IBT Staff Reporter

Ninety-six hidden open star clusters were found in the disk of our Milky Way galaxy, astronomers said. The stars are not visible in the visible-light spectrum because they are masked by clouds of dust but the ESO's VISTRA infrared survey telescope is able to see through the massive amounts of dust.

Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano pressed on Thursday for the Group of Seven or Group of 20 to hold talks on managing currency moves as Japan launched intervention to weaken the yen.

Since Charlie Sheen parted ways with the hit TV series, "Two and a Half Men," many have been wondering what will happen to his character. It has been heavily rumored that the actor will be "killed" off the show, but no one knows for sure as only few people have seen the script.

Apple Inc?s South Korean unit has been fined with $2,885 by the telecommunication regulator for allegedly collecting users? location data without permission.

Richard Handl of Sweden was arrested after he was found trying to split atom and build a nuclear reactor in his kitchen.

Hutchison Whampoa Ltd <0013.HK>, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's flagship ports-to-telecommunications company, reported a more than sevenfold rise in first-half net profit, helped by a hefty one-off gain from the spin-off of its port assets.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on the economy's health.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates at 1.5 percent as expected on Thursday, but may signal it is back in crisis mode at its upcoming news conference as the euro zone debt crisis continues to roil the bloc.

A stuttering economy and anemic profit growth means company bosses' pay is unlikely to rise as fast this year as in 2010, but complaints from politicians and disgruntled shareholders over executive rewards are not going away.

General Motors Co.'s quarterly profit nearly doubled, beating expectations, as the top U.S. automaker took a larger share of sales globally and raised prices on its vehicles.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on economic health.

Japan intervened in the currency market and the central bank eased monetary policy on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the health of the global economy.

While shooting for "Machete", the director was mighty impressed with her multitasking skills and that inspired him to create Jessica Alba's role in the movie Spy Kids. Jessica Alba plays the step mother of the new faces Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook in the franchise. The movie kicks into action when the kids discover that Jessica Alba is a former spy and she is called back into action.

Hutchison Whampoa Ltd <0013.HK>, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's flagship ports-to-telecommunications company, posted a 632 percent rise in first-half net profit, helped by hefty one-off gain from the spin-off of its port assets, but lagging market forecasts.

A baby was born during a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident that claimed another person's life in Washington D.C.

Google Realtime Search, which was disabled for the launch of Google+ is being revived once again to feature data from Google+, Facebook, Twitter and other social sources.

Hollywood's highest paid Actresses

Some of Europe's biggest consumer goods groups defied high input costs and tepid demand to report higher sales.

Kraft Foods Inc said it would split itself into two listed companies, a global snacks business and a North American grocery business, and raised its full-year outlook on better-than-expected quarterly results.

Japan sold one trillion yen ($12.5 billion) and loosened its monetary reins on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the deteriorating health of the global economy.

A method of predicting which individuals may become friends on social networking sites based on the places they visit out in the real world has been developed by researchers at Cambridge University in Britain.

Deutsche Telekom is on track to meet its 2011 targets, it said on Thursday, despite a poor performance in the United States, continued economic weakness in southeastern Europe and sluggish growth in Germany.

Food maker Kraft Foods Inc said it would split itself into two listed companies, comprising its global snacks business and its North American grocery business.

Euro zone sovereign bond markets steadied on Thursday ahead of a crucial European Central Bank policy-setting meeting that investors hope will signal a more aggressive approach to fighting the currency area's debt crisis.

An economic slowdown and debt market turmoil mean the European Central Bank will probably hit 'pause' on its interest rate raising cycle for several months and may even signal on Thursday a readiness to buy bonds again.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly weaker open on Wall Street on Thursday after a late recovery in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 all down 0.1 percent.

Spain paid sharply higher yields to sell 3.3 billion euros ($4.70 billion) of bonds on Thursday after a renewed market attack that has driven its costs of borrowing close to unsustainable levels.

As Facebook's recently launched competitor Google+ is raging ahead with 25 million unique visitors, Randi Zuckerberg, Director of Marketing Facebook, has decided to leave.

Deep discounts and the warmest July weather in decades should help retail chains report a rise in monthly sales, with many expecting warehouse clubs and high-end chains to lead the way.