IBT Staff Reporter

Twisters have swept across the U.S., killing 314 in Alabama, 134 in Missouri, and 4 so far in Massachusetts in the last couple of months. Why so many tornadoes?

The actress appears in a new promotional video for Vera Wang.

High prices for food and gasoline, a sluggish economy and picky shoppers going to fewer stores cut into sales at big U.S. retailers in May.

Cyberlink has come up with PowerDVD to the Android platform, with OEM availability, enabling manufacturers to bundle it with Android handsets.

Rhianna's 'Man Down' video stirs controversy over rape and murder scene.

U.S. stocks were set for a slightly higher open on Thursday, a day after suffering its biggest losses in nearly a year, as data showed a fall in weekly jobless claims, although short of expectations.

Microsoft Corp showed off a version of its next operating system at technology conferences in the United States and Taipei, as some PC makers grumbled over restrictions on their involvement in the development of the system.

The recent Gmail phishing scam that is alleged to be from Jinan, China, while it was relatively harmless according to Google, has given awareness to the online community to check their security status.

The international company reports an increase in sales

Apple iOS 5 powered iPhone 5 may not be debuting after all at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week, leading people to wonder whether the next generation smart phone will be playing a catch up game or whether it is prowling for the right opportunity to reveal itself and blast its rivals into oblivion.

New claims for unemployment benefits fell less than expected last week, according to a government report on Thursday that could add to fears the labor market recovery has taken a step back.

Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA's giant of giants, tweeted to the world that he will retire from professional basketball in a 16 second video.

Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA's giant of giants, tweeted to the world that he will retire from professional basketball in a 16 second video.

Style your current iPhone while waiting for the release of the iPhone 5.

The tornadoes in Massachusetts left 4 dead, dozens injured and some roads still blocked. Routes 19 and 20 in Brimfield will be closed during the Thursday morning commute as search and cleanup operations continue.

U.S. stock index futures advanced on Thursday a day after suffering its biggest losses in nearly a year as investors waited for more clues on the strength of the economy ahead of Friday's jobs data.

Global brands from Twitter to Amazon are buying up Colombian Internet addresses, as the country's .co domain attracts organizations unable to get their choice of .com address or who want a shorter name.

A Japanese government panel on Thursday recommended doubling the country's sales tax in stages over the next four years to help pay for rising social security costs, though Prime Minister Naoto Kan's looming resignation and instability in his ruling party cast doubt over whether the policy will be implemented.

Suspected Chinese hackers tried to steal the passwords of hundreds of Google email account holders, including those of senior U.S. government officials, Chinese activists and journalists, the Internet company said.

The first major update for hand-held Nintendo 3DS system will be available in North America by June 6 evening, which can enable users to access internet browser and the ninetendo eshop by installing free update via internet.

A handful of retailers beat analysts' sales expectations for May, winning with strong selections of goods or drawing in shoppers looking for deals as high gasoline prices and a sluggish economy tempered demand.

As the saffron-robed Swami Ramdev, India's famous yoga guru, has pledged a hunger strike starting Saturday to protest against corruption, the government is trying to convince him otherwise.

Micro-blogging site Twitter has announced the launch of its photo-sharing service which will allow users to attach a photograph to a tweet directly, an act bound to alienate third-party developers.

Greece has agreed to 6.4 billion euros in new steps to cut its 2011 budget deficit and aims to wrap up bailout talks with international inspectors by Friday, a senior government official told Reuters on Thursday.

Bank of Japan board member Seiji Nakamura said solid global growth will help Japan's recovery accelerate later this year but warned that the country cannot afford policy paralysis when the wounds of the devastating earthquake in March have yet to heal.

A 17-year old student in Anhui Province in China sold one of his kidneys for 20,000 yuan only to buy an iPad 2, the ShanghaiDaily.com reported today.

Albania has asked China to invest in several projects and sought to strengthen its relations with Beijing.

Europe should consider strengthening central control of economic policy if efforts to deal with its debt crisis do not deliver results, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Thursday.

To create a united front, Syrian opposition parties on Wednesday decided to set up a committee to prepare the country for evolution from dictatorship to democracy.