COMPANIES

Micronations or libertarian utopias aren't conceptually new. They claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations. Many of these nations envisage a utopian society free of authoritarian control of any kind. These are non-existent except on paper, on the Internet, or in the minds of their creators.

A woman from Florida reportedly left her five-year-old daughter in her stroller at 10 pm on the rainy night of Thursday, outside a bar, to enjoy a couple of drinks. The 34-year-old mother, Sarah Lynn Cheek, has been charged with child neglect after some bystanders reported the incident of child-torture to the authorities.

The euro rebounded on Friday as an early sell-off lost steam on central bank demand and technical buying, although the currency was vulnerable due to fears about euro-zone banks and a gloomy global outlook.

Before the stormy trading of August, many stock investors probably thought death cross was the name of some heavy metal band.

About 27,000 South Koreans who use Apple's iPhone have joined a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer in local court. The lawsuit claims Apple is invading their privacy because the iPhone collects and stores location data without their consent.

General Motors Co (GM.N) is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit over a suspension problem on more than 400,000 Chevrolet Impalas from the 2007 and 2008 model years, saying it should not be responsible for repairs because the flaw predated its bankruptcy.

HP is killing its TouchPad, intended to compete with Apple's iPad. HP said it will no longer support the TouchPad, focusing in other areas.

Hewlett-Packard no longer likes the PC business, but investors aren't liking HP at the moment on that news. One day after HP said it is considering shedding its PC unit, which currently comprises 30 percent of company sales, investors shed the company's stock, sending HP shares plunging to near six-year lows.

When the storied West Memphis Three walked to freedom 18 years after they were imprisoned for allegedly killing three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, there were crowds of people outside the prison offering them support, and chanting that justice was finally done. Were they really innocent?

The strike of 45,000 Verizon workers is nearing the end of two weeks. Workers haven't received paychecks and on Aug. 31 they will lose health benefits if they remain on strike.

Peter Thiel, PayPal cofounder and an initial investor in Facebook, and a gay libertarian, is investing in what he calls his most ambitious project: Creation of artificial libertarian islands in international waters, free from international laws, regulations or moral codes.

A Mississippi teenager who intentionally ran over a black man in an apparent hate crime and bragged about the incident to a friend will be charged with capital murder, which can attract death sentence or life in prison.

The West Memphis Three -- Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. -- who spent almost two decades in prison for the killing of three young boys, were freed by the court on Friday. The three men were tried and convicted of the murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, on May 5, 1993. During the trial, the prosecution put forth the idea that the only purported motive in the case was that the slayings were part of a satanic ritual.

In a letter sent to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, PETA has urged the sending of only vegan flights during any future SpaceX missions to Mars.

Billionaire Edgar Bronfman Jr is stepping down as chief executive of Warner Music Group Corp, the world's third-largest music company, just two months after the company was bought by Len Blavatnik's Access Industries.

California has broken up what it called a ring of law firms that fraudulently induced struggling homeowners nationwide to pay thousands of dollars each to file mass lawsuits against their mortgage lenders.

Oil trading data that exposed the extensive positions speculators held in the run-up to record high prices in 2008 were intentionally leaked by a U.S. senator, sparking broader concern about industry confidentiality as Congress moves on Wall Street reform.

Bank of America Corp plans to cut 3,500 jobs in the next few weeks as CEO Brian Moynihan tries to come to grips with the bank's $1 trillion pile of problem home mortgages.

The iPad 3 is in development, according to a report. Apple's new tablet will likely be released in early 2012, the report said.

Gold rose 1.5 percent on Friday, setting a record high for a second straight day and heading for its biggest one-week gain in 2-1/2 years on worries about stalled U.S. growth and Europe's debt crisis.

Long live 'The King!' Burger King has dethroned its mascot 'The King,' in an effort to switch up its ad campaign which will focus more on the food and its preparation from fresh ingredients, according to a Burger King spokesperson.

Gold set a record high on Friday on safe-haven buying but commodities rebounded after the U.S. dollar plunged to a record low against Japan's currency on speculation authorities will not halt the yen's surge.

South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers members at Impala Platinum on Friday rejected a revised pay rise offer from the world's second largest producer of the precious metal and will refer the dispute to arbitration.

South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers said Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), the world's largest platinum producer, again raised its wage offer on Friday, trying to head off a strike that could cause a jump in global prices of the precious metal.

Singapore billionaire Peter Lim has made a significant investment in UK-based sports car maker McLaren Automotive, the company said.

IBM says its new chip comes closer than anything done before at replicating the human brain, a breakthrough considering the system is capable of rewiring its connections as it encounters new information the same way a human brain would.

Burger King has dumped its creepy King mascot in favor of emphasizing its new healthy options, according to USA Today.

Hewlett-Packard is making a bold move to reshape its business that analysts are applauding as having long-term upside. In the short term, however, investors are concerned about the cost and risks involved -- sending HP shares down 16.23 percent Friday in pre-market trading.

HP dumped its webOS Touchpad tablet, the Taliban attacked a British cultural center in Kabul, five were killed at a Belgian music festival, and more in today's Daily Scoop.