IBT Staff Reporter

It's been more than 30 years since John Cleese made his television classic Fawlty Towers and the British comedian is just as proud of it now as when he helped create the series in the 1970s.

A key U.S. congressional committee approved new rules for the largely unpoliced $450-trillion derivatives market on Thursday in a win for the Obama administration.

Garth Brooks, the best-selling solo musician in U.S. history, said on Thursday he was coming out of retirement and was expected to announce an extended concert run at the Wynn Las Vegas casino and hotel.

Top U.S. executives are becoming more hopeful about the global economy and the U.S. business outlook, according to a survey of business leaders released on Thursday.

U.S. mortgage rates rose for the first time in four weeks but remained below 5 percent, a key level that may spur home loan demand and help the hard-hit U.S. housing market recover.

American International Group Inc said on Thursday it expects to recognize a loss of about $1.4 billion on the sale of Nan Shan Life Insurance Co, its life insurance unit in Taiwan.

Even before the long-time rumored Apple Tablet is rolled out, it seems to already have competition.

German industrial conglomerate Siemens agreed to buy Israel's Solel Solar Systems Ltd for about $418 million to expand its business with solar thermal power plants.

Citigroup Inc posted a quarterly per-share loss as it suffered $8 billion of credit losses, raising questions about when the bank can return to sustained profitability.

The Boss Day, also known as National Bosses Day is on October 16, a day for employees to thank their superiors for their kindness and fairness throughout the year.

I've never seen anyone hitchhiking in Japan. Maybe it's because most people own a car or motorbike, and those that don't rely instead on the fantastically efficient train and bus services.

Bangkok is 'fake it' central. It's a city where pretending you're something you're not has become a way of life. Everywhere you go, you'll see fake designer purses, watches, shoes, suits; you name it, and Bangkok has it in all the colors.

Oil prices jumped more than 2 percent on Thursday, touching a one-year high after government data showed a steep, unexpected drop in U.S. gasoline and distillate inventories.

Fertility clinic websites aren't doing a great job of explaining the risks of testing an embryo for genetic disorders before it's implanted in the womb, researchers found.

Stocks slipped on Thursday after Goldman Sachs and Citigroup reported quarterly results, but losses were limited after positive oil inventory data helped energy shares.

Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it was launching same-day delivery service in seven cities as the online retailer looks to win sales from last-minute shoppers this holiday season.

U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday after Goldman Sachs and Citigroup reported quarterly results, but losses were limited after positive oil inventory data helped energy shares.

A common gene that can cause abnormal heart rhythms can also trigger epileptic seizures in the brain and may explain the sudden, unexplained deaths that often occur in people with epilepsy, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Uninformed relatives responsible for the care of advanced Alzheimer patients often seek overly aggressive treatments, and doctors treating frail elderly with kidney failure should be wary of using dialysis, according to two studies reported Wednesday.

A Senate panel voted on Thursday to bar drug companies from paying generic drugmakers to delay bringing their cheaper medicines to market.

CVS Caremark Corp (CVS) said on Thursday its seasonal flu-shot clinics will run through Oct. 22, less than three weeks after the official start of the influenza season, due to manufacturer delays in delivering flu vaccine.

Shares of Lazard Ltd dropped nearly 3 percent on Thursday following news that its chief executive, legendary Wall Street deal maker Bruce Wasserstein, had died at the age of 61.

Walmart.com is cutting the prices of popular books even before they hit store shelves.

Lazard Capital Markets started coverage of acute care hospitals with a cautious stance based on its slower growth outlook for the sector in 2010, and rated Community Health Systems Inc (CYH) a buy, citing the company's internal growth opportunities and limited-risk balance sheet.

Garth Brooks, the best-selling solo musician in U.S. history, said on Thursday he was coming out of retirement and was expected to announce an extended concert run at the Wynn Las Vegas casino and hotel.

The Dow Jones industrial average briefly turned positive on Thursday as resurgent crude oil prices lifted energy shares, but both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq held near break-even due to caution about earnings.

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Thursday its car sales in China in September rose 45 percent from a year earlier to a record monthly high of about 72,000 vehicles as stimulus policies bolstered consumer confidence.

Hundreds of workers at General Motors Co GM.UL's Thai assembly plant ended a 10-day strike on Thursday after settling a pay dispute with the management, the U.S. auto maker said in a statement.

Bajaj Auto (BAJA.BO) said on Thursday its net profit more than doubled in the September quarter, beating forecasts, and India's second-largest motorcycle maker said it saw strong sales growth in the next six months.