IBT Staff Reporter

Google Inc plans to build a super-fast Internet network for up to half a million people, a project that could pressure telecommunications companies to loosen their control of Web access in the United States.

Australia urged China on Thursday to proceed quickly with the trial of four China-based staff of Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto , whose arrest on charges of spying and bribery have strained ties with Beijing.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday that the expected cost of U.S. financial bailout has fallen by more than $400 billion in the last year.

U.S. stocks dipped on Wednesday as worries over Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's strategy after the economy recovers offset optimism about a possible rescue for debt-burdened Greece.

The Australian Dollar opens slightly lower today against its U.S. counterpart at 0.8755.

A major fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, spent six years and her entire life savings creating a prequel to the films.

U.S. stocks dipped on Wednesday as worries over Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's strategy after the economy recovers offset optimism about a possible rescue for debt-burdened Greece.

U.S. stocks dipped on Wednesday as worries over Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's strategy after the economy recovers offset optimism about a possible rescue for debt-burdened Greece.

Euro zone countries held intensive talks on Wednesday on a possible rescue for debt-laden Greece while civil servants in Athens staged the first big strike against government austerity plans.

A number of mistakes and eroding public confidence has some scientists calling for drastic changes in how future United Nations climate reports are handled.

The stock market ended slightly down today ahead of tomorrow's all important European Union Economic Summit, when European leaders will meet and discuss the details of a Greece bailout.

Norwegian browser company Opera Software said it would reveal a version of its Mini browser for Apple Inc's iPhone next week, offering faster download speeds.

United Parcel Service Inc , the world's largest package-delivery service, said on Wednesday it has been contacted by the European Commission, which is probing price fixing in the shipping business.

Apple Inc. is set to make substantial margins on the iPad tablet, as the product only costs between $219 and $335 depending on the model, according to research firm iSuppli Corp.

Initial public offerings by real estate investment trusts faced a tough market on Wednesday as investors shied away from taking on risk in a volatile market.

Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim's multi-billion dollar move to consolidate his telecoms empire has helped push emerging-market mergers and acquisitions (M&A) ahead of U.S. and European dealmaking in the year to date.

Large banks will likely pare back their private equity-related operations in anticipation of the so-called Volcker rule, despite it being unclear if it will be adopted, the co-founder of Carlyle Group said on Wednesday.

Affiliated Managers Group Inc said on Wednesday it plans to buy British private equity group Pantheon Ventures, in the U.S. money manager holding company's fifth acquisition in seven months.

Micron Technology Inc said it is acquiring privately held Numonyx Holdings B.V. on Tuesday in an all-stock deal valued at about $1.27 billion.

Independent studio Lions Gate Entertainment on Wednesday said Walt Disney Co's art-house studio Miramax would fit into its criteria for acquisitions.

Major U.S. stock indices recovered from earlier losses on Wednesday, shrugging off initial fears about Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's exit plan for the Fed's current level of support for the financial system.

Google believes that internet speed is not fast enough and said it is building a new-and-improved network that will work 100 times faster than the cable and DSL services that the majority of Americans use today.

Texas Instruments announced a new chip that promises to give more functionality to mobile devices while also shrinking their footprint.

Sprint Nextel Corp's fourth-quarter revenue fell 7 percent and missed Wall Street expectations as the No. 3 U.S. mobile service charged consumers less for phone calls to help curb subscriber losses.

Google Inc said it planned to build a high-speed broadband network, as the top Internet search company continues to explore new business areas.

The iPad may still be weeks away from launch, but the companies that feed off the popularity of Apple Inc's products are already hard at work prepping for the new tablet.

Google Inc said on Wednesday it would build a super high-speed broadband network for up to half a million people around the United States in order to experiment with the possibilities of a network running at 100 times current speeds.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday detailed how the U.S. central bank will begin to wean the economy off its extraordinary stimulus, even as he stressed it was not yet time to do so.

The New York Times Co warned on Wednesday that print newspaper advertising will continue to decline, sending shares down nearly 9 percent, even as the company slashed costs to reach a higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit.