IBT Staff Reporter

International Business Machines said on Thursday it expects Africa to be a strong growth area for the information technology business over the next five years, thanks to growth in banking and telecoms.

Russian gas exporter Gazprom, having just signed a trio of deals in India that could be worth over $90 billion, now has it sights on the markets of Europe and North America, a source close to the company said on Thursday.

Roddick partners with Lacoste for a line of performance apparel.

Defending French Open Women's Champion Francesca Schiavone will face China's Li Na in the final at Roland Garros after both overcame their semifinal opponents.

Yves Saint Laurent Arrives for Fleet Week

Top elected officials toured the areas surrounding Springfield, MA on Wednesday, the third largest city in the state, after a pair of tornadoes touched down, killing 4 people.

The New York Times announced that current managing editor Jill Abramson will be the newspaper's next executive editor. Bill Keller, the executive editor for the last eight years, resigned from his post and will write a weekly column for a new Sunday opinion section.

'Gossip Girl's' actresses Leighton Meester and Blake Lively grab fashion's attention with Vera Wang and Chanel spots.

Jessica and Ashlee will launch a clothing line for preteen girls.

A 78-year-old elderly woman died on May 2 left nearly her entire estate to Harold Camping's Family Radio. Upset family members are saying that had she lived long enough to see the failed May 21 prediction, she would not have left a quarter of a million dollars to the radio station.

The S&P 500 traded at a six-week low, taking out its lowest point for May at 1,311.80, as nervous investors focused on key market levels to manage risk a day after stocks' worst one-day fall in nearly a year.

The lure of Apple iPad 2 compelled a teenager in China to sell one his kidney's to buy the iconic tablet.

Billy Bob Thornton's estranged daughter, Amanda Brumfield, was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter of the death of a one-year-old girl in Orlando, Florida.

Samsung has announced an exact date of their Galaxy Tab 10.1 release. It's going to land on June 8, first in New York City.

New York Jets fans hungry for news about the team during the lockout have a new way to while the time away until the labor dispute is settled. Jets defensive tackle Sione Pouha is filming himself for a homemade reality TV show on YouTube.

Is Rihanna's depiction of rape and murder in her new video 'Man down' going too far?

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner meets an influential group of freshman Republican lawmakers on Thursday to try to improve chances that Congress will increase his borrowing authority and prevent a government default.

OPEC could next week agree its first formal increase in supply targets since 2007 when it meets to hammer out its response to Arab world turmoil, extreme market volatility and pressure from the West for action.

Rihanna's 'Man Down' stirs controversy over rape and murder scenes.

Sony's PlayStation Store is back online and now users can buy games and movies, rent movies, and download other for the PlayStation 3. Music Unlimited by Qriocity, Sony's streaming music service, is also back online.

Sony has announced that all remaining PlayStation Network gaming and online store services are to be fully restored this Friday June 3. All will be back to normal except for Asia's Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong regions, which will miss out on the restoration.

Goldman Sachs Group received a subpoena from New York prosecutors seeking information on the investment bank's role leading into the global financial crisis, a person familiar with the matter said.

According to Forbes, Gisele is on track to make billions.

Microsoft previewed its much-awaited Windows 8 which could best be described as one OS to rule all devices -- tablets, notebooks and desktops alike.

Greece intends to present a fresh austerity plan Friday and expects its next aid tranche to flow, a government official said, after Moody's cut the country's credit rating deep into junk territory.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, but not enough to assuage fears the labor market recovery has taken a step back.

Stocks were little changed on Thursday, a day after suffering their biggest losses in nearly a year, as a slight improvement in weekly jobless claims failed to impress and chain-store sales were lackluster.

Powerball Winning Numbers were released on Wednesday and one ticket has all six winning numbers which hit the $200 million jackpot.

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has unleashed an incredible expletive-ridden verbal attack on the Spanish national team and fellow Premier League side Chelsea, telling them to carry on with the football and abstain from 'bitching' at the referee.