IBT Staff Reporter

Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard unveiled Friday the prototype of a solar powered plane he plans to fly around the world to highlight the potential of alternative energy sources.

South Korea will boost its military’s strength to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, defense officials said today, unveiling modifications to the nation’s long-term military modernization plans.

Japan's Sanyo Electric Co Ltd said it plans to boost its capacity to make auto-use nickel-metal hydride batteries by 75 percent to 3.5 million cells a month by March 2010 to meet growing demand.

Actress Farrah Fawcett, the Charlie's Angels television star whose big smile and feathered blond mane made her one of the reigning sex symbols of the 1970s, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. She was 62.

The Nasdaq rose on Friday, helped by gains in smartphone maker Palm Inc while other indexes ended little changed in choppy trading.

One day after Michael Jackson's sudden death, speculation turned to what killed the 50-year-old King of Pop on the cusp of a long-awaited comeback concert series.

U.S. consumer spending in May rose for the first time since February and savings hit a record high as federal stimulus measures boosted incomes, bolstering the view that the economy was close to emerging from recession.

Flying to Kiev from Riga was exceptionally pleasant. Air Baltic offered a free lunch with wine - practically unheard of in Europe these days. (Fares are often dirt-cheap and food is not included).

The government unemployment checks keeping Candy Czernicki afloat are fast running out and her prospects of getting a new job appear remote.

Financier Allen Stanford will remain in a Texas jail at least until Monday as a federal judge reconsiders his $500,000 bond at the urging of prosecutors who say the accused swindler is a flight risk, according to a ruling on Friday.

Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley, said on Friday in her MySpace blog that she and the singer used to talk about death and that he had expressed his fears of ending up like her father Elvis Presley.

Michael Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Robert Murray, is being interviewed by LAPD detectives who are investigating the singer's death, Officer Karen Rayner, spokesperson for the LAPD, told RadarOnline.com.

Hong Kong's swine flu tally has reached 596, increasing by 35 percent with 152 new cases conformed within just two days, the Department of Health (DH) said on Friday.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama saw pop star Michael Jackson as a spectacular performer and music icon.

Acer on Friday launched new line of desktops – the Aspire M5, M3 and X3 series -- designed to bring enjoyment of H235H premium display, a chic style and industrial blend with improve aesthetic and functionality.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc said on Friday it has taken $3.4 billion of federal bailout money, the maximum it was authorized to accept, to bolster capital in the wake of large investment losses.

U.S. consumer spending in May rose for the first time since February and savings hit a record high as federal stimulus measures boosted incomes, while consumer sentiment edged higher in June, bolstering the view that the economy was close to emerging from recession.

A bidder has offered to pay $456,789 for a steak lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett, in a charity auction expected to be completed Friday night on eBay Inc's website.

Foreign ministers from Group of Eight industrialized nations on Friday condemned North Korea’s most recent nuclear tests on May 25 and April 5, calling them a threat to regional peace and stability.

The number of U.S. rigs working rose for a second week as improved crude oil prices lured back drillers even as natural gas activity weakened, according to figures from Baker Hughes Inc

A grudging acceptance of the U.S. climate change bill among energy industry executives and some environmentalists only reinforces the notion that a compromise ensures nobody's really happy.

U.S. consumer spending in May rose for the first time since February and savings hit a record high as federal stimulus measures boosted incomes, while consumer sentiment edged higher in June, bolstering the view that the economy was close to emerging from recession.

The emergency call from Michael Jackson's house in Hombly Hills, Los Angeles to 911 was published Friday

Democrats in the House of Representatives won a key test vote on Friday 217-205 to pass the climate bill, the Associated Press reports today.

Michael Jackson's doctor has been identified as Dr. Conrad Robert Murray and is now preparing to speak with law enforcement officials regarding Michael Jackson's death, according to celebrity site, TMZ.

Los Angeles police is currently searching for a Las Vegas cardiologist who has apparently gone missing after treating Michael Jackson before his sudden death

Hong Kong's swine flu tally has reached 596, increasing by 35 percent with 152 new cases conformed within just two days, the Department of Health (DH) said on Friday.

Signs that home prices may have bottomed have stirred hope on Wall Street that the economy is on the mend, yet tight credit and a new foreclosure wave cast doubt on any looming housing revival.

General Electric Co plans to open a research center in the economically ailing U.S. state of Michigan, where it will develop new manufacturing technologies.