IBT Staff Reporter

Rising cotton prices and other costs took a toll on quarterly margins at Macy's Inc and Ralph Lauren Corp , pressuring shares of both the department store operator and the upscale clothing maker.

Rob Mocarsky, a former kindergarten teacher in Jackman, Maine, who took pornographic photos of four of his students, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Tuesday.

Lionsgate Entertainment narrowed its fiscal second quarter net loss year-over-year to $24.6 million as gains from its sale of Maple Pictures and EPIX earnings helped offset underperformance in films.

Adobe Systems Inc is halting development of its popular Flash Player for use in mobile browsers, essentially admitting defeat to rival Apple Inc in a long-running battle over Web standards.

Chinese industrial output grew at its weakest annual pace in a year in October and inflation fell sharply, raising expectations Beijing will do more to support economic growth by fine tuning policy.

Karen Kraushaar, one of the former National Restaurant Association employees who received a settlement after accusing then-CEO Herman Cain of sexual harassment, says she wants to hold a joint press conference with the other three women who have made allegations against Cain.

Chief marketing officers at U.S. retailers are cautious heading into the holiday season, though those at larger chains are a bit more optimistic about their prospects, according to a survey conducted by BDO USA.

Stocks dropped more than 2 percent in early trading on Wednesday as a spike in Italian bond yields prompted fears the region's debt crisis was spiraling.

One message from financial markets has become quite clear: attempts by the euro zone to ring-fence Greece and stop contagion to other, more significant economies has failed.

One message from financial markets has become quite clear: attempts by the euro zone to ring-fence Greece and stop contagion to other, more significant economies has failed.

The transformation of Seattle's South Lake Union district stands as a metaphor for this city's emergence as what some would argue is the West Coast's second most important hub of technology and entrepreneurship.

Retail giant Wal-Mart's new social media arm, WalmartLabs, will open a software development center in the southern Indian city of Bangalore by the end of this year, a company executive said on Wednesday.

Africa could have its first commercial long-term evolution or 4G network as early as next year, as wireless phone operators gear up to meet growing data demand from smartphone users, an Ericsson executive said on Wednesday.

General Motors Co posted a third-quarter profit that fell 15 percent after a loss in Europe and forecast that operating profit in the current quarter would be flat from a weak fourth quarter in 2010.

Ericsson, the world's top mobile network gear maker, cautioned that new lower-margin business would hit profitability in the fourth quarter and the global slowdown could mean its customers spend less.

The New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Amex Cash Markets on Wednesday invoked a rule to smooth trading at the market open as futures tumbled following a spike in Italian bond yields.

Germany's wise men panel of economic advisers warned the European Central Bank it risks losing credibility by buying the bonds of heavily-indebted euro zone states, and that monetary and fiscal policy are becoming worryingly blurred.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's pledge to resign after implementing economic reforms did nothing on Wednesday to staunch a perilous collapse in market confidence in Italy.

Losses on securities investments at the core of a scandal rocking Japan's Olympus Corp may have once exceeded $1 billion, the Nikkei newspaper said on Wednesday, as the 92-year-old firm's share price plunged due to doubts about its future.

Toronto's main stock index looked set to open lower on Wednesday, hurt by weaker commodity prices as doubts about Italy's ability to tackle its debt problems persisted even after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged to resign.

She was among the most photographed celebrities of her day, and he is among the top pop stars of his. But whose pictures are worth more -- Marilyn Monroe or Justin Bieber?

Activision Blizzard’s extremely popular fantasy MMO has lost another 800,000 subscribers as of Sept. 30. The player count is now down to 10.3 million players.

Teen sensation Justin Bieber is allegedly the father of 3-months old love child and the baby's mother, 20-year old Mariah Yeater claims her son was the result of a brief sexual encounter she had with Bieber at a Los Angeles performance last year. However, the singer has denied this allegation saying he has never met Yeater and has also agreed to take a DNA test to prove it.

The Florida Panthers mauled the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Tuesday to put an end to a string of frustrating shootout defeats.

Germany's wise men panel of economic advisers warned the European Central Bank it risks losing credibility by buying the bonds of heavily-indebted euro zone states, and that monetary and fiscal policy are becoming worryingly blurred.

Devices help researchers track spread of crop diseases.

Macy's Inc reported a higher third-quarter profit, helped by sales gains on its website and at its upscale Bloomingdale's chain, and the retailer raised its profit forecast for the fiscal year.

The euro zone debt crisis kicked into a new gear on Wednesday as Italian bond yields soared into levels widely deemed unsustainable, causing a sharp sell-off in stocks and the euro.

Canadian miner Timmins Gold Corp (TMM.TO: Quote) swung to a second-quarter profit as it sold more gold at higher prices.