IBT Staff Reporter

Hurricane Irene 2011 is gaining momentum and heading for the East Coast. Vacationers have been advised to change plans. As can be expected, many are choosing hope for the best over expect the worst.

Google Inc will pay $500 million to settle government charges that it showed ads for pharmacies that operate illegally, regulators are expected to announce on Wednesday, according to a report in the New York Times.

A diet based around plants, nuts and high-fiber grains lowered bad cholesterol more than a low-saturated-fat diet that was also vegetarian, researchers reported on Tuesday.

A former Moody's Investors Service analyst who bolted for India and cannot be found was ordered to pay $34.56 million in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit over his alleged illegal insider trading.

It is rare for a hurricane to strike New York City directly; more often, they hit eastern Long Island and Cape Cod. Since 1851, only five hurricanes have struck within 75 miles of the city, although the edges of others have caused damage. Here are six of the worst to affect the region.

A new app for the Apple iPad gives users access to more than 6,000 corporate white papers in the business and technology fields.

The arrival of Hurricane Irene over the Caribbean once again prompts fanatics to feed into the “global warming” hoax.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose modestly in volatile trading on Wednesday, as equities bounced around on heightened uncertainty surrounding Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech to central bankers on Friday.

Except for the spiffy Hunter rain boots that can cost more than $100 a pair, the fund manager was one with the crowd -- farmers and industry folk in a muddy corn field in the heart of U.S. grain country.

A sweeping U.S. budget deal and lower interest rates will slice projected budget deficits nearly in half over the next 10 years, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported on Wednesday.

Since 9/11, the New York Police Department has teamed up with the CIA to covertly spy on Muslim communities, according to an investigative piece put out by the Associated Press on Wednesday morning.

Toronto's main stock index was little changed on Wednesday morning as sliding gold prices and profit-taking after the previous session's big rally offset optimism over bank earnings and positive U.S. data.

Bookings at the carriers are holding their own midway through the third quarter, and a sluggish economy is not materially weakening demand, ATA chief economist John Heimlich told reporters.

Health departments throughout the country are urging residents to take precautions, including removing sources of standing water, avoiding mosquito-prone areas and applying a mosquito repellent.

Libya's new masters offered a million-dollar bounty for the fugitive Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday, after he urged his men to carry on a battle that kept the capital in a state of fear.

Wall Street bounced around in choppy trading on Wednesday after an early stocks rally faded on uncertainty about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech to central bankers on Friday.

There's still time this summer to head up the coast to find out what is attracting everyone to Martha's Vineyard.

A Russian spacecraft did not reach orbit Wednesday and ignited in the atmosphere, Interfax news said. The ship was launched from Kazakhstan at 9:00 a.m. ET Wednesday and was on its way to the International Space Station.

Central bankers and economists from around the globe will once again flock to the Federal Reserve's annual gathering in Wyoming this week, and once again will meet against the backdrop of volatile markets and the prospect of further Fed support for a struggling U.S. economy.

A German court will decide on Thursday whether Samsung can sell its latest iPad rival in Germany after an preliminary injunction requested by Apple barred the South Korean company from selling its new Galaxy tablets in Europe's biggest economy earlier this month.

Arsenal are all set to start their post-Samir Nasri era when they take on Udinese in the second-leg of the Champions League qualifier.

Facebook has made wholesale changes to privacy, making it easier for you to hide the information you don't want others to see.

A sweeping U.S. budget deal has brightened the country's fiscal outlook but unemployment will remain high over the near term, nonpartisan congressional forecasters said on Wednesday.

Bachmann ramped up her criticism of the vacationing president on Wednesday by circulating a “One-Term Obama” petition among her supporters in order to showcase his handling of the economy.

Federal officials have warned Irene could cause flooding, power outages or worse all along the East Coast as far north as Maine, even if it stays offshore.

The earthquake that rocked the East Coast Tuesday was highly unusual, seismologists said. The 5.9 magnitude earthquake impacted the Carolinas to New England. The earthquake's epicenter was in central Virginia, the U.S. Geological Survey said, adding that Central Virginia is a seismic zone.

Stocks rose on Wednesday after the Congressional Budget Office offered an upbeat forecast on the worrisome budget deficits and data showed a strong reading on durable goods orders.

BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc delivered a record second-half profit on Wednesday, driven by soaring prices for iron ore, allowing it to award a dividend hike on top of its hefty expansion plans.

When Sean McGowan signed a contract to buy a New Jersey home in November, he didn't expect he'd still be living with his parents nearly a year later.