IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. President Barack Obama said he was willing to help North Korea repair its economy and end decades of international isolation if Pyongyang stopped a cycle of threats and finally moved toward nuclear disarmament.

BofA Merrill Lynch lowered its 2010 growth forecast for global semiconductor industry and downgraded ten chipmakers, including Intel Corp , turning more cautious on the group on expectations of a modest overshoot in global supply chain inventories.

Australia's government demanded on Thursday that conservative rivals stop opposing carbon trade laws, citing a heatwave searing the country's biggest cities as evidence of Australia's vulnerability to climate change.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Thursday urged Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to change an agreement on supplies of Russian natural gas whose terms he said were too onerous for the Ukrainian economy.

Funnyman Will Ferrell and British actor Ewan McGregor on Wednesday headed a Forbes.com list of Hollywood's most overpaid stars when looking at the financial returns of their movies.

Vaccine makers praised the U.S. response to the swine flupandemic on Wednesday but said regulatory delays and public suspicion have held up innovative ways to speed and stretch the U.S. influenza vaccine supply.

LONDON - Oil explorer Premier Oil Plc cut its production guidance for 2009 following a temporary loss of output at the Kakap field in Indonesia and maintenance work at its UK producing fields.

Spanish research appearing to show that very heavy drinking can reduce men's risk of heart disease has come under fire from scientists who say the study is flawed and should not encourage anyone to drink more.

U.S. actor Zac Efron takes another step away from the world of high school musicals that made him famous with a part in Me and Orson Welles, which also features British newcomer Christian McKay in the title role.

Actelion Ltd, Europe's largest biotech company, said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would review use of its drug Zavesca to treat a rare neurodegenerative disease early next year.

Fans have been mooning over all things Twilight since the vampire-romance film bowed so bloody well exactly a year ago. So it's no surprise that the sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, is projected to sink its teeth into more than $85 million during its first weekend.

Penelope Cruz feels uncomfortable talking about nude scenes and says she has an allergy to labels, but she becomes effusive when discussing her dream year with two special films about to hit theaters.

Johnny Depp was named People magazine's sexiest man alive for a second time on Wednesday, joining an elite club of double honorees that includes George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for jobless insurance was unchanged last week, according to government data on Thursday that showed the labor market was slowly healing.

Sears Holdings Corp posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday, helped by the first increase in same-store sales at its Kmart unit in four years, and its shares rose 4 percent.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Thursday after a bearish analyst comment on semiconductor stocks pressured the technology sector, even as data showed no change in weekly jobless claims.

BofA Merrill Lynch lowered its 2010 growth forecast for global semiconductor industry and downgraded ten chipmakers, including Intel Corp , turning more cautious on the group on expectations of a modest overshoot in global supply chain inventories.

Steven, we love you. But you need to get sober, and we need to find a new singer.

Democrats in the U.S. Congress are seeking government investigations into recent price increases of brand-name prescription drugs, as lawmakers finalize an overhaul of the healthcare system.

Oscar organizers joined the MTV generation on Wednesday, naming Hamish Hamilton as director of March's movie awards ceremony, and they also unveiled their shortlist of films vying for a best documentary nomination.

The Holy Grail of Michael Jackson memorabilia will go on the block on Saturday in an auction of one of the King of Pop's famous white gloves and hundreds of rock-and-roll relics.

A small number of people have died after being inoculated against H1N1 pandemic flu, but investigations have shown that the deaths are not due to the vaccines, a senior official at the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

Bon Jovi claimed its fourth No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart Wednesday, despite a sharp drop in sales.

Increasing the levels of a message-carrying chemical in the brain may help prevent some of the memory deficits in Down syndrome that hinder learning and make it hard for the brain to develop normally, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

U.S. health officials distanced themselves Wednesday from controversial new breast cancer screening guidelines that recommend against routine mammograms for healthy women in their 40s and said federal policy on screening mammograms had not changed.

Sony Corp said it would launch 3D TVs and networked products and services to unleash its potential as an electronics and entertainment giant and reverse its fortunes as it heads for a second straight annual loss.

U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid released a long-awaited healthcare reform plan on Wednesday that budget analysts said would extend coverage to tens of millions of the uninsured and reduce the deficit over 10 years.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for jobless insurance was unchanged last week, but the four-week moving average of claims dropped to its lowest in almost a year, according to government data on Thursday that showed the labor market slowly healing.

Vivendi could exit from U.S. media group NBCU Universal as it has no intention to be part of the future joint venture being discussed by Comcast and General Electric, its chief financial officer said on Thursday.