IBT Staff Reporter

Pent-up car demand in the United States and slowing, but still growing sales in China, should soften concerns about the ability of General Motors Co to weather a recession, the company's chief executive said.

Ever since Apple failed to launch iPhone 5 in June (deviating from its traditional summer release), the Internet has turned cacophonous with the expected release date and specifications of the superphone.

UBS chief executive Oswald Gruebel said he has the support of his board despite the rogue trading scandal that cost the Swiss bank $2.3 billion and prompted calls for tougher regulation of risky investment bank practices.

Namibia's Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) on Wednesday served Rio Tinto's Rossing uranium mine with a strike notice after failing to reach a deal in talks over output incentives, with a stoppage expected to start on Friday.

Libya will likely name a new government within 10 days, interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said, raising hopes of political progress in the fractured country weeks after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.23 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.26 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.07 percent at 3:06 a.m. ET.

A one-of-a-kind chemical compound found in the tissue of dogfish sharks can be used to combat human viruses, according to scientists.

Google has opened up Google+ to all after field-testing it for 12 weeks and it has rolled out a raft of features that can shake the roost of Facebook further.

European stock index futures fell on Wednesday as investors looked to book some of the previous sessions gains and waited for the end of a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to announce further steps to stimulate the flagging U.S. economy.

A weakened Manchester United proved too much for bitter-rivals Leeds United while Arsenal came back from a goal down to beat league two side Shrewsbury 3-1.

Arsenal avoided further embarrassment after coming back from a goal down to win 3-1 over League Two side Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup.

The United States on Wednesday expressed concern about recent cyber attacks on defense contractors in Japan, which build U.S.-designed missiles, warships and military aircraft, calling for the attacks to be taken seriously.

A weakened Manchester United proved too much for bitter-rivals Leeds United as the visitors secured a 3-0 victory at Elland Road in the Carling Cup third round.

Quanta Computer Inc, the world's largest PC contract maker, said on Wednesday that employees at its Taiwan production line number less than 2,000, down from about 3,000 in the first half, following a decline in client orders.

A new study shows that a good workout can have a significant impact in helping smokers quit the habit, especially for teenage boys.

Authorities in eastern India will start culling chickens and destroying eggs to contain a new outbreak of H5 bird flu, the government said in a statement on Tuesday, as a mutant strain of the virus is spreading elsewhere in Asia.

Electro-mechanical projects firm Voltas Ltd is in advanced talks to buy the water purification and treatment business of India's No.3 software services exporter, Wipro Ltd, The Times of India said, citing unnamed sources close to the development.

Thin people may be able to summon more mental defenses to resist tempting, high-calorie foods than obese people, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Asian stocks edged up and the euro clawed back lost ground as investors waited for the end later on Wednesday of a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to announce further steps to stimulate the flagging U.S. economic recovery.

Future Group, which owns the Pantaloon Retail chain, is in talks with Japan's convenience store chain Lawson Inc to sell a 49 percent stake in its foods sourcing and manufacturing operations, the Economic Times reported.

The rupee rose on Wednesday to pull back further from a two-year low touched in the previous session helped by a firm euro and domestic equities.

Gold's rally will extend beyond $2,000 an ounce in the next year, but won't match the torrid record-breaking climb of the last 12 months, according to gold investors and analysts attending the London Bullion Market Association's (LBMA) annual conference.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday looks set to launch a fresh effort to invigorate the faltering U.S. recovery, embarking on what could be the first in a series of incremental steps to foster stronger growth.

Drawn by a handwritten notice, a handful of customers sift through stacks of sports shoes and rows of clothes at a Li Ning discount outlet in China's boom town of Shenzhen on a Sunday afternoon.

Japan's exports rose in the year to August at less than half the pace expected as a global economic slowdown, a strong currency and Europe's sovereign debt crisis put Japan's own recovery increasingly in doubt.

Asian stocks drifted slightly lower and the euro clawed back lost ground as investors waited for the end later on Wednesday of a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to announce further steps to stimulate the flagging U.S. economic recovery.

A study by U.S. researchers has found an energy-efficient way to create hydrogen just using some fresh water, salt water and membranes. Self-powered cells, fueled by bacteria, can produce an abundant supply of hydrogen.

by Natalie FearyNEW YORK, Sept 20 - A five-year $1billion revolving facility launched by Brazilian telecommunications company Telemar this week could be a bellwether for where the Latin American syndicated loans market is headed.

The U.S. government is concerned about cyber attacks on Japanese defense contractors including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which builds F-15 fighter jets, Patriot missiles and other U.S. designed weapons for Japan's military, urging such attacks be taken seriously, the U.S. embassy in Tokyo said.