BUSINESS

Labor unrest weighed on the fiscal year results of Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. (PINK: IMPUY), the world's second--largest platinum producer, and the situation remains "fairly volatile," the company said Thursday

Apple fans can't wait to get their hands on the iPhone 5, and now, they may not have to. Even though some claim to be selling iPhone 5 parts in China, one Chinese company is actually selling modification kits based on the rumored design specs and features of the phone, which allow owners of the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S to make their phone look like the next-gen model. Apple iPhone 5: How To Transform Your iPhone 4/4S With Next-Gen Specs, Features [VIDEO]

Salesforce.com’s (NYSE: CRM)’s second-quarter results are expected to show that its strategy of adapting its software-as-a-service model to the increased use of the cloud by enterprises can pay off handsomely for investors.

Spain is negotiating with euro zone partners over conditions for aid to bring down its borrowing costs, though the country has not made a final decision to request a bailout, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

According to a lengthy Kotaku article, Nintendo has begun openly discussing its direction with the Miiverse.

On Wednesday, Sept. 12, Apple is expected to debut the new iPhone, unofficially dubbed iPhone 5, as well as a brand-new tablet to its iPad line, the iPad Mini. We may even see a new iPod Nano, and a new 13" inch Retina MacBook Pro. However, it is highly unlikely these products will be released together. In fact, we believe Apple's release date for the iPhone 5 could be a full month before the iPad Mini launch. Will Apple Release The iPhone 5 A Full Month Before The iPad Mini?

After a 16-year prison stint for the 1995 arson murder that killed her 3-year-old son, Kristine Bunch was granted $5,000 cash bail at the suggestion of prosecutors.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved the acquisition of private Instagram of San Francisco by Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, the companies said. Originally priced at $1 billion, the value of the deal has shrunk to only about $750 million because of the slide in Facebook shares.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) CEO Margaret (Meg) Whitman has been swinging her ax at the company’s payroll: during the third quarter ended July 31, as 4,000 left the company as part of her plan to trim the roster, which was 349,600 on Oct. 31.

The number of Americans lining up for new jobless benefits rose more than expected last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, suggesting little improvement in the labor market.

he Markit Flash Eurozone PMI Composite Output Index, a measure of services and manufacturing order volumes, was 46.6 in August, down from 46.5 in July.

While the world braces for the next euro zone fiscal crisis flare-up, an analyst at Japanese financial conglomerate Nomura suggests that whatever bad news is just around the corner will not damage global economies as much as such crises once did.

An unofficial gauge of human misery in the U.S. is now sitting at its lowest level in three years. Not four. In other words, while conditions have improved somewhat, Americans are still feeling miserable under President Barack Obama's watch and that obviously doesn't bode well for Obama's re-election chances.

As an attempt to increase its subscriber base, T-Mobile is offering unlimited data plan from Sept. 5, after suspending sales last year.

All told, the number of ‘fat’ Americans far surpasses those of any racial, ethnic or religious minority.

China Unicom, Ancestry.com, Logitech International, Zynga, Newmont Mining, Infosys, Hewlett-Packard Co and Whitestone REIT are among the companies whose shares are moving in the pre-market trading Thursday.

Sony Mobile announced Thursday that it would lay off about 15 percent (approximately 1,000 personnel) of its global workforce as part of its global operational restructure. The company also announced that it would move its corporate headquarters from Lund, Sweden, to Tokyo, Japan in October.

Public sector banks in India were closed for the second day Thursday as thousands of employees boycotted work and participated in the two-day strike called by the United Forum of Bank Employees Union.

Most of the Asian markets rose Thursday amid hopes that the U.S. and China would soon announce stimulus measures to tackle the weakening global economy.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Thursday as investor sentiment was lifted by expectations that policy makers around the world would announce monetary easing measures to regain the economic growth momentum.

India's Finance Minister P Chidambaram Wednesday approved a proposal to raise foreign direct investment (FDI) ceiling in insurance and pension sectors to 49 percent from the existing 26 percent to boost investor confidence.

European markets rose Thursday as investors were hopeful ahead of the meetings between the Greek and other euro zone leaders this week to discuss measures to tackle the economic and financial instability affecting Greece.

Hewlett-Packard Co swung to an $8.9 billion quarterly loss as personal computer sales shrank again and it swallowed a huge write-down linked to its $13.9 billion purchase of Electronic Data Systems Corp.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Wednesday were The Hain Celestial Group, Pacific Sunwear of California Inc, Synopsys Inc, Ctrip.com International Ltd and Kandi Technologies Corp. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were DFC Global Corp, XOMA Corporation, Kayak Software Corporation, Semtech Corporation and RF Micro Devices Inc.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Wednesday were Western Asset Mortgage, SunTrust Banks, Best Buy Co, Trinity Industries and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. The top after-market NYSE losers were Guess?, Inc, International Rectifier, Hewlett-Packard, Big Lots and Whitestone REIT.

Asian stock markets were mostly higher Thursday after details from the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting suggested that the central bank might act again to bolster the U.S. economy.

China's manufacturing activity fell in August compared to that in July, according to the preliminary HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index released Thursday.

Asian shares rose and the euro hit a seven-week high Thursday as the Federal Reserve's minutes raised the prospect for more U.S. stimulus while uncertainty continued over progress in Europe's debt crisis, including the European Central Bank's bold action.

A Virginia man was indicted Wednesday on federal and local charges for last week's shooting of an unarmed security guard at a conservative Christian lobbying group in Washington, federal authorities said.