IBT Staff Reporter

PepsiCo is launching three new beverages, all sweetened with natural sugar instead of corn syrup, in a bid to widen its appeal in upscale stores and revive nostalgia for its brands.

A group that works with union-affiliated pension funds called for the ouster of Bank of America Corp Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lewis, citing the bank's falling stock price and damage from its acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co.

U.S. regulators failed to spot how much risk insurer AIG was piling on, and by the time they understood, they had no choice but to pour in tens of billions of taxpayer dollars, officials said on Thursday.

Rumors began to spread on the blogosphere that Palm was delaying the launch of its Palm Pre, prompting Palm to set the record straight on Twitter.

U.S. business productivity fell in the fourth quarter as output plunged at its fastest pace since 1982, while one in eight U.S. households ended 2008 behind on its mortgage or in foreclosure, according to data on Thursday that underscored the economy's weakness.

Goldman Sachs reinstated coverage of Pfizer Inc with a buy rating and added the stock to the conviction buy list, saying the world's biggest drugmaker was severely undervalued after its proposed acquisition of smaller rival Wyeth.

Vodafone's Turkish unit said on Thursday it would shed 260 jobs as part of a company restructure, as it seeks to improve its performance in Turkey's highly competitive mobile phone market.

Goldman Sachs is looking to sell some of its Indian investments, including a 5 percent stake in the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the Daily News and Analysis said on Thursday, citing people familiar with the development.

China Premier Wen Jiabao made a new overture to Taiwan on Thursday, saying Beijing was ready to create the conditions needed to reach a peace agreement with the neighboring self-ruled island China claims as its own.

U.S. regulators failed to realize the massive risk American International Group Inc's credit default swaps posed and should have stepped in sooner to stop the insurer from originating the products, the head of the Office of Thrift Supervision said on Thursday.

NATO foreign ministers agreed Thursday to resume high-level formal ties with Russia, suspended last year after Moscow's military thrust into Georgia.

Top U.S. retailers saw anemic same-store sales in February as shoppers kept a tight hold on spending, but Wal-Mart Stores Inc again beat expectations and said lower gasoline prices had relaxed some household budgets.

Top U.S. retailers saw anemic same-store sales in February as shoppers kept a tight hold on spending, but Wal-Mart Stores Inc again beat expectations and said lower gasoline prices had relaxed some household budgets.

Pakistani authorities have identified the people responsible for this week's attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team, a senior government official said on Thursday.

A Canadian filmmaker plans to have a mini camera installed in his prosthetic eye to make documentaries and raise awareness about surveillance in society.

General Electric Co's gilt-edged triple-A credit rating could be in jeopardy, but concerns about the short-term liquidity of its finance arm are overdone, the U.S. conglomerate's chief financial officer said on Thursday.

Premier Wen Jiabao said China would ramp up deficit spending this year to hit its all-important 8 percent growth target but did not announce an increase in an already-huge two-year economic stimulus plan that markets had craved.

Sudan's president told thousands of cheering supporters Thursday an international call for his arrest on war crimes charges was a ploy by western nations set on grabbing the country's oil.

A Canadian filmmaker plans to have a mini camera installed in his prosthetic eye to make documentaries and raise awareness about surveillance in society.

President Hugo Chavez seized a unit of American food giant Cargill on Wednesday and threatened to take over Venezuela's largest private company, renewing a nationalization drive as the OPEC nation's oil income plunges.

The Bank of England cut interest rates by 50 basis points to a record low of 0.5 percent on Thursday, and said it would pump 75 billion pounds of new money into buying assets, mostly gilts, in its battle with recession.

Stocks dropped sharply at Thursday's open, weighed down by General Motors' warning about its viability and caution about the outlook for major conglomerate General Electric .

Radio may lack the glamour of Hollywood or the cool of the Internet, but the oldest broadcast media business is banking on its ubiquity to increase its fans and advertising revenue during the economic downturn.

Stocks headed for a sharp drop at Thursday's open, weighed down by General Motors' warning about its viability and caution about the outlook for major conglomerate General Electric .

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, but remained at high levels consistent with a severe recession.

Top U.S. retailers saw anemic same-store sales in February as shoppers kept a tight hold on spending, but Wal-Mart Stores Inc again beat expectations and said lower gasoline prices had relaxed some household budgets.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, but remained at high levels consistent with a severe recession.

General Electric Co's finance unit has no short-term liquidity issues, and speculation about its ability to maintain sufficient capital is overdone, the company's chief financial officer said.

Half of institutional investors plan to increase their funding of clean energy compared with 12 months ago, but that will not be enough to drive global growth in the sector this year, a survey published on Wednesday said.