IBT Staff Reporter

Sharp Corp will begin production of light emitting diodes backlights for its liquid crystal display televisions this year at a cost of 15 billion yen ($160.9 million), the Nikkei business daily said.

The world will soon run out of Internet addresses as the number of devices connected to the Web explodes unless organizations move to a new Internet Protocol version, the head of the body that allocates IP addresses said.

A prominent Kuwaiti blogger has gone on a hunger strike to protest his detention by authorities, who accuse him of insulting the ruler and inciting the overthrow of government, his lawyer said Thursday.

Stocks slid on Thursday, extending losses after executives with Cisco Systems Inc and Kohl's Corp made cautious comments about the strength of the economic recovery.

Federal prosecutors in New York are conducting a broad criminal investigation into whether major Wall Street financial firms misled investors, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The Senate approved two amendments to a landmark Wall Street reform bill on Thursday that would shake-up the credit rating agency business, widely maligned for its role in the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

When travelling to Malaysia, one normally doesn't think of tea plantations and mountain chalets. But when visiting the Cameron Highlands in the country's interior, that is exactly what you will find.

Japan's Sanyo Electric, the world's largest maker of rechargeable batteries, said on Thursday it would supply Suzuki Motor with lithium-ion battery systems for its plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The Senate on Thursday voted to impose tighter regulations on credit-rating agencies, which have been criticized for misjudging the risks of debt instruments at the core of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Sony Corp's conservative profit estimate suggests the road to recovery for the Japanese electronics maker is bumpy as it braces for unfavorable currency rates and tough competition.

In the movie Ironman 2, Larry Ellison makes a cameo appearance as a billionaire, playboy software magnate. It is a role he knows well. He is playing himself -- chief executive of Oracle Corp, one of Silicon Valley's most enduring, successful and flamboyant figures.

The number of U.S. workers filing for jobless benefits fell only slightly last week, suggesting the unemployment rate will remain elevated even as recovery in the labor market becomes entrenched.

SAP AG's planned purchase of Sybase Inc for $5.8 billion to move ahead of arch rival Oracle Corp in the mobile data market has raised concerns the German software maker is paying too much.

Although price pressures in the U.S. economy are currently muted, inflation could accelerate in the United States in the next three to five years, the world's biggest bond fund management company said on Thursday.

Manufacturers don't always understand Wall Street's game, but after still-unexplained events nearly wiped out a trillion dollars in market value, they say it's high time for more regulation of financial services.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, following the best three-day run in 10 months as lackluster jobless data underscored difficulties facing the labor market and offset optimism after a multibillion-dollar tech deal.

Ford Motor Co expects earnings improvement in 2011 after solid profits in 2010 as its turnaround gains traction, executives said at its annual meeting of shareholders on Thursday.

U.S. mortgage rates dropped below 5 percent in the latest week, the lowest level in 5 months, boding well for the hard-hit housing market as it copes with the absence of government support, a closely watched survey showed on Thursday.

Foreclosure activity fell in April as lenders repossessed homes at a record pace but started far fewer new actions against struggling homeowners, signaling a plateau in loan failures, RealtyTrac said on Thursday.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, following the best three-day run in 10 months as lackluster jobless data underscored difficulties facing the labor market and offset optimism after a multibillion-dollar tech deal.

Ford Motor Co expects earnings improvement in 2011 after solid profits in 2010 as its turnaround gains traction, executives said at its annual meeting of shareholders on Thursday.

Bank of America Corp said on Thursday that it had modified roughly 56,000 customer mortgages so far this year under the primary U.S. government program aimed at preventing bank foreclosures.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Thursday as gains in technology shares tempered lackluster jobless data that underscored the difficulties facing the labor market.

Director James Cameron, whose blockbuster Avatar set off a 3D frenzy in the movie industry, on Thursday told television producers to put aside their worries about higher filming costs and embrace the technology.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell slightly less than expected last week, government data showed on Thursday, while the number of people still drawing benefits unexpectedly rose.

Ford Motor Co expects earnings improvement in 2011 after solid profits in 2010 as its turnaround gains traction, executives said at its annual meeting of shareholders on Thursday.

Portuguese leaders agreed tough new austerity measures on Thursday, joining a coordinated euro zone push that has so far calmed the markets' worst fears of a Greek-style debt crisis spreading.

The number of U.S. workers filing for jobless benefits fell only slightly last week, highlighting the challenges facing the labor market, while import prices pointed to tame inflation, according to government data released on Thursday.

Although price pressures are currently muted, the United States will get an uptick of inflation over the medium term, the world's biggest bond fund management company said on Thursday.