IBT Staff Reporter

The health of about 2 billion of the world's poor is being damaged because they lack access to clean energy, like electricity, and face exposure to smoke from open fires, scientists said on Thursday.

Indonesia's Sumatra island was hit by a series of aftershocks on Thursday after a powerful earthquake toppled hundreds of buildings, killing at least 10 people and burying many others.

Going back to "old fashioned banking may not be a bad thing", Chancellor Alistair Darling said in a newspaper interview published on Thursday.

Budget airline Ryanair said on Thursday it was ready to launch 80 routes to two Milan airports, stepping in as struggling Alitalia cuts back in Italy's industrial heartland.

Rupert Murdoch, the world's most high-profile media mogul, stopped by The Wall Street Journal newsroom on Wednesday for the first time since his News Corp. sealed a $5.6 billion (2.8 billion pound) deal to buy publisher Dow Jones & Co.

HSBC Holdings Plc has paid around $254 million for 10 percent of Bao Viet to become the sole foreign investor in Vietnam's largest insurance firm, officials from the Vietnamese company said on Thursday.

The Malaysia unit of Asia-focused lender Standard Chartered Bank Plc hopes to apply for an Islamic banking license in the country within a year, it said on Thursday.

Goldman Sachs and UBS cut their earnings forecasts and share target prices on Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Hynix Semiconductor Inc, underscoring a weakening outlook for the chip maker sector.

LG Electronics' shares surged 4 percent on Thursday, boosted in part by a U.S. court decision to stay an import ban on mobile phones containing Qualcomm chips, but analysts warned the impact would be limited.

The Bank of England made on Thursday its biggest concession yet to banks caught up in the credit crisis, giving them greater flexibility on how much cash they can borrow without penalty to manage daily cashflow.

First Horizon National Corp, the largest bank in Tennessee, said on Wednesday it plans to eliminate at least 1,500 jobs by the middle of next year as it slashes its mortgage sales force and closes branches.

State Bank of India, the country's biggest bank, plans to raise at least 100 billion rupees ($2.5 billion) in a share sale before the end of the year, Chairman O.P. Bhatt said on Wednesday.

Countrywide Financial Corp, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, said on Thursday its mortgage fundings slid 17 percent in August from a year earlier to $34 billion on the housing slowdown and credit tightening in the mortgage market.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday after an upgrade of General Motors Corp. sent shares of the auto maker higher. Trading was likely to be choppy before the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision next week and volume lower due to the Jewish New Year.

Singapore state investor Temasek has pulled out of the running to buy Nasdaq's 31 percent stake in the London Stock Exchange, the Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday.

Most Asian stocks rose on Thursday with energy stocks higher as oil held near a record peak above $80, while expectations of an U.S. rate cut next week pinned the dollar near an all-time low versus the euro.

European shares fell on Thursday, led by France's Alcatel-Lucent, which cut its full-year revenue forecasts, while record-high oil prices made oil and gas producers the top gainers in early trade.

Foreign companies that have poured billions of dollars into Chinese stocks are not looking to bail out, despite a decision by two major U.S. firms to cash in and realize huge profits from their investments.

Telecoms equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent cut its full-year revenue forecast on Thursday, sending its shares down by nearly 10 percent and adding further pressures to the recently merged group.

Current pro-market policies are firmly established and will not change with a new president, a top Kremlin aide said.

All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) said on Thursday it had suspended all flights using 14 Q400 aircraft made by Canada's Bombardier Inc after the Canadian government said the craft must be inspected.

Sprint Nextel Corp customers can now use mobile phones to shop for everything from shoes to televisions in a new service the No. 3 U.S. wireless company has launched to boost revenue.

The U.S. economy will be penalized by the current crisis in credit markets but the overall outlook was still benign, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in a newspaper interview published on Thursday.

Risks to global expansion have recently increased due to tensions in the U.S. subprime mortgage market and there are fears of growing spillovers to other segments, the European Central Bank said on Thursday. Global economic activity remained robust, however, supported mainly by buoyant activity in emerging economies, the bank said.

Lamborghini Built only 20 of its latest road rocket.

Crude oil prices reached a record high to surpass $80 per barrel on Wednesday after a government report said oil inventories dropped sharply.

The euro surged to a lifetime high against the dollar on Wednesday, weighing on European shares as investors remained nervous over the health of the U.S. economy even with an expected interest rate cut there next week.

Crude oil prices vaulted to a record high $80 a barrel on Wednesday as dealers focused on tight inventories in top consumer the United States ahead of peak winter demand. The surge in oil prices came a day after OPEC agreed to a small production hike in an effort to soothe consumer nations' fears that soaring crude costs could slow economic growth.

Wal-Mart is getting rid of its well known tag line, and replacing it with a new one today as it moves ahead with new advertising after a tough year where the retailer's profit dipped.