IBT Staff Reporter

American Electric Power Co Inc planned to shut the 528-megawatt Unit 2 at the Welsh coal-fired power station in Texas on Sept. 10-14 to work on auxiliary equipment, the company told Texas regulators in a report.

General Motors has told Germany it wants to sell its European subsidiary Opel to Canadian auto parts group Magna, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.

Leslie Oudin, the mother of U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, reportedly had an affair with her daughters couch Brian de Villiers.

Japan's Toshiba Corp needs to consider acquisitions so as to develop sales routes and gain share overseas in the growing market for LED lights, the head of its lighting systems operations said on Thursday.

A drive to agree a U.N. climate pact in Copenhagen in December risks failure unless world leaders revive bogged-down negotiations at a U.N. summit in New York on September 22, experts say.

China's Huawei, one of the world's top makers of networking equipment, on Thursday denied a report it was in talks to form an alliance with Franco-American rival Alcatel-Lucent.

Daiwa Securities Group said it would pay about $2.2 billion to buy out Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group from their investment banking joint venture, leaving Daiwa vulnerable amid intensifying competition for deals in Japan.

France's Carrefour launched its second Russian store on Thursday with a pledge to pursue acquisitions in the country, and said the crisis had not changed its long-term vision of the market.

Japanese brewer Suntory Holdings, seeking overseas growth as Japan's population ages, is in talks to buy soft-drinks maker Orangina for at least the $2.6 billion that private equity firms including Blackstone paid for the company just three years ago.

The Bank of England left interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent for the sixth month running on Thursday and said it would keep its 175 billion pound asset buying programme in place.

Wall Street was set for a flat to higher open on Thursday after Texas Instruments raised its earnings forecast and data showed the number of people filing claims for jobless benefits fell last week.

For Omar Sharif, the future and the past are useless. The only thing that counts for the Egyptian actor is the present.

European technology shares rose sharply on Thursday after positive outlook comments from chip maker Texas Instruments and chip equipment firm ASML .

The board of General Motors has decided to sell its European arm Opel to Canadian auto parts group Magna , but has attached strings to the sale, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.

U.S. mortgage foreclosure filings in August hovered near July's record high despite broad efforts to keep borrowers in their homes and will probably rise for another year, according to a report released on Thursday.

Former Morgan Stanley managing director Du Jun was found guilty of insider trading by a Hong Kong court on Thursday, in the city's highest-profile insider trading case.

Stock futures edged up on Thursday after data showed the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week.

Global oil demand will be almost 0.5 million barrels per day higher than previously forecast this year and next on stronger-than-expected U.S. and Chinese fuel consumption, the International Energy Agency said.

Oil rose toward $72 a barrel on Thursday, supported by OPEC's decision to hold output steady and forecasts by the International Energy Agency that global demand will be higher this year and next than it previously forecast.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Thursday, a day after the S&P 500 benchmark index racked up its highest closing level for the year, while investors awaited data on the labor market.

Britain, South Korea and New Zealand left interest rates at record lows on Thursday, with Canada expected to follow suit, but in Asia at least there were signs that thoughts are turning to tighter policy.

Chinese carmakers are venturing on to the global stage with bids for Western brands from Volvo and Hummer to Saab, but there are doubts these inexperienced firms can manage the transformation such deals would bring.

Global oil demand will be almost 0.5 million barrels per day higher than previously forecast this year and next on stronger-than-expected fuel use in North America and Asia, the International Energy Agency said.

Stock futures were weaker on Thursday, easing after the S&P 500 benchmark index racked up its highest closing level for the year, while investors awaited data on the labor market.

General Motors is prepared to sell its European carmaker Opel to Canada's Magna, two people familiar with the negotiations told Reuters on Thursday.

A wave of Beatlemania struck Britain's streets as a specially remastered edition of the Fab Four's albums was released on Wednesday, complete with an interactive video game for a new generation of fans.

General Motors was set to end months of suspense over the fate of its Opel unit on Thursday and announce whether it plans to sell the European carmaker to one of two rival bidders.

OPEC early on Thursday agreed to hold output targets steady after top exporter Saudi Arabia looked to economic strength to bolster the oil price and dismissed bulging inventories.

Another Lehman?; Opel Decision Day Arrives; Books Competition