IBT Staff Reporter

Scottish actor Gerard Butler, in a joking mood amid rumors that he and American actress Jennifer Aniston are in a relationship, said the pair was ready to tie the knot.

Jul 17, 2009

Police said on Friday a third bomb was found and defused in a laptop computer bag on the 18th floor in Marriott Hotel, Jakarta in Indonesia.

Jul 17, 2009

Hong Kong's third critical case of H1N1 has been detected among the increased 1640 cases, involving a 39-year-old woman, the Hospital Authority (HA) said on Friday.

Jul 17, 2009

Bank of America Inc. posted better than expected second quarter earnings of $3.2 billion on Friday. The bank's CEO, Kenneth Lewis, admitted it will be much tougher to make money in the second half of 2009 after the bank's current profits relied on one-time gains. Lewis anticipates more loan losses as the unemployment rate continues to rise.

Jul 17, 2009

U.S. stocks closed out their best week in four months on Friday on a flat note as strong earnings from IBM softened the blow of disappointing results from General Electric Co .

Jul 17, 2009

Expectations are high for Apple Inc's quarterly results next week, in the wake of strong early sales for its new iPhone and improved sentiment on the personal computer market after Intel Corp's earnings.

Jul 17, 2009

Verizon Wireless is dialing back on its exclusivity agreements with handset makers after pressure from U.S. lawmakers and smaller carriers.

Jul 17, 2009

President Barack Obama's far-reaching plan to guarantee all Americans healthcare coverage faced trouble on Friday over its more than $1 trillion price tag, so Democrats looked for ways to reduce healthcare costs as they moved the bill forward.

Jul 17, 2009

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday that North Korea's famine has reduced the threat posed by its armed forces.

Jul 17, 2009

Wall Street, where hundreds of commodity traders lost jobs last year as the recession set in, is on a new hiring phase where banks and hedge funds want to pay top dollar but only to a few, highly productive people.

Jul 17, 2009

The World Health Organization issued the following guidelines on Saturday about ways to prevent and fight flu, especially in poor areas where medical facilities may lack staff, beds and drugs:

Jul 17, 2009

U.S. administration officials Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Energy Secretary Steven Chu concluded a four-day trip to China.

Jul 17, 2009

Goldman Sachs Group Inc has quietly reached an agreement to end a legal dispute with a blogger who will be allowed to keep running a website critical of the investment bank.

Jul 17, 2009

U.S. stocks closed out their best week in four months on Friday on a flat note as strong earnings from IBM softened the blow of disappointing results from General Electric Co .

Jul 17, 2009

The Los Angeles County coroner's office said the release of Michael Jackson's autopsy results will take at least another two weeks to be released.

Jul 17, 2009

European Union antitrust authorities cleared U.S. drugmaker Pfizer's $68 billion takeover of rival Wyeth on Friday subject to conditions, notably the divestment of animal vaccines.

Jul 17, 2009

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Friday, with the Dow and Nasdaq up and the S&P 500 down. Upbeat earnings results from IBM offset disappointing numbers from General Electric Co .

Jul 17, 2009

A U.S. court decided on Friday against tinkering with regulations governing telephone lines largely controlled by AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc .

Jul 17, 2009

President Barack Obama had a tough-love message for fellow African-Americans on Thursday, urging black parents to push their children to think beyond dreams of being sports stars or rap music performers.

Jul 17, 2009

Verizon Wireless is dialing back on its exclusivity agreements with handset makers after pressure from U.S. lawmakers and smaller carriers.

Jul 17, 2009

The Jakarta hotel bombings confront security experts with an increasingly familiar dilemma: How do you give fortress-like protection to businesses whose very existence depends on the gentle art of welcoming people?

Jul 17, 2009

Oil prices rose 2.5 percent on Friday, staging their first weekly gain in a month, after U.S. housing data sparked optimism that a battered sector of the economy may be primed for recovery.

Jul 17, 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday rejected suggestions she had been sidelined by President Barack Obama, her rival for last year's Democratic presidential nomination.

Jul 17, 2009

Britain should maintain its current troops levels in Afghanistan and may need to deploy more soldiers for up to 18 months until the Afghan army can take on greater responsibility, the head of the army said on Friday.

Jul 17, 2009

Pope Benedict underwent minor surgery Friday after the 82-year-old Roman Catholic leader slipped in the bath and broke his right wrist while on holiday in northern Italy.

Jul 17, 2009

Three of Michael Jackson's will perform at the Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica which is dedicated this year to the deceased king of pop.

Jul 17, 2009

Citigroup Inc on Friday said loan losses surged again in the second quarter, yet gains from selling most of its Smith Barney brokerage helped the company report the highest profit among big U.S. banks.

Jul 17, 2009

Bank of America Corp, the largest U.S. bank, posted a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street forecasts but warned of a fresh surge in soured loans to credit card, mortgage and business customers.

Jul 17, 2009

Yes, it is possible to ski in Oceania! During the winter you can hit the slopes located in one of Australia's and New Zealand's ski resorts. Here are some great places for snow sports:

Jul 17, 2009