IBT Staff Reporter

Cutting the U.S. deficit by some $4 trillion over 10 years would be a good start, but more savings would be needed over time to bring the country's finances under control, ratings agency Standard & Poor's said on Thursday.

Starbucks Corp raised its fiscal year forecast above analysts' estimates after its relatively well-heeled customers visited more often and shook off price increases in the latest quarter.

Scientists have taken a step closer to identifying the power source for the extremely hot corona of the sun and the high speed of the solar wind.

Four U.S. IPOs were received with varying levels of interest on their market debut, signaling that investors were being very selective of where they want to put their money in.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare will reduce the maximum recommended dose of its painkiller Tylenol to reduce the risk of accidental overdose and liver damage caused by acetaminophen, according to a press release.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare said on Thursday it plans to lower the maximum recommended dosage on regular Tylenol and other acetaminophen-containing products beginning next year, but the company will recommend six pills a day, or 3,000 milligrams, rather than eight pills, or 4,000 mg, on Extra-Strength Tylenol product packages immediately.

Stocks faded in the afternoon on Thursday to end mostly lower, with investors skeptical a key vote by Congress would lead to a deal to avoid a U.S. default.

In conclusion, photons cannot time travel, and moving information around at faster-than-light speeds is not possible.

Astronomers have discovered a Trojan asteroid, which is orbiting the Sun along the same path as the Earth.

Lawyers, psychiatrists and police were discussing the mental health of Anders Behring Breivik after the anti-Islam radical admitted to a bombing and shooting spree that killed 76 people. More than 100,000 Norwegians attended a rally in Oslo on Monday, many carrying white and red roses in mourning.

The city of Pittsburgh welcomed The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan and Batman star Christian Bale with the display of the Bat signal upon its downtown Highmark building.

Banks in the European Union should spell out clearly their exposures to sovereign debt in their upcoming quarterly earnings reports, the bloc's markets watchdog said on Thursday.

Apple's fifth generation iPhone will feature a thinner, tapered design, an edge-to-edge screen and maybe even a touch-only home button, according to a variety of leaked phone cases, digitaltrends.com reported.

A flu "super antibody" called F16 has been discovered by researchers which can fight all types of influenza A viruses.

Thomson Reuters Corp Chief Executive Tom Glocer said the company was coming to grips with the problems that led to a management shakeout last week, as he sought to allay investor concerns centered on its new flagship product for financial markets.

Stocks faded in the afternoon on Thursday to end mostly lower, with investors skeptical a key vote by Congress would lead to a deal to avoid a default.

Researchers found those who ate the most of the healthy plant components were 11 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the least. Their findings don't prove fiber itself lowers cancer risk, however, because women who consume a lot of it might be healthier overall than those who don't.

Research confirms what most people know: people like Netflix for movies, Hulu for TV shows.

Shares of specialty tea retailer Teavana Holdings Inc surged as much as 73 percent on their trading debut on Thursday, as investors gravitate toward specialty consumer foods.

The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The trustee seeking money for victims of Bernard Madoff's fraud reached a more than $1 billion settlement with Tremont Group Holdings Inc, one of the largest feeders of customer funds into the Ponzi scheme.

The Senate's antitrust panel has scheduled its hearing on Google Inc's use of its considerable market clout for mid-September, the Senate Judiciary Committee said in a brief statement on Thursday.

James Murdoch was unanimously confirmed as chairman by BSkyB's (BSY.L) board, winning a reprieve from a phone-hacking scandal that threatens to draw him into multiple investigations, two sources briefed on the board meeting told Reuters.

Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti laughed off rumors that he was about to resign on Thursday but faced growing pressure over his links to a former advisor who is under investigation for corruption.

One of pharma-giant Johnson & Johnson's units are lowering the maximum daily dosage it recommends for Extra-Strength Tylenol pills to a level that was called for by medical experts about two years ago.

Nearly 40% of all activated Android devices are being returned. This includes Android phones and tablets.

The International Space Station may sink into the Pacific ocean in 2020.

Banking group HSBC Holdings Plc <0005.HK> may cut more than 10,000 jobs as part of its plan to slash costs by up to $3.5 billion a year, Sky News reported Thursday.