IBT Staff Reporter

Stock index futures fell on Thursday after a late selloff in the prior session as investors kept a close eye on rising yields of euro zone debt.

The British government has agreed to sell Northern Rock, the failed mortgage lender it nationalized in 2008, to Virgin Money, the banking arm of Richard Branson's Virgin empire.

The British government has agreed to sell Northern Rock, the failed mortgage lender it nationalized in 2008, to Virgin Money, the banking arm of Richard Branson's Virgin empire.

Stock index futures pointed to a steady-to-lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 flat, Dow Jones futures down 0.04 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.15 percent at 1055 GMT.

Spain and France struggled with government bond auctions on Thursday, throwing into sharp relief the threat of larger euro zone economies succumbing to the debt crisis that began in Greece and is already lapping at Italy's shores.

Dutch grocer Ahold beat forecasts with a 5 percent rise in third-quarter profit as it gained market share and managed to pass on higher food costs to cash-strapped shoppers in its main U.S. business.

With Herman Cain's fall, Newt Gingrich is up to bat as the latest conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. Where does the former speaker of the House stand on the issues?

World stocks hit a one-week low on Thursday and Bunds rose as Spain paid more than at any time since 1997 to sell ten-year debt, sparking fears it may join other euro zone peripheral states in being unable to finance itself.

Mobile technologies will be increasingly deployed to enable people in Asia to monitor and manage their health, with the market expected to hit $7 billion by 2017, an industry official said.

France and Germany, Europe's two central powers, have stepped up their war of words over whether the European Central Bank should intervene more forcefully to halt the euro zone's debt crisis after modest bond purchases failed to calm markets.

Google Inc warned U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday that proposed legislation to crack down on foreign websites selling pirated U.S. movies, music or other counterfeit goods goes too far and could depress investment.

Mobile technologies will be increasingly deployed to enable people in Asia to monitor and manage their health, with the market expected to hit $7 billion by 2017, an industry official said.

The British government has agreed to sell Northern Rock, the failed mortgage lender it nationalized in 2008, to Virgin Money, the banking arm of Richard Branson's Virgin empire.

The former CEO of Olympus Corp, whose suspicions over dubious accounting triggered a scandal at the camera and medical equipment maker, will return to Japan next week to meet with police and authorities investigating the case.

One of Olympus Corp's top shareholders, Nippon Life Insurance, cut its stake in the scandal-hit Japanese firm but signaled on Thursday it would remain as an investor in the company, citing its strong core business and technology.

Carrefour, the world's second-biggest retailer, must slash prices, build more convenience stores and attract online shoppers as dire economic times make the current CEO's hypermarket revival plan increasingly obsolete.

World stocks dipped to a one-week low on Thursday and the euro held near a five-week trough while safe-haven German bonds rose, as concerns grew over spillover damage to U.S. banks from the euro zone sovereign debt crisis.

Malware research group Juniper Global Threat Center posted on its blog yesterday on its finding of a whopping 472% increase in Android malware samples since this past July. Not only have instances of Android malware identification increased exponentially since the summer, says Juniper, but the methods of attack are growing more sophisticated.

Asian shares wobbled on Thursday as doubts deepened about Europe's ability to stop its sovereign debt crisis from spinning out of control, with Germany and France split over the European Central Bank's bond buying role.

Does the prospect of tangled lights, broken tree stands and horrendously ugly Christmas sweaters leave you yearning for a break from the mid-winter ho-hums? The holidays are a peak time for travel and while some will be heading home, many will be spending the season-to-be-jolly abroad, taking in the sites and local cuisine

Solyndra LLC, the failed solar panel maker at the center of a political firestorm in Washington, did not receive any acceptable bids by a Wednesday night deadline, and postponed an auction for its California manufacturing plant for two months.

Asian shares wobbled on Thursday as doubts deepened about Europe's ability to stop its sovereign debt crisis from spinning out of control, with Germany and France split over the European Central Bank's bond buying role.

A total of 15 unions are now backing the strike against the government’s proposal to make public sector workers pay more and work longer to earn their pensions.

BHP Billiton , the world's biggest miner, has turned more wary on the outlook for commodity markets as some players face tighter access to credit, but said conditions are not as bad as during the global financial crisis.

Samsung Electronics said on Thursday that it would launch a redesigned version of its 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab model in Germany as early as this week to avoid a sales ban on the tablet, which a German court said violated Apple's patents.

Samsung Electronics said on Thursday that it would launch a redesigned version of its 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab model in Germany as early as this week to avoid a sales ban on the tablet, which a German court said violated Apple's patents.

Asian shares and the euro fell further on Thursday as doubts deepened about Europe's ability to stop its sovereign debt crisis from spinning out of control, with the region's biggest nations split over the European Central Bank's bond buying role.

Journalist Malcolm Gladwell told The Atlantic Wire on Wednesday that although Bank of America tapped him to speak at events focusing on small businesses over the past few weeks, he had no idea the corporation crowed about the arrangement in a press release.

New Mexico firm Basis International Ltd filed a motion against Research In Motion to stop the BlackBerry maker from using Basis' trademark, BBX.