IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Friday held out the possibility of a resumption of six-party talks if North Korea ceases provocations and meets its obligations, but said there was no sign of it changing its ways.

Rescue workers in Brazil braced for more rain on Friday as they struggled to reach areas cut off by massive floods and landslides that look certain to have killed more than 500 people.

Computer hacker George Samuel Bronk, 23, of Citrus heights California pleaded guilty for seven felony charges which included hacking into e-mail accounts and Facebook accounts of worn in 17 states and in England.

The euro paused on Friday but was still on track to post its best weekly performance against the dollar in 20 months, while Asian equity markets struggled to extend recent gains, with Japan's Nikkei retreating from an 8-month peak.

China will not bow to foreign demand for faster gains in the yuan and will stick to its gradualist approach in currency reform, senior officials said on Friday, indicating Chinese President Hu Jintao may push back if President Barack Obama presses him on the issue next week.

His demand for a quickie divorce has led to his wife making allegations and demands

China's yuan exchange rate policy is based on its own national interests, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Friday, days before a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Bookseller Borders Group Inc told publishers in a meeting it was close to securing refinancing from GE Capital and other lenders, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Starbucks Corp unveiled a deal that sets the stage for the world's largest coffee company to bring its iconic cafes to India, where Western-style coffee shops are increasingly popular.

The Center for Professional Development at Stanford University has signed an agreement with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to offer a unique distance learning program combining aviation training and management fundamentals.

It vanished within hours from the online site

The troubled rapper and hip-hop singer gets ice cream tattoo to announce his sanity

China has angered India by issuing unorthodox visas to two Indians from a border state claimed by Beijing, the latest flare-up of a territorial dispute festering between the Asian giants.

Tata Steel, the world's seventh-largest steel maker, said on Friday that it would hold on to its shares in Australian miner Riversdale, calling it a strategic stake.

Intel Corp is positive about growth in PC sales in emerging Asia, particularly in China and India, a top executive said on Friday, a day after the chip heavyweight posted market-beating revenue and margins for the fourth quarter.

Goldman Sachs raised Infosys Technologies to buy from neutral on Friday, saying it believes a drop in the share prices offers an attractive entry point.

Turnover at Indian commodity bourses rose 50 percent to 82.70 trillion rupees ($1.83 trillion) in the first three quaters to December on surging volumes on bullion and metal counters, data from the regulator showed.

The BSE Sensex fell 0.4 percent in early trade on Friday, with financials leading the decline ahead of December inflation data.

The embattled Congress-led coalition government failed to announce major policy decisions on Thursday to tackle soaring food prices after days of wrangling, taking only minor measures seen as unlikely to make a major impact.

BOSTON (Reuters Life!) - Thousands of documents, photos and even recorded phone conversations of President John F. Kennedy are going online and available to a whole new generation of high-tech armchair historians.

Computer history for $400?An IBM computer won the practice round on popular quiz show Jeopardy! against two top contestants, showing artificial intelligence has come a long way in simulating how humans think.

Morgan Stanley announced on Thursday a number of executive changes across its retail brokerage and fixed-income trading divisions, as Chief Executive James Gorman overhauls the bank's management ranks a year into his tenure.

The euro surged on Thursday, taking on renewed vigor after better-than-forecast debt auctions by Spain and Italy and a hawkish rate view from the ECB but weak U.S. jobless claims data weighed on U.S. stocks.

Intel Corp posted better-than expected revenue and margins for the fourth quarter and gave a rosy outlook for early 2011, defying worries about the chipmaker's minor role in the booming smartphone and tablet computer market.

Intel Corp beat Wall Street's fourth-quarter profit and sales estimates, and forecast higher-than-expected revenue in the current quarter.

Mattress maker Sealy Corp's quarterly profit edged past market expectations, helped by strong demand in its international markets and on lower costs.

Video game sales fell for 2010 but are expected to bounce back this year as people embrace new ways of playing games online and on-the-go, according to retail research firm NPD Group.

Jared Lee Loughner's interactions with instructors at his Tucson, Arizona community college were strained throughout 2010, with administrators and instructors reporting disturbing out of context comments, inappropriate expressions, and very hostile behavior which culminated in a suspension, according to school documents.

Stocks edged lower on Thursday, hurt by a slide in drugmaker Merck and as falling commodities prices hit shares of natural resource companies.