UNITED STATES

Markets were set to rise on Thursday, bouncing after a sharp fall in the previous session, and boosted by forecast-beating results from Cisco .

World stocks edged up on Thursday from this week's 11-month low as higher U.S. stock futures calmed frayed investor nerves after a steep sell-off triggered by concerns about the U.S. economic slowdown and the euro zone banking system.

Japan sharpened its warning to currency markets on Thursday in the wake of the yen's rise near record highs against the dollar, keeping markets jittery about the possibility of a second round of intervention.

An aircraft capable of reaching speeds up to 13,000 miles per hour is scheduled to be tested by the Pentagon on Thursday.

The Statue of Liberty will close for a year for renovations to make its interior safer and more accessible, said officials.

U.S. stock futures rose 2 percent on Thursday after a sharp drop on Wall Street overnight, limiting losses in Asian shares, though sustained gains depended on how Europe reacts to a sovereign debt crisis that is threatening its banking system.

The U.S. securities regulator is probing farm machine maker Deere & Co for possible violations of a law that bars American companies from bribing foreign officials, the Wall Street Journal said citing two people familiar with the matter.

August's dramatic financial shock, which is now both feeding off and risks fueling another economic downturn, may well introduce a third phase of the four-year-old global credit crisis -- the infection of the ultimate creditors.

LG Electronics and Sony said on Thursday that they have resolved patent disputes between the two firms spanning smartphones, TVs and Blu-ray technology, with LG adding that they have signed a cross-licensing deal.

Beijing should move rapidly to diversify its foreign exchange reserves, buying more euro and yen rather than dollar assets, after U.S. debt was downgraded by one rating agency, a paper run by China's central bank cited local banking sources as saying.

Economic fears are weighing heavily on Americans, with a large majority saying the United States is on the wrong track and nearly half believing the worst is yet to come, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said Wednesday.

NASA has given seven different private space firms contracts worth a combined $10 million, signaling the growing importance of private firms capable of supporting NASA's efforts in the post-shuttle era.

The euro fell to fresh five-month lows against the yen in Asia on Thursday and looked set to stay under pressure as worries about the euro zone sovereign debt crisis spread to the region's banking sector.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 520 points on Wednesday wiping out Tuesday's rebound as investors continue to worry about the European debt crisis and the health of the global banking system. The Dow's 4.62 percent drop has placed the blue-chip index back below the 11,000 level, closing at the lowest level since last September.

Massachusetts has been dubbed "Taxachusetts" by critics of the state's taxes but at least for this weekend residents will get a break.

Urban poet Philip Levine was named on Wednesday as the 18th poet laureate by the Library of Congress, which praised his writing for plain-spoken lyricism about working class Americans in Detroit.

Fear returned to Wall Street on Wednesday, sending the S&P 500 to another 4 percent decline, triggered by worries that Europe's debt crisis could engulf French banks and spill onto the U.S. financial sector.

The newest version of Apple Inc's popular iPhone has already hit the Chinese market -- the fake market that is.

Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) forecast slim revenue growth this quarter, a pleasant surprise to investors bracing for a sharp pullback in global technology spending that sent its shares soaring 10 percent.

European banks are relying more on the foreign exchange market to obtain dollar funding, as fewer investors are buying their U.S. short-term debt due to fears that the region's debt crisis could spin out of control.

It is not quite official, but it is pretty close. Singing star Jennifer Lopez will return as a judge on top-rated TV singing contest "American Idol," the program's lead producer said on Wednesday.