IBT Staff Reporter

The body in charge of assigning the world's Internet users their online addresses on Friday said it had agreed to allow the use of any of the world's scripts, no longer just the Latin alphabet.

U.S. consumer sentiment slipped this month as Americans fretted about personal finances and focused on paying down debt, a survey showed on Friday.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday, led by financial stocks as reports painting a mixed economic picture dented optimism fed by the economy's return to growth.

Target Corp is expanding the number of items that qualify for free shipping on its website and rolling out the shipping promotion two weeks earlier than last year as it looks to win holiday sales.

U.S. consumer sentiment slipped this month as Americans worried about their personal finances and focused on paying down debts, though confidence in a national recovery remained high, a survey showed on Friday.

U.S. consumers cut spending in September and turned gloomier this month, underscoring the fragile nature of the economy's recovery even as signs emerged that manufacturing activity may be picking up.

Cost-cutting helped NYSE Euronext beat earnings expectations, and the transatlantic exchange operator announced the sale of a big stake in its U.S. derivatives exchange.

International controls over capital movements and new global playing rules are needed to reinvent the global financial system, billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros said on Friday.

Honduras' de facto government buckled under international pressure on Thursday and agreed to allow the return to power of President Manuel Zelaya, who was toppled in a military coup four months ago.

A new type of U.N. scheme is spreading clean energy technology to millions of people in India, promising to cut carbon emissions and help investors earn valuable carbon credits.

A U.N. scheme designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and transform the livelihoods of millions of people in developing countries is picking up speed, with dozens of projects being developed or evaluated.

Consumer Worries; Facebook's Anti-Spam Win, A Multi-Lingual Internet

A slumping economy pushed down Japanese CO2 emissions from burning fuels by a record 6.7 percent in the year to March 2009, the trade ministry said on Friday, but the country is still far from meeting its Kyoto Protocol obligations.

Armed villagers killed at least 47 policemen trying to intervene in ethnic clashes in northern Democratic Republic of Congo, U.N.-sponsored radio reported on Friday.

European Union leaders resolved a funding dispute on Friday to agree a negotiating position for talks on a global deal to combat climate change.

Colombia and the United States signed a pact on Friday increasing U.S. access to Colombian military bases, the Colombian government said, deepening its standing as Washington's main ally in the region.

Former French president Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial on embezzlement charges dating back to his time as mayor of Paris, an unprecedented move against a former French head of state.

Israel offered cautious praise on Friday for a U.N.-drafted, U.S.-backed proposal for dealing with Iran's enriched uranium, calling it a positive first step toward denying Tehran the means to make nuclear weaponry.

Afghan election officials on Friday defended plans to open more polling centers for next week's presidential run-off despite fears not enough is being done to prevent a repeat of the fraud which marred the first round.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday, the day after logging their best gains in three months, as sectors that have led the rally pulled back.

Eating just a little bit more fiber could have a big impact in trimming the waistlines of America's young people, new research shows.

Six pigs shown at the Minnesota State Fair last month have been confirmed as having had the pandemic H1N1 flu virus, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Thursday.

The mission was simple.

Patients taking statin drugs were almost 50 percent less likely to die from flu, researchers reported on Thursday in a study providing more evidence the cholesterol-lowering drugs help the body cope with infection.

A vaccine aid group said on Friday it was seeking $4 billion to protect as many as 130 million of the world's poorest children against diarrhea and pneumonia.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a sweeping healthcare overhaul on Thursday that would transform the insurance market, create a government-run insurance plan and levy new taxes on the rich.

Only one dose of vaccine is needed for protection against pandemic H1N1 flu and the jabs have so far proved to be safe, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

U.S. mortgage rates held steady just above 5 percent in the latest week after mixed signals on the health of the housing market, Freddie Mac said on Thursday.

The government's first-time homebuyer tax credit has spurred a significant amount of sales this year and its positive impact on the hard-hit housing market warrants an extension, an economist known for her property market expertise said on Thursday.