IBT Staff Reporter

The number of rigs drilling for natural gas in the United States climbed six this week to 705, according to a report on Friday by oil services firm Baker Hughes in Houston.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co's KKR.UL investment in troubled photography company Eastman Kodak Co may look risky but a 10 percent annual return and protections even if the company fails could make it all worthwhile.

The Bonobos pants featured on the Men's Fashion Fall 2009 issue of the New York Times are getting buzz.

UBS AG has formally warned wealthy American clients that secret Swiss accounts may be revealed to U.S. tax authorities after the Wednesday expiration of an amnesty program that could give them immunity from prosecution.

Google Inc said Apple Inc rejected its Google Voice application for the popular iPhone, contradicting Apple's statement to regulators last month.

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc's obesity drug produced mixed results in a second late-stage trial, sending the company's shares on a roller coaster in furious trading on Friday.

Independent News & Media is likely to close its flagship London title The Independent by Christmas, the publishing group's second biggest shareholder Denis O'Brien said on Friday.

U.S. bank regulators are considering tapping a line of credit with the U.S. Treasury Department and may explore other lesser-known options to replenish the dwindling fund that safeguards bank deposits.

Canadian telephone companies will have to write rebate checks to customers after the country's Supreme Court dismissed their appeals on how they should use extra cash they were ordered to collect by the telecommunications regulator.

China's securities regulator has approved another six firms' applications for listing on the country's second board in Shenzhen, a badly needed source of funding for start-ups in the world'sm third largest economy, the offical Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve plans new rules on bank pay to curb excessive risk-taking, which is blamed for sparking the global financial crisis and has triggered international demands for action.

Interest rates are low and home prices are down, but banks continue to be stingy with loans.

U.S. clients of UBS AG have been warned by the bank that their undeclared income in Switzerland may be revealed to U.S. tax authorities, according to a letter obtained by Reuters on Friday.

Google Inc said Apple Inc rejected its Google Voice application for the popular iPhone, contradicting Apple's statement to regulators last month.

U.S. stocks clung to slim gains in a choppy session on Friday as a stronger dollar and quarterly options expiration unsettled investors before the weekend.

U.S. authorities are conducting a criminal probe into Bank of America Corp's purchase of Merrill Lynch, the Charlotte Observer reported on Friday.

Contraception advice is crucial to poor countries' battle with climate change, and policy makers are failing their people if they continue to shy away from the issue, a leading family planning expert said on Friday.

Airline employees who report to work ill are more likely than sick passengers to spread infections such as the H1N1 swine flu virus aboard airplanes, with low-paid workers posing the greatest danger, a U.S. government expert said on Thursday.

Leading Indian aluminium producer Hindalco Industries expects its revenue to grow 10 percent this year, and its Novelis unit should add to earnings from the 2012/13 fiscal year, its chairman said on Friday.

Flextronics International Ltd said it had completed the sale of its stake in Aricent to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and CPP Investment Board for $255 million.

Jobless rates rose in the majority of U.S. states in August, tracking national trends, but unemployment rates fell in the Midwest and South, a government report showed on Friday.

Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter walked away with the feature film award for their WALL-E screenplay Thursday at the annual Humanitas Awards, which honor TV and film writers whose work enriches human understanding.

Jacques Audiard's prison drama A Prophet will be France's bid for an foreign Oscar nomination slot for the 2010 Academy Awards, the French film organization CNC said Thursday.

Hallmark Channel is planning Christmas in Canaan, starring Billy Ray Cyrus.

EU regulators should look into the book settlement that Google reached with a group of U.S. writers and publishers last October because the deal will create a de facto monopoly, lobby group ICOMP said on Friday.

Cramped living quarters on college campuses increase students' chances of being infected with all kinds of flu, but scrupulous hand hygiene and simple face masks may help some stay healthy, at least until swine fluvaccines become available next month, health experts say.

Three hard-edged movies about young women screening this week at the Toronto film festival depart from Hollywood formulas by avoiding sentimental or romantic cliches that often define movies about teenagers.

Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, which reported its best half-year earnings since 2005, said it saw signs of recovery in Macau's gaming sector and would welcome Las Vegas operators listing their Macau assets in Hong Kong.

Surgeons are increasingly turning to high-tech robotic equipment to operate on patients with prostate cancer and other conditions but some medical authorities worry about inadequate training and lax standards among practitioners.