IBT Staff Reporter

Battling all objections from Iraq, the first film adaptation of controversial author Salman Rushdie's “Booker of Bookers novel Midnight's Children has finished shooting in Sri Lanka.

The Big Three couldn't do it alone. Thanks to the reemergence of Udonis Haslem, they didn't have to. The Heat got what they hoped for in the first two games in Chicago: a split. Miami got a 13-point performance from Haslem, as the Miami pulled off the 85-75 win at United Center.

Euro zone governments are considering a plan to prevent a Greek default under which private investors would be asked to maintain their exposure to its debt and Athens would receive a new package of EU/IMF aid, euro zone sources said.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Thursday as signs of recovery in the jobs market were offset by weak data on housing and regional business conditions.

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, but other data on home sales and regional factory activity suggested the economy remained on a moderate growth path.

The longstanding Microsoft-Intel relationship codenamed Wintel, which ruled the PC market for more than decade, is starting to show fault lines after Microsoft refuted Intel's claims about the upcoming Windows 8 OS.

Danish director, Lars von Trier has received the boot, Cannes lowest honor, for jokingly calling himself a Nazi.

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen showed off her great body for her new lingerie collection, Gisele Bundchen Intimates.

Oppenheimer & Co cut its rating on Staples Inc and OfficeMax Inc to perform from outperform, saying sales trends for office supplies retailers appear unlikely to rebound any time soon.

The list of the most powerful people in the entertainment business was released and Justin Bieber, U2, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift and LeBron James all dominating the top ten.

Microsoft says Intel's Windows 8 claims are factually inaccurate and misleading.

The main option under consideration for Greece now is a voluntary deal by investors to maintain their Greek bond holdings over the period of another EU/IMF program from 2011 to 2014, euro zone sources said.

David Beckham has launched his debut fashion collection.

New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but a rise in the four-week moving average to a six-month high indicated the labor market recovery will remain painfully slow.

Deutsche Bank AG denied in court that it conspired to cause the collapse of German media mogul Leo Kirch's business empire that led to years of legal battles.

HSBC Holdings Plc , Europe's biggest bank, will find most of the $3.5 billion it wants to save by trimming staff and cutting less profitable operations outside of Asia, its chief executive said on Thursday.

Today's new Gold Demand Trends from the World Gold Council show interesting data about gold demand in China. China is now 10 years into opening up its gold market - half as long as India. But since nabbing the No.2 spot in terms of private demand in 2005, it's only grown hungrier for gold bullion, despite becoming the world's No.1 mining-producer nation, too.

People.com is reporting that Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, has hired a divorce lawyer.

Japan's economy shrank much more than expected in the first quarter and slipped into recession after the triple blow of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit business and consumer spending and tore apart supply chains.

The European Central Bank has raised the stakes in its bid to prevent a restructuring of Greek debt, telling euro zone governments it would refuse to accept Greek bonds as collateral in the event of such a move.

Wall Street stocks were set for a higher open on Thursday after weekly jobless claims data suggested the labor market was on track for recovery.

In March 2010, we predicted that gold demand in China would double by 2020, however, we believe that this doubling may in fact be achieved sooner. Increasing prosperity in the world's most populous country coupled with their high affinity for gold will serve to drive demand in the long-term.

Bartolo Colon held the Baltimore Orioles scoreless through eight innings, but when Mariano Rivera blew the save, it took the New York Yankees six more innings to notch the win.

The injury-riddled New York Mets earned a 3-0 victory over the Washington Nationals in the rain last night behind the efforts of starting pitcher Jon Niese and the bat of Jose Reyes.

The United Federation of Teachers, NAACP, and advocates sued the New York City Department of Education Wednesday. The lawsuit is against the city's plans to close 22 schools, and against charter schools from using those building spaces.

Apple will kick off celebrations of 10th anniversary of its retail stores today and, according to Apple fans, the company could do so by executing a major retail makeover called Apple Store 2.0.

James Cameron's 'Titanic' will be re-released in 3-D.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, offering hope the labor market recovery remains on track.

The U.S. recovery is proceeding at a moderate pace, but the economy has a considerable way to go before it meets the Federal Reserve's dual mandate of full employment and price stability, a top Fed official said on Thursday.