IBT Staff Reporter

Diageo Plc , the world's biggest spirits group, beat forecasts with a 16 percent rise in annual earnings and despite a fragile global economy set targets for 10-percent plus earnings growth going forward.

Commodities trader Glencore met forecasts with a 50 percent rise in first-half profit thanks to rising commodity prices and rosy oil trading conditions in the first months of the year, and said it remained optimistic on global growth.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Allergan's Botox injection for treating patients who have bladder control problems arising from spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis (MS).

Apple Inc fans paid tribute to Steve Jobs on Wednesday, but expressed mostly sadness at his resignation as CEO and aired their fears for the health of the technology giant's guiding visionary.

The deadline for initial bids in the auction for Hulu was extended from Wednesday until the end of the week to allow interested parties more time to examine the online video site's financial information, according to people familiar with the situation.

Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs relinquished the reins at Apple Inc to right-hand man Tim Cook on Wednesday, after 14 years in command at a company he brought back from the brink and turned into the world's largest technology corporation.

Canada's Research In Motion Ltd will unveil a new cloud-based social music sharing service called BBM Music, as companies begin to bet on entertainment delivered over the Internet that incorporates social networking features.

Irom Sharmila has been on hunger strike for 10 years to protest against military abuses, force-fed by tubes through her nose. But the tragedy for the world's longest hunger strike is that she is on the wrong side of India's digital divide.

Tim Cook, Apple's Chief Operating Officer, who has been standing in for CEO Steve Jobs during his medical leave, has been named the new CEO after Jobs resigned as Apple Inc Chief Executive on Wednesday, without specifying a reason.

Hotter, drier weather brought about by the El Niño climate pattern has been linked to civil conflicts within poor tropical countries, according to a new study.

Australia midfielder Brett Emerton is expected to play his last game for English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers against Everton Saturday before he heads home to play for Sydney FC in the top-flight A-League.

Steve Jobs resigned as Apple Inc Chief Executive on Wednesday, without specifying a reason.

Following is a letter from Steve Jobs who resigned on Wednesday as chief executive officer of technology giant Apple Inc:

Samsung Electronics shares rose early on Thursday after a Dutch court rejected most of the patent infringement claims by Apple, whose visionary chief executive Steve Jobs resigned, raising Samsung's hopes of closing the gap with the U.S. firm.

Stocks posted strong gains for a second day on Wednesday as investors jumped back into beaten-down financial shares and backed away from safer assets like gold in volatile trading.

China's telecom giants are building up a war-chest of patents to help give them an edge in the legal battles raging between the world's smartphone makers, aided by Beijing's push to transform the country from workshop to innovator.

Routine bribery shakedowns have driven middle-class Indians to pour into the streets to say enough is enough.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped the Forbes list of the world's most powerful women, which is dominated by politicians, businesswomen and leaders in media and entertainment.

Shares of the parent of online job board Monster.com are down nearly 70 percent this year, with most of that loss coming since early July. A company that once boasted a multi-billion dollar market valuation is now worth less than $1 billion.

U.S. stocks posted strong gains for a second day on Wednesday as investors jumped back into beaten-down financial shares and backed away from safer assets like gold in volatile trading.

A Russian rocket carrying three tons of supplies to the International Space Station didn't achieve orbit and instead crashed in the Siberian forest.

Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs on Wednesday resigned as chief executive of Apple Inc in a stunning move that ended his 14-year reign at the technology giant he co-founded in a garage.

The heads of a Congress deficit super committee said on Wednesday most members were reviewing budget-balancing studies of recent years in a sign the panel was unlikely to try to reinvent the wheel.

Google Inc has agreed to pay $500 million to settle a criminal probe into ads it accepted for online Canadian pharmacies selling drugs in the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday.

TiVo Inc, a maker of digital video recorders, reported second-quarter results on Wednesday that beat expectations and said it is looking at ways to boost the value of its patents.

The deadline for initial bids in the auction for Hulu was extended from Wednesday until the end of the week to allow interested parties more time to examine the online video site's financial information, according to people familiar with the situation.

Creative Artists Agency, the largest talent representation firm in Hollywood, is considering opening an office in Silicon Valley to expand ties with the technology community, according to two people familiar with the firm's plans.

Apple won an injunction in a Dutch court on Wednesday to stop Samsung Electronics from marketing three smartphone models in some European countries after alleging a breach of patents.

TiVo Inc, the maker of digital video recorders, said revenue rose 19 percent as it signed new deals with cable operators to use its technology, sending its shares up more than 1 percent.