IBT Staff Reporter

Amy Winehouse may have died from alcohol withdrawal.

Some 100,000 South African gold miners went on strike on Thursday, but fuel workers ended a stoppage that had slowed commerce and caused panic buying.

The newest social network from Google came out of the gates red hot after reporting a 238% increase in visitors for the week of July 16. Google+ racked up 20 million users during its trial run and even courted desperate users to bid for invitations on Ebay. But as traffic and usage time begins to decline, the search giant may need to look towards other options in retaining its users.

James Murdoch is to stay on as chairman of BSkyB after the British satellite broadcaster's board voted unanimously in his favor, two sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Thursday.

Wall Street gained momentum on Thursday, with the Nasdaq up about 1 percent before a key vote in Congress on a plan to prevent a U.S. default.

The number of Americans claiming new jobless benefits hit a three-month low last week and contracts to buy existing homes rose in June, hopeful signs for an economy that has struggled to regain momentum.

Zambian President Rupiah Banda dissolved parliament on Thursday and set September 20 as the date for elections that are likely to hand him and his Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) another five years in power in Africa's biggest copper producer.

Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence may now be the best bat on the trade market, now that Carlos Beltran has been traded to the San Francisco Giants. Two playoff rivals of the Giants who lost out in the Beltran sweepstakes have now shifted their focus to Pence.

Oracle Corp is buying a tiny maker of software used in customer service call centers as it looks to bolster its offerings that compete with Salesforce.com Inc .

German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit and sales on strong demand from automotive and industrial customers.

Nokia Siemens Networks said it will still build a core network for telecom start-up LightSquared, despite speculation their deal will be called off after a new pact between LightSquared and U.S. carrier Sprint Nextel .

Manchester United have an eyebrow raised after Inter Milan chief executive Earnesto Paolilo suggested that the club could be open to the sale of midfielder Wesley Sneijder.

Google's Page Speed Service will allow developers to create a faster web page...at a cost.

At least three private equity firms are planning to bid for a clutch of GlaxoSmithKline's non-prescription products, expecting limited competition from rival large pharma groups, people familiar with the process said.

Dodgers' starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is drawing intense interest from some the top teams in the American League East. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are reportedly scouting Kuroda for a possible trade.

Sprint Nextel announced a $9 billion network contract but its shares fell 9 percent as investors were disappointed that the No. 3 U.S. mobile provider did not give a strategy for the future.

New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, dropping below the key 400,000 level for the first time since early April, according to a government report on Thursday that pointed to some labor market improvement.

'Psychology of Space Exploration' & 'Cosmos and Culture: Cultural Evolution in a Cosmic Context'

If you want to know why tax from surging corporate profits isn't making much of a dent in the United States' crippling budget deficit, a glance at Microsoft Corp's recent results provides some clues.

Major Hollywood studios won a test case against Britain's largest internet provider in the High Court on Thursday in their fight against online piracy, the Press Association reported.

Scorpex has entered into a deal with IET to install and operate waste gasification equipment in Mexico.

NASA's Juno Spacecraft is getting ready to embark on its journey to Jupiter, where scientists hope it will bring further understanding to solar system's beginnings.

Wall Street advanced on Thursday, boosted by an unexpected rise in pending U.S. home sales and a dip in jobless claims, but trading was volatile as investors awaited a key vote in Congress on a plan to prevent a U.S. default.

Thomson Reuters Corp reported better-than-expected operating margins and reassured investors that it was coming to grips with its problems after last week's management shakeout.

iOS 5, Apple's next version, due this fall, will include face detection says source.

Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the main hospital for injured soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, had a closing ceremony Wednesday. Authorities will move hundreds of patients to hospitals in Maryland and Virginia.

At least a dozen 'never heard' songs by Amy Winehouse could be released this year, according to Chris Goodman, a spokesman close to the Winehouse family of the late 'Back To Black' singer and songwriter. The songs are said to be "personal and autobiographical."

Nintendo slashes the price of its 3DS console amid poor, underwhelming sales.

Volkswagen predicted a significant rise in operating profits this year driven by strong demand around the world for its Audi and VW cars.