IBT Staff Reporter

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell as expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, showing little sign of a pick-up in layoffs in the wake of a slump in business and consumer confidence.

U.S. retailers reported mixed August sales results after Hurricane Irene drove away business at some chains and boosted it at others.

Wednesday, a solar cell manufacturing company Solyndra announced it would seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Fremont, California-based solar company will lay off all of its 1,100 workers and close down the factory which was built through the fed's loan guarantee.

Stocks gained on Thursday after data showed factory activity cooled in August but was still expanding, easing investors' fears the economy could be headed for another recession.

Insatiable demand for safe haven U.S. government bonds is helping mask a potentially huge financial problem -- the need to extend the maturity of debt issued by the United States.

Labor Day travel is expected to decrease in the wake of Hurricane Irene and an uncertain economy.

U.S. President Barack Obama ordered federal assistance to supplement a number of storm-battered areas and counties in New Jersey, days after Hurricane Irene hit the entire Eastern seaboard on August 27, 2011.

Justin BIeber has been working a lot in the studio these days. He recently tweeted fans about being in the studio with older brother Sean Kingston. He also hit Twitter to ask fans about a name for his upcoming Christmas. A few weeks ago, the Biebs mentioned a remix he was working on of Drake's song Trust Issues. He finally dropped the track on Aug. 28, just before the MTV VMAs.

Scott Air Force Base has tried to deflect concerns by some that a mail room scare forcing the base to temporarily shut down was tied to the 10th anniversary of the Sept.11 attacks.

Tropical Storm Katia is now a Category 1 hurricane, but its impact on the United States, if any, remained unclear as it continued to strengthen on Thursday.

Computer simulations of the weather workings of the entire planet will be able to make forecasts to within a few kilometers accuracy, helping predict the effects of deadly weather systems.

U.S. manufacturing unexpectedly grew in August and fewer Americans filed new claims for jobless aid last week, defying a slump in confidence that threatened to push the economy back into recession.

Chaz Bono, 42, is mostly known as the only child of Sonny & Cher. However, he is also known as an LGBT activist. Bono was born as Chasity, a female. In 1995, Bono came out as a lesbian. In 2008, he began a female to male gender transition process. The legal transition of name and gender was completed in May 2010. A year later, a documentary was released entitled Becoming Chaz that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and debuted on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network later in May. The document...

Chaz Bono, 42, is mostly known as the only child of Sonny & Cher. However, he is also known as an LGBT activist. Bono was born as Chasity, a female. In 1995, Bono came out as a lesbian. In 2008, he began a female to male gender transition process. The legal transition of name and gender was completed in May 2010. A year later, a documentary was released entitled Becoming Chaz that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and debuted on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network later in May. The document...

U.S. IT company IBM is buying Toronto-based risk analytics software firm Algorithmics for $387 million in cash to enhance its financial services capabilities.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday following strong gains over the past several sessions as investors awaited labor and manufacturing data for clues on the state of the economy.

Hewlett-Packard is all set once again for a final round of production of its TouchPad, though a Sterne Agee analyst says its “ confusing” as HP probably lost $200 per unit at $99 sale.

Pop star Madonna thanked her ex-husbands for encouraging her to take up a career in movies, as she arrived in Venice on Thursday for the world premiere of her lavish royal drama W.E.

He may have been absent, but Roman Polanski made his presence felt at the Venice film festival on Thursday with his comedy Carnage, in which Oscar-winner Kate Winslet's projectile vomit prompted the biggest laugh.

Venus Williams was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open on Wednesday after being diagnosed with Sj?gren's syndrome, leaving fans wondering: what is that, and is it serious? Here are five things you should know about the condition.

Obama administration lawyers will ask a federal appeals court on Thursday to vacate a judgment declaring Don't Ask, Don't Tell unconstitutional now that the ban on openly gay men and women in the military is about to be repealed.

The SEC is accusing a former venture capital pro of breaching his fiduciary duty and usurping his ex-employer’s funds to launch a separate investment vehicle.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney's new memoir revives the fierce battles over U.S. national security policies after the September 11 attacks as it rips open old wounds among aides to President George W. Bush.

Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman called the controversy over the timing of President Obama's speech to Congress concerning jobs nonsense, saying it is what people hate about politics.

WikiLeaks is defending itself against accusations that it may have put lives at risk by dumping uncensored U.S. diplomatic cables on the Internet.

Antibiotic resistance is a problem that dates back 30,000 years according to a recent discovery.

A New York state banking regulator said on Thursday that it had reached a pact with Goldman Sachs Group Inc on foreclosure processes that will allow the planned sale of its Litton Loan Servicing LP to continue.

President Barack Obama declared Wednesday a number of towns, cities and counties in New Jersey as major disaster areas and ordered federal assistance to supplement storm-battered areas affected by Hurricane Irene on August 27, 2011, and days after.

Dancing With The Stars announced their new line up of celebrity participants. The cast includes athletes like NBA star Ron Artest, actors including David Arquette, and...former lawyer and television journalist, Nancy Grace. Beyond the cluster of reality stars and talk show hosts, ABC has a new variety of contestants with Chaz Bono joining the gang.