. tax authorities.

A former Libyan agent jailed for life for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people flew home on Thursday after Scottish authorities released him on compassionate grounds because he is dying of cancer.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was skeptical that financial investor RHJ International would succeed in its bid for carmaker Opel a day before the board of General Motors was expected to announce its preference.

Porsche's former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking is being investigated by prosecutors as part of a probe into suspected market manipulation in Volkswagen shares.

The heads of Canada's Magna (MGa.TO) and Russian partner Sberbank will meet their General Motors GM.UL counterpart on Thursday, a person close to the matter said, as decision time nears on the sale of GM's Opel business.

Jon Cryer first found fame in 1984 with a starring role opposite Demi Moore in

The U.S. government announced grants of almost $1.2 billion on Thursday to help hospitals and health care providers establish and use electronic health records.

Stocks advanced modestly on Thursday with financial stocks leading gains after encouraging U.S. manufacturing data and a rebound in Chinese stocks reassured investors.

The United States widened efforts to crack Swiss bank secrecy codes by indicting on Thursday a banker who moved from UBS AG to another bank and a Zurich lawyer, on charges of helping wealthy Americans hide their assets from U.S. tax authorities.

A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of the University of Texas-Austin and against two white applicants to the state's flagship public college who sued because they felt the school's admissions policies unfairly favored minority applicants, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.