IBT Staff Reporter

Japan will take control of Tokyo Electric Power Co <9501.T>, the operator of a stricken nuclear plant, in the face of mounting public concerns over the crisis and a huge potential compensation bill, a local newspaper reported on Friday.

Brent crude was steady above $117, after earlier touching near a four-week high, as investors awaited an expected positive U.S. March payroll report due later on Friday for clues to demand prospects by the world's largest oil importer.

Chinese authorities found three companies linked to Google Inc broke tax rules and are investigating possible tax avoidance, a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Thursday, raising the risk of fresh pressure on the Internet search giant.

Chinese authorities found three companies linked to Google Inc broke tax rules and are investigating possible tax avoidance, a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Thursday, raising the risk of fresh pressure on the Internet search giant.

Japanese business morale improved slightly in the three months to March, the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan survey showed, but the devastating earthquake earlier this month and a subsequent nuclear crisis are seen hurting confidence in coming months.

Japanese manufacturers' business sentiment improved slightly in the three months to March, the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan survey showed, but analysts anticipate a downturn in confidence this quarter following last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis.

A top NATO official on Thursday said there is no purely military solution to the crisis in Libya, as the coalition of North American and European nations took control of protecting civilians while rebels fighting Gaddafi-backed forces suffered setbacks after gains earlier in the week and talk of arming them grew.

Japanese business morale improved slightly in the three months to March, the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan survey showed, but the devastating earthquake earlier this month and a subsequent nuclear crisis are seen hurting confidence in coming months.

Europe may offer Ireland concessions on its bailout if weak economic growth prevents Dublin from meeting its targets under an EU-IMF bailout, central bank governor Patrick Honohan said on Thursday.

Japan will take control of Tokyo Electric Power Co <9501.T>, the operator of a stricken nuclear plant, in the face of mounting public concerns over the crisis and a huge potential compensation bill, a local newspaper reported on Friday.

The Bronx Zoo's Egyptian cobra was found in the dark corner of the zoo's reptile house after being missing for almost a week.

Ally Financial has filed to offer shares to the public in a first step for the U.S. government to sell down its majority stake in the former General Motors credit arm.

Former Berkshire Hathaway executive David Sokol's trading in Lubrizol shares as he pitched the company to Warren Buffett is a blurring of personal and professional profit-seeking that could attract a hard look from regulators.

Planemaker Boeing received at least $5.3 billion of illegal U.S. subsidies, the World Trade Organization said on Thursday in a dispute that shows no signs of an end to years of inconclusive wrangling.

General Electric Co went on the defensive on Thursday over a report it paid no income taxes in 2010, unapologetically saying it seeks to reduce what it owes, but expects to pay more this year.

Some pedestrians in Maryland are being warned a bus is turning at the street corner -- by the bus itself.

A fake app for the Android OS not only steals user's data, it humiliates them in the process.

The Finn is taking aim at the Japanese company over comments Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said about the smartphone game business.

Honda Motor Co <7267.T> and Mazda Motor Corp <7261.T> on Thursday became the latest major automakers to say they would resume some production in Japan after halting plant operations following the earthquake and tsunami of March 11.

Taiwan's Acer, the world's No. 2 PC vendor, replaced its chief executive in a surprise move on Thursday, barely a week after it gave a downbeat outlook that wiped more than $1 billion off its market value in four days.

Raj Rajaratnam did not pick stocks alone. He had a team of researchers at his Galleon Group hedge fund to grind through the rumor mill and anticipate a good bet.

A European bank that was later exposed to the Madoff scandal and an Arab company now majority-owned by the Libyan central bank were among an odd assortment of firms that dug deep into the U.S. Federal Reserve's coffers as the financial crisis exploded in 2008.

The company is phasing out the technology in favor of near-field communication, which would offer much of the same functionality of QR codes but with increased efficiency.

Microsoft says the 11,500 apps on Windows Phone 7 are all quality and the company isn't padding statistics.

American International Group reorganized its biggest unit and charged derivatives veteran Peter Hancock with turning around the struggling property and casualty business.

The maker of the virus software that fingered a harmless foreign language support file as a Samsung-installed keylogger apologized to the company, and to users.

Oil prices jumped to their highest close in 2-1/2 years on Thursday in thin end-of-quarter trading that left Brent near a record quarterly rise of more than $22 as Libya's conflict and Middle East unrest kept supply threats in focus and U.S. economic data added lift.

The number of Americans claiming unemployment aid fell last week and factory employment in the U.S. Midwest hit a 27-year high in March, more signs that an improvement in the labor market is under way.

U.S. stocks ended a solid quarter with the barest of moves on Thursday, as investors looked ahead to Friday's U.S. jobs report to provide a catalyst to push indexes to new highs for the year.