UNITED STATES

The London Stock Exchange faced an increasingly bitter battle for control of Canadian peer TMX Group -- and its own destiny -- after rival bidder Maple Group took its higher offer directly to shareholders.

Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors looked ahead to data that could shed light on the economy's health amid worries that global demand was slowing.

Oil retreated on Thursday, as investors focused on disappointing economic data, but dollar weakness and renewed violence in Yemen helped limit losses.

Yahoo hosted its investor day on May 25 and as expected Yahoo Japan, display business and search growth took center stage.

Experts warn that the worsening of the debt crisis means dramatic hike in interest rates, a free fall of the dollar and higher inflation. The negative impact of this scenario will be felt across the world, bedeviling economic recovery everywhere. Critics say the Federal Reserve mandarins are engaging in the outright destruction of the dollar.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.35 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.35 percent at 4:50 EDT.

Wedbush Securities said Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) annual investor day yielded little incremental insight, but increased its confidence in the timing and production ramp of the new commercial programs. The brokerage maintained its outperform rating on shares of Boeing with a price target of $91.

Software giant Microsoft should replace Steve Ballmer as its Chief Executive, Greenlight Capital Inc. President David Einhorn said at the Ira Sohn Investment Conference in New York.

Swiss bank UBS is planning to separate its investment bank and incorporate it outside of Switzerland to placate regulators, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Shipping magnate John Fredriksen said U.S. regulator lawsuits against two of his trading firms for suspected oil price manipulation in 2008 were rubbish, a Norwegian newspaper reported on Thursday.

World stocks rose from a two-month low on Thursday while the euro hit a one-week peak versus the dollar, aided by higher commodities and a report on China's possible interest in bailout bonds for Portugal.

Crude oil futures gained to above $101 a barrel level in Europe trade on Thursday as increased fuel demand in the U.S. and weaker dollar buoyed sentiment.

The West is bracing for long military operations in Libya to help end conflict there, U.S. President Barack Obama told the British parliament on Wednesday.

Asian stocks were on course for their biggest gain in a month on Thursday, led by resources and consumer sectors, with recovering commodity prices and the euro's rebound toward $1.42 bringing investors back into the markets in search of bargains.

The US is worried that a unilateral support would isolate Israel, as British Prime Minister David Cameron is vague about the Palestine's statehood bid.

Gary McKinnon, a 43-year-old British computer hacker suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, who has been caught in an extradition battle between the U.S. and the UK over the last decade, suffered a setback on Wednesday when President Barack Obama said the case was now in the hands of the British legal system.

Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam was ordered to face an ethics hearing after an insider alleged bribery, reported Reuters.

Sales of distressed U.S. homes fell in the first quarter as demand remained weak, but they still made up about 28 percent of total sales, the highest amount in a year, a RealtyTrac report said on Thursday.

For all the tough talk about budget cuts, when push comes to shove, Americans aren't willing to make the sacrifices to get there. The New York special election for the House seat of the 26th district proved this much.

A federal judge's declaration Wednesday that Jared Loughner is unfit for trial will likely send the accused Arizona shooter into a treatment program aimed at rehabilitating him so he can be tried.

US senators proposed further tightening sanctions on Iran reflecting fears that companies overseas, particularly in China, are evading U.S. penalties imposed last year for doing business with Iran, Reuters reported on Wednesday.