IBT Staff Reporter

Virtual economies set up in videogames as players trade items are being used as case studies to track and model real-world economies.

Rescuers pulled bodies from the mud and twisted rubble and fished bloated corpses from the South Pacific off Samoa Wednesday as the death toll from a series of tsunamis climbed further.

Sport and politics converge in a potent mix on Friday with the credibility of the U.S. President on the line as International Olympic Committee (IOC) members choose the venue for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

U.S. stocks fell further on Thursday, with major indexes down more than 1 percent, after data showed the manufacturing sector grew in September, but at a slower pace than anticipated.

Six world powers held talks with Iran on Thursday that U.S. officials said would need to convince them Tehran was prepared to show it was not hiding plans for a nuclear bomb.

Oil pared losses to trade above $70 a barrel after the biggest daily jump since April on the back of a hike in U.S. consumer spending and as tensions between Iran and the West lent support.

Louis Meeks, a burly 59-year-old alfalfa farmer, fills a metal trough with water from his well and watches an oily sheen form on the surface which gives off a faint odor of paint.

The head of the Federal Reserve adopted a new tone on Thursday over a key plank of the Obama administration's proposed plan for financial regulation reform, saying new oversight powers proposed for the U.S. central bank should be shared with other regulators.

David Fogarty, Climate Change Correspondent, Asia

STP Nuclear Operating Co's 1,280-megawatt Unit 1 at the South Texas nuclear power station in Texas shut by early Thursday from 92 percent early Wednesday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report.

Wall Street was set to open lower on Thursday as weaker-than-expected jobs data prompted more investors to consolidate gains after a strong third quarter.

Duke Energy said on Thursday it brought two new wind power projects on line and said it would use Siemens Energy wind turbines as well as General Electric turbines at a planned Wyoming wind farm.

Petroquest Energy Corp said the borrowing base under its credit facility has been revised to $100 million, following a redetermination by its lenders, and the independent oil and natural gas company raised its third-quarter production forecast.

Fertilizer maker Terra Industries Inc again rejected a takeover bid from larger competitor CF Industries Holdings Inc, saying CF's stock price was inflated because of a takeover bid for that company.

U.S. consumer spending rose at its fastest pace in nearly 8 years in August, but the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week, indicating a weak labor market would weigh on recovery.

Warning on CIT; U.S. Outlook Brighter; Lewis to Step Down

Wine and spirits maker Constellation Brands Inc swung to a quarterly profit as efforts to stabilize its business continued to pay off, sending its shares up 10 percent.

Fox Searchlight wants to be sedated.

The Wettest County in the World, a film project about Depression-era bootleggers, is making waves among some of Hollywood's leading young actors, who are drawn to its colorful setting, mystery elements and meaty roles.

U.S. employee confidence edged up in the third quarter, with many workers saying the worst of the recession is over, but that optimism came with hopes for raises and advancement when the dust clears, a survey released on Thursday showed.

Comcast Corp, the largest U.S. cable service provider, denied a Web report on Wednesday that it had struck a deal to buy media conglomerate NBC Universal for $35 billion.

U.S. consumer spending rose at its fastest pace in nearly 8 years in August, advancing for a fourth straight month, according to a government report on Thursday that pointed to a rebound in spending in the third quarter.

The explosion of ways people watch television is confounding the media industry, which has relied for decades on the Nielsen ratings but now must adapt to the realities of the Internet and on-demand video.

Unemployment in the 16-country euro zone rose to a more than 10-year high of 9.6 percent in August and economists warned it will likely worsen further, hurting the prospects for a strong economic recovery.

A monthly gauge of online labor demand in the United States dipped slightly in September, as employers remained wary despite signs of economic recovery, a private research group said on Thursday.

Matt LeBlanc is reteaming with Friends co-creator David Crane for Episodes, a Showtime/BBC comedy series spoofing the TV business.

Unemployment rates rose in all cities across the United States in August from a year earlier, with 16 recording jobless rates of 15 percent or higher, according to the Labor Department.

American International Group dismissed consulting firm McKinsey & Co as its restructuring adviser in an effort to cut costs, according to a Bloomberg report, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, best known for playing big screen action heroes Wolverine and James Bond, have drawn record ticket sales for their play A Steady Rain, but it drew mixed reviews on Wednesday after opening night.