IBT Staff Reporter

Hugo Chavez's government has condemned United States sanctions which imposed Venezuela's state oil company for doing business with Iran.

The protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the powerful tribes of Yemen left 38 dead on Tuesday as the uprising threatened to turn into a militia-led revolt.

Costco Wholesale Corp posted a higher quarterly profit as it sold more gasoline and got a boost from stronger foreign currencies.

Stock index futures pointed to a weak start for Wall Street on Wednesday, following a late sell-off in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones industrial average and the Nasdaq down 0.1 to 0.3 percent by 5:06 a.m. EDT.

Buoyant commodities demand from emerging economies is straining tight supplies and putting more pressure on producers to ramp up output, Glencore's chief executive said on Wednesday.

Barnes & Noble unveiled a new Nook e-reader on Tuesday that weighs less than a paperback book and has a battery life of two months -- features designed to help it compete with Amazon.com and Apple.

ZTE Corp, China's No.2 network equipment maker, plans to launch smartphones based on Microsoft Corp's Mango operating system in Europe in the third quarter of this year, executives said.

Rainforest activist and his wife were ambushed and shot dead in the Amazon state of Para in northern Brazil on Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve should begin to hike interest rates in coming months, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Wednesday, as it raised its outlook for U.S. economic growth.

Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that former employees of Avon Products Inc bribed foreign officials, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Federal Reserve should begin raising U.S. interest rates and the European Central Bank should pause its monetary tightening cycle, the OECD said on Wednesday.

World stocks fell while the euro headed toward a two-month low on Wednesday on concerns about the euro zone's spreading debt crisis and the potential for a further reduction of positions in risky assets.

The U.S. Treasury made a small profit when it sold a portion of its shares in American International Group Inc on Tuesday, but it was unclear how its investment in the beleaguered insurer will ultimately fare.

A Taliban suicide bomber killed six people, ramming an explosives-laden truck into a three-storey police station in Peshawar, officials said.

Nokia planned to launch its first smartphone using Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 at the end of the year, according to Taiwan's Commercial Times, which did not identify a source.

Tyler Hamilton, the former teammate of Lance Armstrong who appeared on 60 Minutes and accused Armstrong of doping, was quoted as saying he feels bad about beating up Armstrong.

The NBA players union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board contending that the NBA is conducting in unfair labor practices.

The years were rolled back as Gary Neville's final match at Old Trafford saw the 'Class of 92' reunited against Juventus in a rematch of the 1999 European Cup semifinal.

The euro and oil slipped on Wednesday as a rally the previous day fizzled on fears about Europe's spreading debt crisis and the potential for a further reduction of positions in risky assets.

The euro slipped back toward a two-month low and oil prices fell on Wednesday as a rally the previous day fizzled on fears about Europe's spreading debt crisis and the potential for a further reduction of positions in risky assets.

Japan's economy was already showing signs of recovering from the slump that immediately followed the devastating March 11 earthquake, Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Wednesday.

China asked Foxconn Technology Group and other Taiwanese firms to pay more attention to safety, after a deadly blast at a Chinese factory making iPads for Apple.

The latest round of deficit talks between the White House and Congress, Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, the negotiations are focusing on getting at least 1trillion dollars in the spending cuts.

Chennai Super Kings stormed into the IPL 2011 final with a late surge against Bangalore Royal Challengers, securing a six wicket victory on the chase.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for portions of Central Texas, which is effective this Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from 1120 pm until 400 am cdt, the US Storm Prediction Centre said in a statement.

At least six people were killed and many were injured in a series of thunderstorm and tornados that struck Oklahoma and Kansas City, according to US weather officials.

A big banner with the words Chevron Guilty: Clean Up Amazon fluttering under Richmond-San Rafael bridge on Monday morning, hung by 5 environmentalists who have accused the energy giant of causing rainforest pollution in Amazon,have got them into trouble.

Dallas area news organizations and residents used their cameras to capture images of hail, lightning storms, funnel clouds and tornado sirens as the city and surrounding counties were put on a Tornado watch.

Kim Clijsters looked like her old self at the French Open, five years after her last appears. Clijsters easily dispatched Anastasiya Takimova in straight sets 6-2 6-3.