IBT Staff Reporter

The spread of the ‘swine flu’ also known as the H1N1 flu strain, was officially declared a pandemic on Thursday by the World Health Organization whose director said perhaps her greatest concern is how the virus will behave in the developing world.

AOL has struck deals to acquire two small start-up companies focused on local online media, Patch Media Corp and Going Inc, ahead of its separation from Time Warner Inc.

President Barack Obama took his push for healthcare to the U.S. heartland Thursday, calling the current system unsustainable and vowing not to tolerate

U.S. retail sales rose for the first time in three months in May and the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits last week hit the lowest level since January, suggesting the recession was abating.

U.S. retail sales rose for the first time in three months in May and the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits last week hit the lowest level since January, suggesting the recession was abating.

U.S. aircraft maker Boeing has slashed its forecasts for new plane demand due to the industry downturn, and said it was focused on delivering existing orders rather than chasing new ones.

Hewlett-Packard Co, the world's biggest PC maker, will help sell online backup services from Symantec Corp, which is looking to expand its consumer business beyond its line of Norton security products.

Swedish luxury carmaker Koenigsegg and Norwegian investors have struck a preliminary deal to buy General Motors' Swedish unit Saab, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Qualcomm Inc raised its current-quarter profit and revenue targets on stronger sales of mobile phone chips, but its warning that shipments would fall next quarter dampened investor enthusiasm.

U.S. lawmakers accused the Treasury and Federal Reserve on Thursday of using threats and intimidation to force Bank of America to take over Merrill Lynch, a charge Bank of America Chief Executive Ken Lewis denied.

U.S. stocks extended gains on Thursday following a strong 30-year bond auction from the U.S. Treasury Department.

Stocks extended gains on Thursday following a strong 30-year bond auction from the U.S. Treasury Department.

Iraq's government said on Thursday that violence would increase before a parliamentary election due in January, a day after a car bomb killed at least 33 people at a marketplace in the country's south.

Microsoft's security chief and a veteran of Clinton's and Bush's national security teams are leading candidates for cybersecurity czar, a job that needs White House access and clout to protect networks that underpin the U.S. economy.

Oil prices extended a three-day rally to near $73 a barrel on Thursday on rising hopes the recession has bottomed out, spelling a recovery in ailing world energy demand.

U.S. retailer Macy’s Inc., which operates a chain of 840 stores nationwide, said Thursday it will open two new Macy’s stores in the Central Valley of California ahead of the holiday shopping season.

North Korea has suspended visas for tourists from Britain, a Beijing-based travel agency said, citing the state-run travel company.

Iran and North Korea have worked together and made significant progress on ballistic missiles that could carry deadly warheads, the head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.

Qualcomm Inc raised its quarterly profit and revenue targets as it forecast better-than-expected mobile phone chip sales, but said it remains cautious due to the weak economy.

Swedish luxury carmaker Koenigsegg and Norwegian investors have signed a preliminary deal to buy General Motors' unit Saab, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday as oil and other commodity prices rose while retail sales and weekly jobless claims data increased hopes for an economic recovery.

Palm Inc named Jon Rubinstein its CEO on Wednesday, hoping the former Apple executive will usher in a new era for a company seeking to revive its fortunes with a fresh smartphone launched last weekend.

Amazon announced the Kindle DX in early May and began accepting pre-orders which they should would be delivered sometime in the summer but now Amazon.com sites today on its website that the shipping date will be June 17.

Bank of America chief executive officer Ken Lewis said Thursday his bank went through with the Merrill Lynch acquisition late last year after the government committed to taking on some of the risk of the merger.

Hewlett-Packard Co, the world's biggest PC maker, will help sell online backup services from Symantec Corp, which is looking to expand its consumer business beyond its line of Norton security products.

Stocks rose on Thursday as oil and other commodity prices climbed while retail sales and weekly jobless claims data raised hopes for an economic recovery.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will be asked to testify before Congress on their role in Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch.

Mortgage rates leaped with bond yields in the past week to the highest since November, erasing strides made by a massive government program to help revive U.S. housing.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will be asked to testify before Congress on their role in Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch.