IBT Staff Reporter

As the U.S. government moves to the brink of a shutdown with budget talks stalled, taxpayers should remember one thing as tax day nears: tax collection may be considered essential.

Us Weekly is reporting that Bristol Palin made $262,000 as an abstinence ambassador. Palin made the money as the Candie's Foundation's spokeswoman.

A corporate lawyer and a trader were charged Wednesday with running a 17-year conspiracy to trade on corporate merger secrets stolen from three of the nation's most prominent law firms, in one of the largest U.S. insider trading cases on record.

Portugal's caretaker government said on Wednesday it needs financing from the European Union, marking a turnaround after resisting asking for aid for months despite sharply deteriorating financial conditions.

Robots will take over the Smithsonian next week during National Robotics Week

Brent crude surged to a 2-1/2-year high above $123 a barrel on Wednesday, before erasing gains in volatile trade as market players fretted the recent rally was overdone.

Two men have been charged with insider trading based on information stolen from three of the most prominent U.S. law firms specializing in mergers and acquisitions, federal prosecutors said.

As the season finale for The Office approaches as does Steve Carell's last day as branch manager at Dunder Mifflin, it seems like NBC is piling on the guest appearances.

American Apparel denied a report by a private equity and deals news website that the clothing chain was looking for a buyer.

Add-ons like Lunkular's FoxLingo and developer-favorite Firebug top the list with 74% slowdown/

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's blog has fallen victim to a cyber attack on a hosting website which is popular with government critics who say the attack may herald a clampdown on freedom of speech.

Dish Network Corp won Blockbuster Inc in a bankruptcy auction for $320 million, further broadening its business beyond satellite TV and setting up a possible showdown with Netflix.

The S&P 500 paused near a seven-week high on low volume on Wednesday before the start of earnings reports next week, which investors hoped would provide the catalyst for stocks to advance.

'Nonstop' negotiations on passing a federal budget for the remainder of the fiscal year were continuing ahead of a Friday deadline to avert a shutdown of a big portion of the government, as House Republicans and Senate Democrats allied with President Obama sought to break an impasse that could put hundreds of thousands of workers on leave without funding in place.

A corporate lawyer and a trader were charged Wednesday with running a 17-year conspiracy to trade on secrets about corporate mergers stolen from three of the nation's most prominent law firms, in one of the largest U.S. insider trading cases on record,

Deutsche Boerse has no plans to raise its $10.2 billion bid for NYSE Euronext , confident the benefits of its deal will trump a higher offer from rival U.S. exchanges, a source familiar with the deal said.

President Barack Obama's late entry into a budget battle that could shut the government marks an attempt both to play dealmaker and avoid blame if Republicans and Democrats fail to forge agreement in time.

Portugal's caretaker government, fighting to avoid a bailout, said on Wednesday a political crisis had caused irreparable damage after borrowing costs rocketed as it sold a billion euros in short-term debt.

Congressional negotiators on Wednesday raced against a looming deadline to craft a budget deal that would cut billions of dollars in spending and keep the government operating beyond Friday.

Data storage systems provider Dot Hill Systems Corp said it developed a new post-production storage software for editing applications, including Apple Inc's Final Cut Pro and Autodesk's Smoke, sending its shares up 20 percent on Wednesday. Shares of the company rose 55 cents to a day high of $3.27 in morning trade.

Angelina Jolie, who is in Tunisia doing charity work, appeared with a new tattoo on her left arm.

Congressional negotiators on Wednesday raced against a looming deadline to agree on billions of dollars in spending cuts in a budget deal that keeps the federal government operating beyond Friday.

Chrysler Group LLC became the latest automaker affected by the Japan earthquake and its aftermath, as it said it would cancel overtime work at some of its North American assembly plants due to parts shortages.

American Superconductor's shares plunged 44 percent on Wednesday, a day after the maker of electrical systems for wind farms said its largest customer refused to accept shipments, a move that could trigger a series of problems for the U.S. company.

The S&P 500 wavered near a seven-week high on low volume on Wednesday as investors refrained from making big bets before the start of earnings season next week provides the next catalyst for stocks.

If a shutdown does begin after a Friday deadline passes, hundreds of thousands of federal employees would be furloughed, tax refunds from paper-based filers would not be processed and federal loans for small businesses and new federal home loans would not be processed, Senior Obama Administration officials said on Wednesday.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to inject nitrogen into one of the reactors to prevent a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to inject nitrogen into one of the reactors to prevent a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

DISH Network has bought Blockbuster's assets for a mere $320 million.