IBT Staff Reporter

Some call them Southern gentlemen; others call them crazy. Folk rockers the Avett Brothers have always sealed business agreements with just a handshake -- even now, as the band makes its new home on a major label.

Punk-rock poet and musician Jim Carroll, who chronicled his wild teen years in The Basketball Diaries, has died of a heart attack, his ex-wife told The New York Times.

Most people around the world support significantly increasing government spending to counter the economic crisis, according to a 20-nation opinion poll released on Monday.

The last time the Federal Reserve was raising interest rates, it did so at a snail's pace. But it may not take that gradual approach to tightening policy the next time around.

Actress Tina Fey won an Emmy on Saturday for her uncanny portrayal of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, while pop star Justin Timberlake also was honored for his appearance on the NBC network's veteran sketch-comedy series.

Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody insists she is neither nerdy pushover or sexy cheerleader, as are the two main characters in her high-school horror movie Jennifer's Body. But in her new Hollywood reality, she may embody a little of both.

Partnering for Strength; Bouncing Back from Lehman; Trade Friction

Prolific filmmaker Tyler Perry scored his second No. 1 movie of the year at the North American box office on Sunday, leading a weak field of newcomers in what is traditionally one of the industry's slowest weekends.

Speakers for the gathering, which runs from October 9-11 in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, include producer Walter Parkes and CBS television executive Nancy Tellem.

If you think your life is tough, just be grateful Oscar-winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen aren't the masters of your personal universe.

The Australian Dollar has held onto its recent gains and opens the new week at 0.8610.

Moves to save jobs and sites at carmaker Opel when a group led by Canada's Magna International takes control continued on Sunday.

Hundreds of millions of euros in German state aid planned for carmaker Opel is earmarked for operations in Russia, an Opel trustee with reservations about the project was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview.

U.S. health-care firm Johnson & Johnson is in talks to cut the price of a $1.5 billion deal with Irish drugmaker Elan Corp, a source familiar with the negotiations said on Sunday.

The former deputy Governor of the Bank of England said he was astounded the U.S. government let Lehman Brothers go under, and that the bank's collapse marked a clear moment when people lost confidence in the markets.

Following bad weather on Friday, shuttle Discovery had to make a detour and land in California, as opposed to its original planned landing at the Florida base.

Starbucks investors should consider taking their profits and buying a cup of coffee instead of overvalued shares, Barron's said on Sunday.

Central clearing of privately traded derivatives contracts won't be enough to make the $600 trillion sector safe, while clearing of some bespoke trades may not be desirable, the Bank of International Settlements said.

China's commerce ministry said on Sunday it had launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of U.S. chicken products and vehicles, as the foreign ministry slammed the United States for protectionism.

Video game sales continue to struggle, with sales falling 16 percent compared with August last year, according to research from the NPD Group.

Serena Williams earned a code violation and match penalty late Saturday night which put an end to her U.S. Open run.

Israeli President Shimon Peres was discharged from hospital on Sunday with a clean bill of health, a day after the 86-year-old Nobel peace laureate passed out briefly at a ceremony.

A fire at a clinic for drug addicts in the southeastern Kazakh city of Taldykorgan killed 38 people on Sunday, the Central Asian state's government said.

Iran will not negotiate about its nuclear rights, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday, after the United States said it would focus on the Islamic state's atomic activities in upcoming talks with Tehran.

The health of the terminally ill Libyan convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has deteriorated markedly in the past day, his brother and doctors said on Saturday.

Conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel goes head to head with Social Democrat (SPD) challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a TV debate later on Sunday which may help determine the outcome of Germany's election on September 27.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday there were still gaps to bridge in talks with a visiting U.S. envoy seeking a settlement freeze and the revival of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

President Barack Obama warned Americans on Saturday not to be tricked by scare tactics he accused his opponents of using as he went on the road to rally support for his drive to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system.

American Airlines is in talks to take a minority stake in Japan Airlines and form a joint venture with the struggling airline, a source said, pitting it against a rival bid from Delta Airlines .