IBT Staff Reporter

Microsoft is all set to release its next generation windows—Windows 8 with its eyes firmly set on the tablet market.

Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti met Chinese officials last week, a Treasury spokesman said on Tuesday after the Financial Times reported that Rome had asked China to buy significant quantities of its debt.

U.S. retirement programs could look different if a grand deficit-cutting bargain is struck in upcoming negotiations.

Tough guy and known for his hard-hitting approach towards advocates of crime, Bernard Hogan-Howe yesterday has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Nintendo's attempt to rescue its failed 3DS handheld games gadget failed to dispel market gloom, triggering a 5 percent share slide and stoking deep worries for an iconic brand desperate to win back users.

Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne said the euro single currency system could go off the rails unless European leaders effectively resolve the current debt crisis.

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's family has reportedly expressed unhappiness over Atul Agnihotri's move to produce a biopic on the actor.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that Europe was doing everything in its power to prevent Greece from defaulting on its debt and cautioned that an exit from the euro zone would unleash domino effects and should be avoided at all costs.

Italy has asked China to buy Italian debt as the euro zone's third-largest economy struggles to convince markets it can manage its debt load, media reports said.

Manny Ramirez, the 2004 World Series MVP, was arrested on Monday in his South Florida home on charges of domestic violence. The retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder was charged with battery.

The golden master of iOS 5, Apple's updated operating system announced in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference, is to be released some time between September 23 and September 30, according to an analyst.

South Africa's rand steadied against the dollar on Tuesday after falling more than 2.6 percent overnight, while bonds also recouped some losses although local assets remained vulnerable to renewed global risk aversion.

FirstRand, South Africa's second-biggest bank, posted a 22 percent rise in full-year earnings, buoyed by a sharp drop in bad debts, and said it would pay a special dividend.

European stocks rose on Tuesday on a report that Italy may get financial support from China but the euro inched down as markets remained fearful that Europe is sliding into another banking crisis.

Popular cartoon character 'SpongeBob SquarePants' is the target of criticism again. A study conducted at the University of Virginia, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggested that allowing pre-schoolers to watch the series caused short term disruptions in mental function and attention span.

Nintendo's attempt to rescue its failed 3DS handheld games gadget with a raft of new games content fell short of expectations and left investors pessimistic about the outlook for the long-time industry champion.

European index futures rose and the euro edged off a seven-month low on Tuesday after a report that Italy may get financial support from China sparked a bout of short-covering but did nothing to ease fears that Europe is sliding into another banking crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday there were generally no taboos in politics but that the euro zone crisis would not have a mechanism for orderly insolvency of one of its members until its permanent rescue mechanism comes into power in 2013.

Miss Angola Leila Lopes, a business student from the town of Benguela in her home country, was crowned Miss Universe on Monday after dazzling a panel of judges with her beauty and impressing them with her brain.

Prospects for job seekers are gloomier in most major economies than they were three months ago, as weak U.S. and European economies begin to affect employers' confidence in other parts of the world, according to a quarterly hiring survey by ManpowerGroup.

Warren Buffett advanced his succession plan on Monday by naming Ted Weschler, a low-profile hedge fund manager who has produced out-sized returns in the last decade, to help manage the investments of Berkshire Hathaway Inc

The rupee rose on Tuesday breaking a six-day losing streak and clawed back from the 14-month low touched in the previous session comforted by a firm euro and gains in domestic equities.

General Electric Co hopes to double the company's German business in five years through a combination of organic and inorganic growth, a company executive told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

Nintendo announced a raft of new software in an attempt to prop up disappointing sales of its latest handheld games gadget, the 3DS, but there was no sign of the add-on accessory that games blogs have said is in the works.

When John Chambers takes to the stage on Tuesday, many will be wondering if it is the last time the chief executive leads Cisco Systems Inc's annual financial analyst conference.

Miss Universe 2011 is is the gorgeous Miss Angola Leila Lopes!

Xu Hengrui scored 526 points in law entrance examination at Renmin University, one of China's most prestigious universities.

An intimate dinner date between Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper over the weekend has sparked off rumors about whether the two are dating.

Royal Bank of Canada on Monday downgraded its growth forecast for the Canadian economy in 2011, citing weaker performance in the United States and Europe.