IBT Staff Reporter

Government workers and other may soon be able to bring not just their files, but their entire computer on a flash drive that could be used anywhere.

Its history is peppered with cloak-and-dagger stories which fostered a reputation for winning technology by hook or by crook. But today Huawei Technologies' disciplined growth strategy is a beacon to many emerging markets firms.

Kraft Foods Inc and Cadbury saw their credit ratings slashed to the lowest investment grade on Wednesday after Kraft won the backing from Cadbury's board for its $19.6 billion takeover bid.

China punished some banks, including Bank of China , for lending too much, after a surge in new loans this year increased inflationary pressures, sources said on Wednesday citing central bank figures.

A sister company to Toyota Motor Corp secured a lithium supply deal in Argentina on Wednesday that could help the world's largest automaker keep its lead in gasoline-electric hybrid cars.

New U.S. housing starts unexpectedly fell in December, pulled down by a drop in construction activity for single-family dwellings, a government report showed on Wednesday.

German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen proposed a 15 percent cut in support for new roof-mounted solar power, a bid to ease the industry toward free competition but a slightly smaller reduction than expected.

New U.S. housing starts unexpectedly fell in December, pulled down by a drop in construction activity for single-family dwellings, a government report showed on Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics will pay nearly $900 million over the next 5 years to license technology from Rambus Inc. as part of a settlement ending the companies' long term dispute.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday on reports of bank lending restrictions in China and as quarterly results from a host of U.S. banks increased uneasiness about the state of financial companies.

Bank of America Corp reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss of $5.2 billion, hurt by still-high loan losses and its repayment of U.S. government bailout aid.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday on reports of bank lending restrictions in China as earnings reports from a host of U.S. banks increased uneasiness about the state of financial companies.

Bank of America Corp reported a fourth-quarter loss of $5.2 billion, hurt by higher credit costs, lower net interest income and its repayment of U.S. government bailout aid.

Chinese authorities ordered some big banks to curb lending for the rest of January, intensifying their efforts to prevent the world's third-largest economy from overheating.

Yemen has launched an air strike on the house and farm of a leading Yemen-based al Qaeda militant, a security official said on Wednesday, but there was no immediate word on casualties.

U.S. carmaker General Motors GM.UL will close its Opel plant in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, sources said on Wednesday, slamming the door on hopes to save the jobs of the site's 2,300 staff.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou will make two stops in the United States next week during a trip to take aid to earthquake-hit Haiti, officials said on Wednesday, a move likely to anger political rival China.

Iran has notified the U.N. nuclear watchdog it rejects key parts of a draft deal to send abroad most of its enriched uranium, designed to ease fears the material could be used to make nuclear weapons, diplomats said on Tuesday.

U.N. climate talks face a crisis unless the U.S. Senate passes a climate control bill and failure to do so further risks the future of vulnerable countries such as small island states, Tuvalu said on Wednesday.

British Airways cabin crew have decided not to strike over the Easter holiday period, even if staff do decide to walk out, a Unite spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday.

Palestinian high-school student Fida Hejji died of cancer waiting for Israeli permission to go to an Israeli hospital for treatment.

In the autumn of 1998, computer science engineer Li Yanhong developed Rankdex, an experimental search engine that ranked websites according to their relevance to each other.

Nokia was back with a vengeance in the battle between handset makers over Christmas, Carphone Warehouse, Europe's biggest mobile phone retailer, said on Tuesday.

China's top search engine, Baidu Inc (BIDU.O), filed a lawsuit against its U.S.-based domain name service provider on Wednesday after a cyber attack interrupted its web services last week.

Oil extended losses toward $78 a barrel on Wednesday on tighter credit policy in China, a stronger dollar and expectations that U.S. refiners processed less crude.

President Barack Obama will order federal agencies on Wednesday to take measures to prevent companies that are delinquent in paying taxes from obtaining new government contracts, the White House said.

Massachusetts on Tuesday elected the state's first Republican to serve in the Senate in decades, a stunning upset that threatens to undermine Democrats' dominance in Washington.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.38 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.37 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.48 percent at 1018 GMT (5:18 a.m. EST).

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.38 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.37 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.48 percent at 1018 GMT (5:18 a.m. EST).