IBT Staff Reporter

Rioting and rock throwing between pro and anti-government supporters broke in out in bloody clashes in one of Cairo's main squares on Wednesday, just one day after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would not step down until the next election in September.

U.S. private employers added more jobs than expected in January, the 12th consecutive month that companies took on staff, adding to hopes that the weak American labor market is slowly improving.

Gap Inc named Art Peck as president of Gap North America replacing Marka Hansen, and the retailer said it would merge its outlet division with its namesake and Banana Republic brands.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Wednesday after a report showed U.S. private sector added more jobs than expected in January.

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.

Japan's Sony Corp is expected to post a 15 percent fall in October-December profit on Thursday, hurt by a stronger yen and tough price competition in the flat TV market.

Drugmaker Roche faces a double whammy in 2011 as demand for best-selling Avastin cancer drug slows and U.S. healthcare reforms combined with a drive by European governments to cut drugs bills eats into its profit.

Time Warner Inc posted a rise in fourth quarter revenue and profit thanks to a 21 percent jump in advertising sales at its cable networks division.

Amazon.com is developing a film streaming service, which would compete directly with Netflix Inc, the Financial Times said.

The number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms in January rose 20 percent from the previous month to 38,519, but the tally was still the lowest for a January since at least 1993, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Vodafone has named outgoing Philips Chief Executive Gerard Kleisterlee as its new chairman, bringing emerging markets know-how and an ability to simplify a group to the world's largest mobile operator.

New scanning software from TSA eliminates passenger-specific images and puts in auto-detection technology instead.

LED makers have defied the post-crisis market turmoil with off-the-charts share price gains reminiscent of the dot-com boom.

World's top appliance maker Whirlpool Corp is raising prices of its goods this year to combat rising costs of materials like steel, plastics and paint, echoing the sentiment from smaller Swedish rival Electrolux.

U.S. stocks seesawed between modest gains and losses on Wednesday as indexes struggled to move higher a day after the Dow and S&P 500 closed at their highest in about 2-1/2 years.

The company posted a net loss in revenue of $322 million, up from year-on-year losses of $82 million.

Mattel Inc, the No. 1 toy company, staked its claim as the winner of the holiday shopping season as strong demand for its core Barbie and American Girl brands helped quarterly earnings beat expectations.

Germany and France have reached a consensus on steps to boost economic coordination within the euro zone as part of a comprehensive anti-crisis package that will also see the scope of Europe's bailout fund bolstered.

Mattel Inc, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, posted quarterly results that breezed past market estimates, helped by strong demand across its brands.

Simon JohnsonIceland's central bank signaled on Wednesday that interest rates may have bottomed out as it cut borrowing costs by 25 basis points to support a slow recovery from a brutal downturn.

Chrysler Group LLC canceled first production shifts at several plants in eight locations on Wednesday due to a shortage of parts.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Wednesday as a strong reading on the labor market failed to extend gains a day after the Dow and S&P reached their highest close in about 2-1/2 years.

Egyptian Internet connections appear to be behaving normally, after a rare blackout was imposed by the government last week.

A deep chill set in across much of the central U.S. on Wednesday as a major storm moved toward the northeast, bringing heavy snow, ice, wind chills and severe weather.

U.S. private employers added 187,000 jobs in January compared with a revised gain of 247,000 jobs in December, a report by payrolls processor ADP showed on Wednesday.

A classified U.S. document obtained by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks shows three previously undisclosed participants in the September 11, 2001 plot, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Apple Inc. said its CDMA iPhone 4 will be available for pre-orders from Thursday at Apple stores and Verizon Wireless. Apple said orders will be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis due to strong demand.

EMC released a free version of its Greenplum database with analytical tools for scientists and developers.

A new research has confirmed five new genes involved in Parkinson’s Disease (PD), bringing the total to eleven, showing that genetic factors play a greater role in the disease than previously believed.