IBT Staff Reporter

Texting people to remind them to wear sunscreen daily actually works, research shows.

Gold fell on profit taking on Wednesday after reaching a record high on economic uncertainties and the downtrend in the dollar, while Asian stocks edged higher as hunger for risk stayed high as the year end approached.

A key U.S. congressional panel moved toward toughening a plan for dealing with too big to fail financial firms on Tuesday, while rejecting a Republican alternative that is expected to reappear later.

A Chinese court has ruled that Microsoft infringed a Chinese software maker's intellectual property rights in a surprise decision that has renewed concerns about China's management of IPR disputes, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Practical English Grammar by Correspondence -- a 1973 tome published by the Soviet Union -- sits atop a pile of books on the librarian's desk in Macedonia's Grigor Prlichev elementary school.

Gold hit another all-time high on Wednesday on worries about future inflation and economic uncertainties, while Asian stocks rebounded as the generally bearish dollar kept riskier assets in demand.

Tim Burton, the director of well-known movies such as Batman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the much-anticipated Alice in Wonderland, set for release in March 2010, spoke briefly today about his art work being exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Coca-Cola Co said on Tuesday that international growth, cost savings, new marketing and innovation would be key as it plans to double its total system revenue by 2020.

Top Federal Reserve officials on Tuesday struck differing notes on the likely pace of the U.S. economic recovery and one warned that pockets of weakness must not deter the central bank from withdrawing its extraordinary economic support.

Intel Corp Chief Executive Paul Otellini said on Tuesday the semiconductor industry may experience possible pinch points in the PC production chain as manufacturers ramp up to meet higher demand next year.

Ford Motor Co's Fusion mid-size sedan was named Motor Trend magazine's 2010 car of the year on Tuesday, adding to the perception that changes to the No. 2 U.S. automaker's vehicle lineup are gaining traction.

Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Morgan Stanley will merge only part of the U.S. firm's Japan brokerage operation with MUFG's, revising their earlier pact, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced concern on Tuesday over a mutiny by pro-settler soldiers that raised fears of more rebellion in the ranks in any future land-for-peace moves with the Palestinians.

BlackBerry holds its ground;Fed remains vigilant on inflation;EU's 'Dark Pools' review

U.S. stocks rose to fresh 13-month highs on Tuesday as upbeat broker views on improving prospects for two Dow components offset disappointing holiday spending outlooks from Target and Home Depot.

Fifteen-year-old Bronx resident, Vada Vasquez, is fighting for her life after she was accidently shot in the head Monday afternoon as she walked home from school.

U.S. President Barack Obama was set to continue his effort to court China while cajoling it on economic strains on Wednesday, with the final day of his visit featuring talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Citigroup Inc said on Tuesday it boosted the base salaries for its chief financial officer and a global markets co-head, but still plans to pay Chief Executive Vikram Pandit $1 for the year.

Five people have been sentenced to death and 81 have received jail terms of up to 15 years in connection with unrest after Iran's disputed election in June, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Tuesday.

Qualcomm, the world's biggest chip maker, said on Tuesday that it expects to sell its TD-SCDMA chips in mainland China within the next year.

U.S. chocolate maker Hershey Co has held talks for several weeks with Italy's Ferrero Spa over a potential bid for Cadbury Plc that would rival a hostile offer from Kraft Foods Inc , The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

U.S. industrial output barely rose last month and wholesale inflation was tame, suggesting the economy's recovery from a severe recession was losing some steam as government stimulus faded.

Hackers could one day turn ordinary smartphones into rogue devices to attack major wireless networks, Research In Motion's security chief warned.

U.S. stocks rose to fresh 13-month highs on Tuesday as upbeat broker views on improving prospects for two Dow components offset disappointing holiday spending outlooks from Target and Home Depot.

Yesterday's release of the RBA board minutes from the November 3 0.25% interest rate rise cast some doubt as to the scale of the current wave of Monetary Policy tightening. In the minutes the central bank said ...further gradual adjustment in the cash rate would most likely be appropriate over time, though the pace of the adjustment remained an open question. The market had been looking for more aggressive wording given the hikes already priced in for 2010 and were somewhat disappointed by the...

Don't expect the expanded home buyer tax credit to be a permanent cure for the U.S. housing market. It won't.

Brazilian beauty Gisele Bunchen tops the list with an estimated $150 million fortune. According to Forbes, Bunchen is the highest-paid model in the world and also the sixteenth richest woman.

A congressional panel accused Bank of America Corp on Tuesday of knowing about Merrill Lynch's huge losses as early as November 2008, suggesting the bank misled investors in saying it did not grasp the depth of the problems until the following month.

Research In Motion's top executives say the BlackBerry will hold its ground in a fierce battle with Apple's iPhone and other rivals, even as a boom in smartphone sales shakes up a market segment that their company once ruled.