IBT Staff Reporter

A Japanese government official said on Thursday he had not heard of a reported $600 billion IMF lending facility to help the euro zone, although Japan would consider providing bilateral loans to the Fund if warranted by developments in Europe.

The answer to the Final Jeopardy! question of who will be the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not become known on Thursday.

Asia's economic growth looks set to stumble over the next few months, prompting a flurry of interest rate cuts and a spike in stimulus spending that may ultimately pave the way for a strong recovery in the second half of 2012.

Rick Perry may be forgetful when it comes to stuff like which cabinet departments he'd like to eliminate, or the legal voting age in the United States, but when it comes to gay-bashing, the Texas governor and Republican presidential hopeful is right on top of his game.

Pssst ... wanna see naked pictures of Lindsay Lohan?

Morten Tyldum, the Norwegian director of Headhunters -- the most successful Norwegian film in history -- has signed on to the thriller What Happened to Monday? Vendome Pictures announced Wednesday.

Is this what they mean by a powerful sex drive?

Prospective bidders are piling up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Fox Sports argued on Wednesday that the bankrupt team's owner Frank McCourt is improperly breaking its broadcasting contract in his effort to sell the team.

Sharp Corp said on Thursday it will likely sell more than 1 million large-screen TVs of 60-inches and above in North America in the year to March 31, and expects the burgeoning market to push sales higher next business year.

Samsung Electronics Co, the world's top TV brand, said on Thursday its television sales hit a record 5.7 million units in November, helped by strong U.S. sales during the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Sino-Forest Corp may choose to go private as it seeks to restore its finances and reputation after its shares lost three quarters of their value amid fraud allegations, the chief executive of the Chinese forestry company was quoted as saying.

Verizon Wireless suffered outages across the United States on its recently launched high-speed 4G network that have prevented some customers from accessing any Internet data.

U.S. auto safety regulators are examining welding as part of their investigation into battery fires in Chevy Volts that could lead to a recall for the plug-in car.

Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn said he needs more information from James Giddens, the trustee winding down bankrupt brokerage MF Global , to determine if Giddens has a conflict of interest in the case.

Irish singer Sinead O'Connor will wed for the fourth time this week, choosing the occasion of her birthday to tie the knot, she said on her website on Wednesday.

There's an unconventional grass-roots awards campaign going on these days to get some awards attention for the dog from The Artist, and I've only got one thing to say: Heel.

M*A*S*H star Harry Morgan died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning. The character actor was 96.

HBO's popular fantasy drama Game of Thrones and new Showtime thriller Homeland burst into the race for the top TV shows of the year on Wednesday, with nominations for their writers and producers.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is enlisting some Hollywood heavy hitters to help raise money for the proposed Academy Museum.

Personal information about Los Angeles police commanders has been posted on the Internet, prompting an investigation into where it was obtained, an LAPD spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is enlisting some Hollywood heavy hitters to help raise money for the proposed Academy Museum.

British singer Adele continued on her train of success on Wednesday as Rolling Stone magazine named her album 21 and single Rolling In The Deep the best of 2011.

Sons of Anarchy wrapped its fourth and most successful season Tuesday night, and SAMCRO leader, well, now former leader, Clay (Ron Perlman) managed to end the season alive, but stripped of his SAMCRO president patch by new leader Jax.

Baseball home run king Barry Bonds should receive no jail time for his conviction on a single criminal count related to an investigation of steroids in sports, his attorneys argued in a court filing on Tuesday.

Washington Wealth Management, a start-up that is expanding nationwide by poaching Wall Street brokers and managers, on Wednesday said it hired three Morgan Stanley Smith Barney producers and opened offices near Las Vegas and San Diego.

Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, the stars of the silent film The Artist, will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award from the 2012 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, SBIFF announced on Tuesday evening.

A cannonball shot during an experiment gone awry on the television show MythBusters crashed into a home in Northern California, but no one was injured, the company behind the program said on Wednesday.

Pacific Sunwear of California Inc said it received a $60 million loan from private equity firm Golden Gate Capital in return for two board seats and the right to buy a 20 percent stake in the teen retailer.

San Jose, California's city council has approved a measure for next June's ballot that would overhaul pensions for city workers to rein in their rising costs, a growing concern for local and state governments across the nation.