IBT Staff Reporter

Microsoft has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy the Internet phone service Skype, the Federal Trade Commission said in a website posting on Friday.

Moody's Investors Service on Friday threatened to cut Italy's credit ratings in the next 90 days on worries that a possible rise in euro-zone interest rates may derail the country's fragile economic recovery.

New York City's rent control law was temporarily extended tonight after Governor Andrew Cuomo called a special session ordering lawmakers to vote on the bill.

The Pentagon is about to roll out an expanded effort to safeguard its contractors from hackers and is building a virtual firing range in cyberspace to test new technologies, according to officials familiar with the plans, as a recent wave of cyber attacks boosts concerns about U.S. vulnerability to digital warfare.

Best Buy Co agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the largest U.S. electronics retailer of job discrimination, paying a total of $200,000 to the nine named plaintiffs plus as much as $10 million for legal fees and costs.

With dozens of his victims watching, an investment manager once dubbed by the media as Brooklyn's Bernie Madoff, was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison for operating a decades-long Ponzi scheme that bilked hundreds of investors out of more than $24 million.

Professional hacker Nicholas Percoco received an unusual request from a major financial institution this week: How can you help us avoid becoming the next Citigroup Inc?

A record 200-plane order from Asia's largest budget carrier looks set to dominate a jackpot of deals at next week's Paris Air Show in clear evidence of a multi-speed recovery shaping global industry, sources said.

Moody's on Friday threatened to cut Italy's credit ratings in the next 90 days on worries that Greece's crisis may drive euro-zone interest rates higher and derail Italy's fragile economic recovery.

Moody's Investors Service on Friday said it may cut Italy's sovereign credit rating from Aa2, citing such challenges as reforming a rigid labor market while also facing the likelihood of rising interest rates.

From comic book to the silver screen, here are a few things to be on the hunt for while journeying with the Green Lantern's Hal Jordan, portrayed by actor Ryan Reynolds, as it continues to hit theaters this weekend.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Pfizer's anti-smoking drug called Chantix needs to change its labeling in order to warn patients that using the medicine can slightly increase the risk of heart problems for those who already suffer from cardiovascular disease.

The Oakland A's are featured in an upcoming movie starring Brad Pitt as A's General Manager Billy Beane. The movie dramatizes the GM's entrance into the A's and specifically looks into the successful 2003 A's season.

Today's books video is a quick excerpt of an interview between WGN Radio host Steve Bertrand and Cornwell, the author of 18 Kay Scarpetta novels.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, steals the spotlight with her on-point fashion sense, and we wonder who would play the beauty if Hollywood made a film about her life thus far.

The Dow and S&P 500 rose on Friday after France and Germany outlined an agreement to aid debt-burdened Greece, but analysts said a recent bearish trend may not be over.

More than fifteen Chinese companies whose shares trade in the United States, many of them favored by short-sellers, have yet to file required year-end forms with U.S. regulators and the shares could face more downward pressure as deadlines approach.

New data are showing strong growth in eCommerce, with Amazon.com having particularly healthy same-store sales gains.

Greece's embattled prime minister sacrificed his finance minister on Friday to force through an unpopular austerity plan and avert bankruptcy, while EU powers Germany and France promised to go on funding Athens.

US media on the Saudi women's movement to revoke a long-standing Saudi law, banning women from driving should be careful about conflating culture with religion.

It had all the signs of another dotcom bubble: A startup without a convincing business plan or any foreseeable chance of turning a profit saw its shares soar in the first hours after its stock market debut.

Research In Motion's dismal results and failure to deliver exciting new devices on time pushed its shares down more than 20 percent on Friday and drew parallels with other fallen technology stars.

FOX singing competition American Idol announced updated Season 11 audition dates and locations Friday, according to the American Idol Web site.

The Dow and S&P 500 rose on Friday after France and Germany outlined an agreement to aid debt-burdened Greece, but analysts said a recent bearish trend may not be over.

The Dow and S&P 500 rose on Friday after France and Germany outlined an agreement to aid debt-burdened Greece, but analysts said a recent bearish trend may not be over.

The number of people on companies' payrolls shrank in more than half the U.S. states in May, even though the jobless rates in many places continued to improve, Labor Department data released on Friday showed.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou sacrificed his finance minister on Friday and put his main socialist party rival into the job in a bid to force through an unpopular austerity plan and avert bankruptcy.

Britney Spears kicked off her new tour 'Femme Fatale' in Sacramento on Thursday, and has critics raving. Also, Selena Gomez will be paying tribute to the pop star in her upcoming summer tour.

New data are showing strong growth in eCommerce, with Amazon.com having particularly healthy same-store sales gains.