IBT Staff Reporter

Algeria promised to end a 19-year-old state of emergency and provide more political freedoms on Thursday, concessions designed to keep out a wave of uprisings sweeping the Arab world.

Egypt's government struggled to regain control of an angry nation, inviting Islamist opponents to political talks as protesters demanding the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak battled with his supporters on the streets.

Sudan's north will continue to use the Sudanese pound after the oil-producing south secedes on July 9, a central bank official said on Thursday, dousing reports that Khartoum may adopt a new currency.

Royal Dutch Shell is facing opposition to its plans to seek shale gas in South Africa's semi-desert Karoo region, as farmers fear methods used to extract it will contaminate water and harm the environment.

Economic growth in the six-nation Central African CEMAC bloc will reach 4.8 percent in 2011, up from 4 percent last year, the grouping's regional central bank said on Thursday.

Sanctions on Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo are starting to bite, with cocoa exports drying up and banks lacking liquidity, but it is not clear how much his rival Alassane Ouattara will benefit from any economic meltdown.

An African Union panel charged with finding a solution to Ivory Coast's leadership crisis should make clear to Laurent Gbagbo that he must step down, the United States said on Thursday.

Sitting on the dusty steps of his local chief's house, Cyrus Edo is spending his third consecutive day trying to register to vote in Nigeria's upcoming elections.

Japan's Kansai Paint said on Thursday it now owns nearly 69 percent of Freeworld Coatings, likely solidifying its bid to take over the South African paint firm.

South Africa's rand weakened more than 1.7 percent to near six-month lows against the greenback on Thursday, pushing through its long-term moving average as offshore hedge funds drained dollars off the market.

Kenya has halted plans to build a toll road through its capital, its roads minister said on Thursday, a day after World Bank said it would not fund the project as it did not comply with its financing standards.

MasterCard Inc's fourth-quarter profit soared 41 percent, beating expectations, as consumers around the world spent more money using credit and debit cards.

A political storm in Kenya over the presidential appointment of top judicial figures is likely to rage on after a court declared the nominations illegal, and the speaker of parliament declined to rule on the controversy.

The Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) is considering a major overhaul of revenue-sharing that will see South Africa keeping a far bigger slice of pooled customs receipts, according to a policy document.

Nestle, the world's biggest food group, said on Thursday it would invest 1 billion Swiss francs expanding capacity in Africa over the next two years.

Ford Motor Co is recalling nearly 363,000 F-150 pickup trucks in North America because of a potential problem with the door handles not working properly, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported on Thursday.

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp will reimburse about $10 million to customers to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges it misled them about the safety of a mutual fund.

An Egyptian army tank moved against supporters of President Hosni Mubarak as they hurled rocks at anti-Muburak protesters in central Cairo, prompting cheers from demonstrators battered by overnight fighting that killed six.

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Estee Lauder Cos Inc and Elizabeth Arden Inc topped profit expectations and raised their fiscal year forecasts as sales jumped overseas while parts of the U.S. cosmetics market remain under pressure.

Calling AT&T's billing system a rigged gas pump, the a court filing says that AT&T systematically overstates its users data transactions.

BJ's Wholesale Club Inc may put itself up for sale, under pressure from a private equity firm that may make a hostile bid, and its shares jumped more than 13 percent.

Retailers were a standout in an otherwise flat market on Thursday as a bigger-than-expected rise in sales at U.S. chain stores helped dispel some of the concern about the U.S. consumer.

A bill to reduce the likelihood of massive damage awards in patent disputes took a step forward on Thursday with approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Retail clothing stores such as Ann Taylor are leading the way so far on strong retail report by the Institute for Supply Management

January sales at major U.S. retailers blew past analysts' expectations as shoppers braved snowstorms in an unexpected sign of consumer strength.

The U.S. economic recovery still needs help from the Federal Reserve despite signs of improvement, the central bank's chairman Ben Bernanke said on Thursday.

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U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday as concerns over increasing disorder in Egypt and signs of exhaustion in the recent market rally weighed on investor sentiment.