IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks rallied on Monday on relief over a last-ditch deal in Washington to raise the U.S. borrowing limit and avert an unprecedented default, though analysts said the gains could be short-lived.

Two weeks after its release, the film continues to shatter records. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" finally made it pass the $1 billion mark in global box office sales this weekend. The first film in the franchise: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," came the closest to passing this mark with $974.8 million in 2002.

Escaping the heat wave as high temperatures continue through August.

Cyrus has been showing the world a more mature (in a good way) side to herself with her charity work and under the radar relationship to Liam Hemsworth, who was recently cased in "The Hunger Games" series along side Josh Hutcherson.

Colon cleansing, also referred to as colonic detox or irrigation, often involves the use of chemicals followed by flushing the colon with water through a tube inserted in the rectum, explained Georgetown University researchers of a recent study published in the Journal of Family Practice.

Google Chrome has become the second largest browser in UK, surpassing Firefox, according to web metric company Statcounter.

For some elderly survivors of Japan's March earthquake and tsunami, comfort comes in the form of a small white robotic seal named Paro.

After his team's woeful defensive display in pre-season, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is looking to beef up his options at the back and is reportedly considering a bid for Stoke City skipper Ryan Shawcross.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are turning people self-obsessed who constantly need feedback on their lives, an expert said.

Looking for directions to the nearest supermarket, bank or cafe? Don't approach a stranger for information, just ask your smartphone.

Euro zone growth is set to be above its ideal non-inflationary potential rate for 2011 and 2012, but inflation expectations remain anchored, European Central Bank Governing Council member Yves Mersch was quoted as saying.

Factories in Asia and Europe all but stagnated in July, according to business surveys that showed the weakest rates of growth since major industrial powers were struggling through the 2009 recession.

Stock index futures surged more than 1 percent on Monday on relief over a deal in Washington to raise the debt ceiling, avoiding an unprecedented default.

EU and IMF officials launched their first review of Portugal's international bailout on Monday, with the focus on how the government plans to correct a budget slippage and meet its promised fiscal targets this year.

Adobe shows signs that it likes HTML 5 after all by announcing new design software called Edge. The tool for animation and interaction design will provide more opportunities for people to be successful with HTML 5 since it is spreading popularity across browsers and mobile device platforms.

Stock index futures surged more than 1 percent on Monday on relief over a deal in Washington to raise the debt ceiling, avoiding an unprecedented default.

Anonymous has taken a break from hacking into company websites and government sites and broken into the Twitter account of the man behind the recent attacks in Norway, Anders Behring Breivik.

Manchester United could yet see the arrival of Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder after the Dutchman admitted that there remains a possibility of a move.

Having lost out on Javier Pastore to Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea are now rumoured to be considering a fresh bid for Tottenham's Croatian midfielder Luka Modric as well as Real Madrid star Kaka.

Honda Motor Co <7267.T> reported an unexpected quarterly profit and raised its annual outlook by more than a third, as Japan's No.3 automaker rebounded quickly from a severe parts shortage caused by the March 11 earthquake.

Stock index futures jumped on Monday, pointing to sharp gains in equities, as Republican and Democratic leaders reached an agreement to cut about $2.4 trillion from the deficit and avoid an unprecedented U.S. default.

It's been confirmed that Apple?s upcoming iPhone5 -- which has the tech world a-twitter with speculations about its release date and features -- will have mobile payment accessibility.

HSBC reported a surprise increase in first half profit and said it remained positive on the prospects for emerging market economies, even if the United States and Europe are likely to remain sluggish.

Muslims around the world ushered in Ramadan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and spiritual reflection on Monday. This year, unrest and government crackdowns in Arab countries cast a pall on the beginning of Ramadan. As the struggle for change continues, Arab rebels fear that if they stop fighting during this period, they will be brutally attacked again and killed.

Stock index futures jumped at the start of electronic trading on Sunday evening as investors bet that lawmakers in Washington were set to reach a deal on raising the country's debt limit.

Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group, known for assembling Apple's iPhones and iPads in its China factories, plans to use 1 million robots within the next three years to replace workers performing some simple procedures, its chairman said.

Arsenal had the misfortune of being booed by their own supporters even before the beginning of the season, as an own goal cost them a win against New York Red Bulls in the Emirates Cup.

Investors boosted stocks and sold safe-haven assets on Monday, betting that a last-minute deal in Washington meant the U.S. economy would avoid default.

China's factory activity slowed down in July and by one measure contracted as manufacturing across much of Asia weakened on signs that global demand is losing momentum.