IBT Staff Reporter

The Irish government is busy finalizing an austerity plan that is expected to save about 15 billion euros, even as the opposition called for early elections in January.

As cloud wars between Google and Microsoft intensify, Google has thrown a bait at Microsoft users by announcing the launch of a plug-in that enables users to sync their Microsoft Office docs with Google docs.

At least two South Korean soldiers have been killed and 14 others are injured in the North's shelling, according to South Korean media reports. The ministry of defense in Seoul is yet to confirm the reports and causalities on the other side remain unknown. Tensions are escalating in the region as fighter jets have been deployed on the South Korean side of the border for retaliatory action.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal came from a set down to win his first ever ATP World Tour encounter against Roddick, while Djokovic cruised past out-of-form Berdych.

Sanyo Electric, a leading manufacturer of rechargeable battery technologies, has announced the completion of its new factory for the lithium-ion batteries in Japan.

Britain's water services group Severn Trent reported a 51 percent fall in pretax profit for the six months ended September 30 and it slashed its interim dividend by 2.5 percent to 26.04 pence.

Germany's economy grew in line with expectations in the third quarter, but remained sluggish compared to the growth in the previous quarter, according to a report from Destatis, the Federal Statistical Office of Germany.

Televison show host Oprah Winfrey has given her studio audience 275 Volkswagen New Beetles on Monday as part of Oprah's Favorite Things promotion.

Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi is developing a plug-in hybrid SUV and is expected to be launched in 2013, the head of the company's electric vehicle business unit said.

Ssangyong Motor Co., South Korea's smallest automaker, said Tuesday it signed a 520 billion won (US$460 million) deal with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. to sell a majority stake to the Indian utility vehicle maker.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given the 2011 Nissan Leaf a mileage rating of 99 miles per gallon (mpg); besides dubbing the electric car to be the best for fuel efficiency and the environment.

UK's Intermediate Capital reported a rise in assets under management and pretax profit for the first half ended Sept. 30. The group attributed the rise in profit to lower impairment charges, a stronger investment portfolio and a growing fund management franchise.

Viacom becomes the latest to block its content from Google TV

With Verizon set to roll out their 4G network, AT&T touts recent study proclaiming its network to be the best.

Hate crimes in the United States decreased by over 15 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to the annual Hate Crimes Statistics, released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Obama administration is trying to address one of the biggest fears potential small business exporters face: Worry that it's too complex.

Using particles of gold, ultrasound and an infrared laser, scientists can now see into the body in m,ore detail than ever before.

United Continental Holdings Inc. has poached on Sara Lee Corporation's top lawyer Brett J. Hart, who will leave the global consumer-goods company to take charge of the legal affairs of the world's largest air carrier.

Another section of the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration’s massive overhaul of the American healthcare system, was wheeled out today, when Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius introduced a new regulation that will require insurers to spend between 80 and 85 percent of their customers’ premiums directly on their customers’ health care.

Thomson Reuters, the world's leading financial news and business information provider, is acquiring Pangea3, one of the largest legal outsourcing firms in India, for an undisclosed amount.

It’s now as plain as the beard on Lincoln’s chin. The Republican Party that Honest Abe helped to found – that is, in its current Limbaughian form -- does not give a hoot about American global security. All it wants to do is remove Barack Obama from the White House, and it does not care if its actions – that is, its inaction – wrecks the painstakingly constructed goodwill between the U.S. and Russia and pushes the entire world back toward the shadow of possible nuclear annihilation.

Alan Newton, a 49-year-old black man from the South Bronx, who spent over two decades in prison for a sexual assault he did not commit, has been awarded nearly $18.6 million in damages by a jury in New York City.

After a wait that started in September, iPad users can breathe a sigh of relief, as Apple iOS 4.2 is now available for download on iPad, iPhone and iPods.

Google will no more use its Street View Cars technology to collect information and said on Sunday it is ready to delete all personal data collected by Street View cars.

Myanmar's Junta backed government has granted a visa to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's son. Thirty-three-year-old Kim Aris is expected in Yangon on Tuesday and Suu Kyi herself is likely to receive him at the airport. This will be for the first time in 10 years that Kim would get to see his mother.

After Google failed to bypass carriers with Nexus One, Apple couldn't resist carrier pressure and folded its plans to weave the SIM card into the hardware in partnership with Gemalto.

The bankruptcy trustee for Scott Rothstein's defunct law firm has reached a tentative settlement with American Express, the card that was used to fuel Rothstein's and his wife's luxurious lifestyle, that will help the victims of the high-profile lawyer's $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme recoup some of their losses.

Helped by Rahul Dravid's 199, India set New Zealand a huge target of 373 in the third day of the third test at Nagpur.

The bloodhound SuperSonic car has been designed to run at speeds up to 1,050 mph, powered by jet and rocket that produce the equivalent of 180 F1 cars. Its top speed of 1,050 mph is faster than a bullet from a .357 Magnum handgun.