IBT Staff Reporter

The internet is running out of IP addresses in few hours from now. The last five blocks of IP each with 16.8 million addresses, are to be distributed on Thursday by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority to regional registries around the world, according to Associated Press reports.

A member of the Viagra-fueled Italian government led by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was caught ogling at escort girl's website on his iPad during a no-confidence debate on Wednesday.

Prosecutors assisted by whistleblowers are widening an investigation into whether banks overcharged public pension funds in the United States by tens of millions of dollars for foreign-exchange transactions, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Japanese stocks eased on Thursday as escalating violence in Egypt prompted investors to move to safer assets, while commodities extended their recent gains, underscoring growing inflationary pressures that could threaten the global economic recovery.

Private equity-backed pipeline company Kinder Morgan is expected to file terms for its initial public offering before U.S. markets open on Thursday, a source familiar with the situation said.

Retailers will shed light on the impact of inclement weather on their initial spring sales when they report figures for January on Thursday.

U.S. Senators on Wednesday defeated a bill to repeal last year's landmark healthcare bill, as Republican party members came up short against the Democratic majority. The vote was 47-51.

News Corp and Time Warner both posted higher revenue and profit in the December quarter, boosted by surging advertising revenue at their cable network units.

Viacom is returning popular comedy shows The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report to online video service Hulu in a deal that will also make other programs available to paying subscribers.

Visa Inc's quarterly profit rose 16 percent, slightly beating expectations, as consumer spending ramped up and the company processed more transactions abroad.

Bank of America Corp was hit with a lawsuit on Wednesday claiming the lending giant hid foreclosure problems that eventually led to a decline in its share price.

Actor Corbin Bernsen has purchased a 75-year-old tudor-style house in Valley Village with his wife, actress and interior designer Amanda Pays.

The U.S. Treasury said Wednesday it is close to turning a profit on direct bailout investments in the nation's banks, but still expects to post an overall loss in its financial bailout fund due to foreclosure prevention costs for homeowners.

Gap Inc will make New York City the creative hub for its namesake stores as part of widespread changes to revive growth and make its clothing popular again.

Rupert Murdoch, among the most ardent defenders of the traditional press, has staked his reputation on a risky bet that for just 14 cents a day he can save the news business with tablet devices like Apple's iPad.

Billionaire bond maven Bill Gross in a February report says America needs new priorities and blasts a culture that worships money and greed.

Spotted at Rupert Murdoch's splashy digital newspaper launch on Wednesday: a prototype of Apple's newest iPad.

AOL Inc suffered sharp declines in quarterly advertising sales and dial-up subscriptions, driving overall revenue down 26 percent and showing the struggling Internet company has yet to turn the corner.

Iranian Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi said on Wednesday the rise of communication technology in organizing political protest meant dictators would no longer be able to sleep soundly at night.

Citigroup on Tuesday swooped in to take control of EMI, a blow to the music company's private equity owner which had fought a long battle to keep hold of the debt-ridden label.

The Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? are coming back on Facebook with a new social twist.

Major automakers shut down plants in six Midwest states and Ontario on Wednesday after a winter storm that swept through the region a day before cut off shipments of parts and raw materials.

Visa Inc said on Wednesday quarterly profit rose 16 percent to $884 million, slightly beating expectations, as consumer spending ramped up and the company processed more transactions abroad.

Google Inc has fixed some shortcomings in its tablet computer strategy, as the Internet search giant steps up efforts to break into a nascent market dominated by Apple.

Stocks stalled on Wednesday as technical measures suggested a five-month rally was growing long in the tooth.

French telecommunications rivals Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom have banded together to create an Internet payment company along the lines of eBay Inc's PayPal, French newspaper Les Echos reported on its front page.

President Barack Obama is tracking the monster storm which swept through the central U.S. yesterday and today and is making in impact on the northeast.

Asian exporters of computer and communications equipment in 2009 boosted their grip on the sector during the global financial crisis and now hold two-thirds of the trade, figures issued on Wednesday showed.

Microsoft, not Yahoo! is to blame for the issue, the statement says.