IBT Staff Reporter

Previous game experience and recommendations from friends serve as the best marketing tools for video game purchases, according to one research firm.

A report from Datamonitor has revealed that the UK is the most indebted nation in all of Western Europe. All of one third of unsecured debt in Western Europe is because of the UK.

The Microsoft Network (MSN) finalized a deal with the company responsible for AOL's successful Live 8 video website, to stream live music acts over multiple Microsoft platforms.

Advanced Micro Devices, maker of computer processors and graphics chips, announced on Wednesday the opening of a new design center in Fort Collins, Colorado, tailored to build next generation processors.

New orders for U.S.-made durable goods fell unexpectedly in August and orders excluding transportation or defense goods also declined surprisingly, a government report showed on Wednesday.

From excessive force by their security guards to helping support corrupt regimes, oil companies have long faced accusations of helping trigger human rights abuses in the far-flung countries where they operate.

A federal judge has dismissed a large portion of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corp., saying that U.S. law does not cover many of AMD's claims.

The heads of General Motors Corp. and Renault-Nissan held crucial talks on a possible three-way alliance in Paris on Wednesday amid mounting doubts that a full-blown deal could materialize. The companies confirmed the meeting but declined to comment ahead of the self-set mid October deadline.

Online video is no longer just fun and games: You might actually learn something.

Housebuilder Barratt Developments beat market forecasts with a 3.4 percent rise in year underlying pretax profits on Wednesday

SCi Entertainment Group, the country's biggest computer game publisher, said gamers' appetite for the firm's Tomb Raider and Hitman titles had helped it to swing to profitability.

Aerospace firm Smiths posted a 22 percent rise in annual underlying profit before tax on Wednesday, slightly topping brokerage forecasts

Viridian Group said on Wednesday that half year trading was in line with its expectations and that it still planned to raise its yearly dividend over the next four years.

Foreign media will be free to travel around China and enjoy uncensored access to the Internet during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, organizers said on Wednesday. Non-Chinese journalists currently need permission to move around the country, while websites containing material considered sensitive by the Chinese government are frequently blocked.

Canadian mining company Bema Gold Corp. on Tuesday acknowledged mounting debt in a South African gold mine and said it was pursuing a joint venture there.

Africa's biggest media company Naspers has sold a 15 percent stake in its core newspaper and magazine business to black investors for 730 million rand, it said on Wednesday.

Kesa Electricals, owner of retailers Comet and France's Darty, posted a 61.7 percent rise in its first half pre tax profit on Wednesday

Mortgage approvals rose by just three percent in August from a year ago to 71,278, British Bankers' Association data shows

Listings by big European and emerging markets companies are helping equity capital markets activity pick up steam again after the market correction in May and June

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released a security patch to fix a critical hole in its Internet Explorer Web browser that the world's biggest software maker said could allow an attacker to take control of a user's computer.

Honda Motor Co. launched its top-line sedan Acura in China on Wednesday, joining BMW and other foreign luxury car brands to compete in the world's second-largest auto market.

The FTSE 100 index opened higher on Wednesday, led by miners and after an unexpectedly big jump in consumer confidence in the U.S. on Tuesday

General Motors Corp. is prepared to tell Nissan and Renault that its price for a three-way alliance is a multi billion dollar payment from Nissan and Renault, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday that none of its European premium brand car businesses was for sale at this stage except Aston Martin, but added it would continue to examine all its options.

GlaxoSmithKline won a partial victory on Wednesday in its bid to stop Spanish drug wholesalers from re-exporting its medicines at high premiums.

Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday that none of its European premium brand car businesses was for sale at this stage except Aston Martin, but added it would continue to examine all its options.

Insurer Standard Life posted a first half operating profit below analyst forecasts on Wednesday, hit by an increase in provisions for customers cashing in policies

Chief Executive Donald Tsang has concluded his three-day Hunan visit, which has helped Hong Kong entrepreneurs......

Hong Kong continues to be the preferred base for international companies to oversee their regional operations, a Census & Statistics Department survey suggests. The number of regional operations and local offices in Hong Kong operated by overseas and Mainland companies reached its highest-ever level this year, topping 6,350.