IBT Staff Reporter

The United Federation of Teachers, NAACP, and advocates sued the New York City Department of Education Wednesday. The lawsuit is against the city's plans to close 22 schools, and against charter schools from using those building spaces.

Apple will kick off celebrations of 10th anniversary of its retail stores today and, according to Apple fans, the company could do so by executing a major retail makeover called Apple Store 2.0.

James Cameron's 'Titanic' will be re-released in 3-D.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, offering hope the labor market recovery remains on track.

The U.S. recovery is proceeding at a moderate pace, but the economy has a considerable way to go before it meets the Federal Reserve's dual mandate of full employment and price stability, a top Fed official said on Thursday.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the disgraced chief of IMF who resigned yesterday due to mounting international pressure, was looked upon as a great economist of all times. DSK, as he is popularly known, was all set to run for French Presidency next year in the banner of the Socialist Party.

While the public sentiment is clearly against the IMF chief in the U.S., several polls showed that the French are on the side of the millionaire and in denial over the scandal.

May 19 marks the 10th anniversary of Apple retail outlets and though a celebration is in the cards, what the company has planned is pretty much hush-hush.

U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Thursday, with investors bracing for data on the labor market and housing that could determine the direction of the market.

Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye is under house arrest, as a new parliamentary session is set to open.

Telecom gear maker Alcatel-Lucent is very confident of hitting a target to improve its operating margin this year and expects new products and cost cuts to support profitability beyond that.

Google is on its way to fix the vulnerability issue with Android phones that could have exposed users' personal data.

Japanese electronics manufacturer Toshiba Corp said on Thursday it will buy unlisted Swiss-based meter maker Landis+Gyr in a deal valued at $2.3 billion, including debt, in a bid to move into the promising overseas smart grid market.

Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary has given his fellow MP Chris Huhne support as police investigate allegations that Huhne asked his ex-wife to accept penalty points on his behalf.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T>, Japan's largest drugmaker, is buying privately held Swiss rival Nycomed for $13.6 billion, giving it access to a newly approved lung-disease drug, which is expected to be a major source of revenue growth.

Strong growth in the emerging markets of Africa, Asia and Latin America helped brewing giant SABMiller beat forecasts with a 19 percent rise in annual earnings while Europe and North America proved tougher.

Google has announced that it is trying to fix a vulnerability exposed in Android phones by a group of researchers at a German university which allows hackers to get hold of a user's contact and calendar data over open Wi-Fi network.

U.S. retailer Sears Holdings Corp reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss as sales at its namesake stores plunged both at its home turf and in Canada.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday, supported by a rise in commodity prices, as investors braced for data on the labor market and housing.

Apple has trumped Google and Amazon's unlicensed music locker offerings by availing a cloud-music licensing deal with EMI Music.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.05 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.04 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.07 percent at 4:10 a.m. EDT.

Tunisian authorities have lifted an overnight curfew imposed in the capital city of Tunis 10 days ago.

Commodity trader Glencore has confirmed the price of its bumper $11 billion market debut at 530 pence a share.

At least 24 people were killed and 80 injured in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk in three different bombing incidents on Thursday.

Wayne Rooney challenged a Twitter user to a fight last night after the footballer had been abused on the social networking site.

Eight New York residents sued Baidu Inc and the Chinese government on Wednesday, accusing China's biggest search engine of conspiring with its rulers to censor pro-democracy speech.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T>, Japan's largest drugmaker, said on Thursday it would buy privately held Swiss rival Nycomed for 9.6 billion euros ($13.6 billion) as it seeks to expand in Europe and emerging markets.

Restructuring of sovereign debt in Greece would make it impossible for the European Central Bank to continue using its bonds as collateral in liquidity operations, Executive Board member Juergen Stark said.

Microsoft and some smaller software vendors still have a shot in the fast-changing smartphone race even though Google and Apple are pulling rapidly ahead, industry executives said.