IBT Staff Reporter

As the clock ticks down to this week's final space shuttle launch, there is a mounting sense of uncertainty about future U.S. dominance in space.

Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile provider, will stop offering customers unlimited data services for a set fee on July 7, meaning higher prices for heavy users of services such as mobile Web surfing.

Pipeline operator Energy Transfer Equity LP sweetened its deal for rival Southern Union 21 percent to about $5 billion, as it works to muscle out a competing offer from Williams Companies Inc .

Sexual assault charges against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will probably be dropped in days as his accuser continues to lose credibility. Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund May after a hotel maid accused him of sexual assaulting her.

Retailers are expected to report healthy sales gains for June, as bargains brought in nervous shoppers, leaving some wondering whether too much discounting may crimp second-quarter profits.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was hit with a fresh complaint of attempted rape in France on Tuesday, a new hurdle to any political comeback, even though U.S. sex assault charges against him may be lifted this month.

Pipeline operator Energy Transfer Equity LP struck a sweetened $5 billion deal to buy Southern Union , but the 21 percent bump may not be enough to scare away rival bidder Williams Cos Inc .

Those topics and more in IBTimes Books's handy roundup of what authors are saying out there in the Twitterverse.

Any day now, Victoria Beckham is expected to deliver her fourth child, and she also just delivered news of her new 2012 clothing line.

Europe's debt woes have driven stock markets lower around the globe and may infect second-quarter earnings for U.S. companies with big sales in the region.

Apple and Samsung are battling

European Union banks would have more breathing space from losses on Greek bonds if the bloc adopted a new international accounting rule, a top standard setter said on Tuesday.

Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday slashed Portugal's credit rating into junk territory, saying there is great risk the country will need a second round of official financing before it can return to capital markets.

George Anthony's mistress alleged Thursday that George said that Caylee's death was an accident that snowballed out of control, giving much-needed credit to the defense. Krystal Holloway also said that she participated in the wild goose chase enabled by Casey Anthony's proclamation that the child had been kidnapped by a nanny.

Nigeria is positioning its banks to offer Islamic banking products.

Netflix Inc is expanding its online video service to 43 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, sending its shares up more than 6 percent.

Stocks were mostly flat in a thinly traded session on Tuesday as investors digested gains accrued last week, the best week for equities in two years, while strength in Netflix helped lift the Nasdaq.

Casey Anthony was found not guilty of first-degree murder, according to the verdict released by the jury on July 5, at 2:15 p.m.

Prince William of Wales and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, are making waves across the pond on their North American tour, and all eyes are on the Prince's wife and her stunning attire.

Google Inc and Microsoft Corp were sued for infringing a Louisiana company's patent with their map websites, which let users navigate street-level views of towns and cities.

Apple’s release date of OS X Lion is rumored to be just around the corner, and the recent release of Mac OS X Lion Gold Master version to the developers seems to have backed up its rumors.

Eight American vacationers are presumed to have drowned after a sports fishing charter capsized in a storm and sank off Mexico's Baja California peninsula, authorities said on Monday.

The jury has reached a verdict in Casey Anthony murder trial. The 30 minute advance notice has been given for the verdict, which will be read at 2:15 p.m. (EST) this afternoon.

Germany's top court began hearing legal challenges on Tuesday against last year's bailouts of debt-stricken euro zone peers in a move that could affect Berlin's room for maneuver in future rescue packages.

New York's top legal officer has sent subpoenas to nine leading life insurers seeking information about their practices in identifying and paying out policies for deceased customers, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The hotel maid who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault sued the New York Post and five of its journalists for libel on Tuesday for reporting that she was a prostitute.

International banks and insurers will meet on Wednesday to thrash out a plan for the private sector to contribute to Greece's bailout effort as fears grow that the proposal will be derailed.

Attorneys for the maid who accused former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of rape sued the New York Post and four of its reporters for libel Tuesday.

Yesterday was Independence Day -- and it was the start of the sixth annual World eBook Fair. The audacious goal: to provide free public access to 6.5 million e-books over the course of a month.