IBT Staff Reporter

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday it feared Iran may be working now to develop a nuclear-armed missile, as Washington warned Tehran of consequences for ignoring international demands to stop its atomic program.

A son of the leader of a major Taliban faction attacking Western forces in Afghanistan has been killed in a missile strike by a U.S. drone in Pakistan, security officials said on Friday.

Russia said on Friday Iran must cooperate more actively with the U.N. nuclear agency to convince the world its nuclear program is peaceful, and gave fresh signals the Kremlin may back sanctions.

They sleep in boxy rooms crammed into dingy low-rises and spend hours commuting to work on crowded buses as part of a trend of poorer white-collar workers being forced to the fringes of China's wealthiest cities.

Credit card rules that come into effect on Monday will squeeze subprime borrowers' access to credit, analysts say, which could give a lift to the shadow banking sector and payday lenders.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched a court appeal on Friday aimed at blocking the inauguration of President-elect Viktor Yanukovich and forcing a fresh vote for president.

Before the crisis, Helena Kubickova couldn't wait until she could go to a bank machine in Prague and pull out euros, just like in Berlin or Paris.

Markets, banks and schools in Niger's capital opened as usual on Friday, a day after troops ousted President Mamadou Tandja in a military coup, and the only soldiers on the streets were few and lightly armed.

Nestle expects higher sales growth this year after beating 2009 forecasts through strong growth in North America and developing markets.

U.S. stock index futures fell, pointing to a weaker start for Wall Street on Friday after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised an emergency lending rate it charges banks.

Nestle , the world's biggest food group, is aiming for higher underlying sales growth in 2010 after a robust performance in Asia and the Americas helped it beat forecasts for 2009.

South Korea announced controls on Friday on how the microblogging service Twitter can be used during elections, an issue that has some people calling for changes in the country's stringent election law.

U.S. department stores are by and large set to report far better earnings in the coming week than they did a year ago in the thick of retail meltdown.

The U.S. dollar rose, commodity prices dropped and stocks fell on Friday after the Federal Reserve unexpectedly lifted an emergency lending rate for the first time since the financial crisis.

The U.S. dollar rose broadly, commodity prices dropped and stocks fell on Friday after the Federal Reserve stunned markets by lifting an emergency lending rate for the first time since the financial crisis.

The U.S. dollar rose broadly, commodity prices dropped and stocks fell on Friday after the Federal Reserve stunned markets by lifting an emergency lending rate for the first time since the financial crisis.

Recent cyber attacks on Google and other American corporations have been traced to a top Chinese university as well as a school with ties to the Chinese military, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people involved in the investigation.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Thursday made its first interest rate move since December 2008, hiking an emergency lending rate it charges banks, but insisted borrowing costs would not rise for consumers or companies.

The Federal Reserve raised its emergency lending rate for the first time since the financial crisis, lifting the dollar and hitting bonds as markets brushed off Fed assurances it was not a prelude to a rise in the main policy rate.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to expand a school program that is likely to help increase Americans' access to high-speed Internet, a major goal of the upcoming National Broadband Plan.

Dell Inc's quarterly gross margin missed Wall Street expectations, hurt by sales of lower-priced personal computers for consumers and a rise in costs for memory chips and other components.

Capital One Financial Corp will reimburse about $775,000 to customers following an agreement with U.S. bank regulators over complaints of credit card account closing practices.

Efforts to tighten financial regulation gained speed in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, with revised legislation seen as soon as next week from two key lawmakers now traveling together in Central America.

The U.S. dollar rose to a 9-month high against the euro and commodity prices dropped on Friday after the Federal Reserve lifted an emergency lending rate for the first time since the financial crisis.

The president of Toyota Motor Corp said on Friday he intends to give a sincere explanation about the company's series of safety recalls when he testifies in front of U.S. lawmakers next week.

Quarterly sales at Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. fell for the first time in the giant retailer's history.

Former Bank of America Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said he was briefed twice on his company's decision not to disclose rising losses at Merrill Lynch & Co, before the bank's takeover of Merrill was put before shareholders.

Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda, under pressure after a series of safety recalls, agreed on Thursday to appear before U.S. lawmakers investigating the crisis.

Efforts to tighten financial regulation picked up speed in the U.S. Senate on Thursday as a key committee targeted next week for the unveiling of revised legislation and the week after for a working session on it.