IBT Staff Reporter

George Strait had the week's best SoundScan bow, but in the end the country superstar was still just playing straight man to the comical indomitability of rapper Lil Wayne.

Nevermind that Brian Williams' midseason primetime newsmagazine, Rock Center with Brian Williams, is the worst-titled series since Cougar Town. Or Testees. Or Shasta McNasty.

All broken up that the 13th season of CBS' Big Brother, the show's best season in ages, ends tonight?

Three senior Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management advisers left the bank earlier this month to form an independent San Francisco boutique, Seven Post Investment Office LP.

The New Mexico Environment Department on Wednesday issued the first recall notice to state produce retailers, requesting that all Listeria-tainted cantaloupes fruit be pulled from shelves after an outbreak warning was issued Monday.

Actress Scarlett Johansson has become the latest celebrity to fall victim to apparent leaked nude photos from her mobile phone, which appeared on a website on Wednesday.

Growth in U.S. retail sales stalled in August after a spending battle in Congress crushed consumer sentiment, leaving the economy perched uncomfortably close to recession.

Google Inc raised its offer for Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc by 33 percent to $12.5 billion over two weeks of negotiations between the two companies, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday.

Floyd Mayweather has Manny Pacquiao on his mind. That much is clear as he prepares to fight Victor Ortiz.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was forced to slide down the emergency chute out of United Airlines Flight 586 at Washington Dulles International Airport on Wednesday.

Stocks were set for a higher open on Wednesday after the head of the European Commission said it will present options for joint euro zone bonds, a tool that investors view as a step forward to addressing the region's debt crisis.

After sparking an extensive investigation, a former New York TV meteorologist admitted Wednesday that she invented claims of being assaulted by a stranger in Central Park.

Verizon Communications faces a bill of up to $250 million due to its labor strike and recent storms, which will also slow down customer additions for the next few months.

A group of manufacturers and defense companies are lobbying members of Congress on the deficit-reduction committee to oppose further cuts to military spending cuts.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday urged European leaders to act more forcefully to solve Europe's escalating debt crisis and said they have the financial and economic capacity to do so.

Three years after its collapse, Lehman Brothers is still stuck in bankruptcy court -- but three years is not as long as it sounds, says the failed investment bank's lead bankruptcy lawyer.

Social media and politics collided at a small South Carolina college on Tuesday evening as students censured their student body president over his Twitter postings bashing women, gays and African-Americans.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is spreading across Europe at an alarming rate, according to the World Health Organization. The agency announced a new plan on Tuesday that would diagnose 85 percent of European tuberculosis patients and treat at least 75 percent by 2015.

The EU's most senior finance officials will warn ministers this week about the threat of a renewed credit crunch as a systemic crisis in sovereign debt spills over to banks, according to EU documents.

China-focused miner Silvercorp (SVM.TO: Quote) offered a detailed rebuttal of new anonymous allegations of fraud on Wednesday, releasing figures on tax, production and assay grades to fend off an attack from short-sellers.

Former Kleiner Perkins partner Eric Feng says there's room for one more social network-- built around experiences, not people.

Stocks rose 2 percent on Wednesday amid optimism over talks to contain the euro zone debt crisis.

Two separate reports recently confirmed ice covering the Arctic Ocean is melting at an alarmingly fast pace.

Phil Mackenzie scored a try seven minutes from time to give Canada a thrilling 25-20 World Cup victory over Tonga at the Northland Events Center on Wednesday.

One of the most powerful weapons in a South African politician's arsenal may be silenced after a court ruled this week that songs once used to rally support against apartheid could be considered hate speech in the country's new democracy.

South Africa is confident that a recently launched bidding process for renewable energy will lead to the addition of 3,725 megawatts (MW)of green energy to the national grid by 2016, despite previous delays, a senior government official said.

Moody's cut the credit ratings of two French banks on Wednesday because of their exposure to Greece's debt, highlighting growing risks to Europe's financial sector from a deepening euro zone sovereign debt crisis.

Political parties have called on Egypt's military rulers to ensure that figures associated with the government of ousted President Hosni Mubarak cannot run in parliamentary elections expected this year.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will double the money it spends with women-owned businesses, train women around the world and push major suppliers to use more women and minorities on work they do for the retailer, its latest steps to promote a brighter corporate image.