IBT Staff Reporter

The World Bank Group (WBG) announced Thursday the new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for supporting the Philippines for Fiscal Years 2010-2012.

Walt Disney Co will buy a 30 percent stake in Hulu.com, bringing popular TV shows such as Lost and Grey's Anatomy to the video website founded by NBC Universal and News Corp.

Walt Disney Co. has reached a deal to take a nearly 30% stake in the popular Hulu video website and will offer full episodes of its ABC TV shows on the site.

A bill restricting credit card practices and sudden hikes in interest rates and late fees that have left millions of consumers swamped in debt was passed by the House on Thursday.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved credit card legislation on Thursday aimed at protecting consumers from hidden fees and sudden interest rate hikes.

Time magazine has released its annual Time 100 list which honors the most influential people in the world. Among the list, names like President Obama, Vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, Twitter founders and even Wall Street mega-swindler Madoff appear.

One of my best friends for the past 20-plus years is Sri Lankan. I was essentially 'adopted' by their family during my formative years .

The U.S. housing market is showing some early signs of a turnaround, but its too early to say if a full recovery is underway, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said on Wednesday.

The Dow and S&P 500 fell on Thursday after Chrysler's bankruptcy filing undercut optimism about upbeat corporate profits and reassuring job market data.

On Thursday, Pure Digital unveiled the second-generation of its Ultra series, the Flip Ultra Camcorders featuring high definition.

Evergreen Solar Inc. reported a net loss in the first quarter due to declining prices on solar panels amid a the economic downturn.

Booming demand for agriculture products helped chemical companies BASF and Dow Chemical Co record better than expected quarterly profits on Thursday.

Procter & Gamble Co trimmed its fiscal 2009 outlook and did not offer a 2010 forecast on Thursday at a time when investors are searching for clarity amid the recession, and its shares fell about 2 percent.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment aid fell unexpectedly last week, suggesting the pace of layoffs was easing, even as benefit rolls in mid-April swelled to another record high.

The World Bank announced Thursday that a Bank staff member in Washington DC was preliminarily diagnosed with the Swine Flu on April 29.

The Dow and S&P 500 fell on Thursday after Chrysler's bankruptcy filing undercut optimism about upbeat corporate profits and reassuring job market data.

Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country that occupies most of the Arabian peninsula and has both Persian Gulf and Red Sea coast lines. Its surrounding countries are Jordan to the northwest, Iraq to the northeast, Kuwait and Qatar to the east, United Arab Emirates to the south east, Oman and Yemen to the south.

Apache Corp said Thursday it has acquired Permian Properties from Marathon Oil Corp for $187.4 million after it posted better than expected first quarter profits amidst the global recessions.

U.S. toymaker Hasbro Inc and Discovery Communications unveiled a joint venture on Thursday for a television network and website that will carry children's programs featuring brands like G.I. Joe, Transformers and My Little Pony.

Walt Disney Co has reached a deal to become a partner in the popular Hulu video website founded by NBC Universal and News Corp, the media company said on Thursday.

SunPower Corporation announced on Thursday a deal with Certified Steel Company and Nexus Properties to build a 1.2 megawatt solar power system in a Certified Steel facility in New Jersey.

President Barack Obama shares his last name with Japan. Obama, in fact, has meaning in Japanese.

A deadly swine flu outbreak could push Mexico into a recession so deep it might rival the mid-1990s Tequila Crisis financial meltdown, as the economy shuts down and tourists stay away.

Egypt started seizing and slaughtering herds of pigs on Thursday as a precaution against swine flu, officials and farmers said, despite resistance by farmers and criticism from the United Nations.

(Corrects analyst rating in third paragraph to “sector perform” from “outperform”)

Oil edged higher on Thursday as gains in wider global markets offset rising energy inventories and slumping demand.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its global alert system to 5 on a 6-point scale, indicating a pandemic is imminent, as swine flu cases spread around the world.

Mexico began shutting down parts of its economy on Thursday to slow the spread of a new flu strain as officials urged increased worldwide precautions against an imminent pandemic.

Oil rose on Thursday as reassuring U.S. jobs data and upbeat corporate profits lifted stocks outweighed rising energy inventories and slumping demand.