IBT Staff Reporter

Celebrity and fashion photographer Irving Penn died Wednesday at 92 in his Manhattan home.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger desperately wants a bill to fund an overhaul of the state's water system -- so much so he is hinting he may veto more than 700 bills awaiting his signature by midnight Sunday if top lawmakers fail agree to one.

The Minnesota Twins will play against the New York Yankees in New York at 6:07 pm EST during the first day of the Major League Baseball postseason.

The Standard & Poor's 500 and Nasdaq indexes edged up on Wednesday with investors responding positively to early earnings results as the quarterly reporting period got under way.

A request from the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan for additional troops has been transferred to President Barack Obama for review and has started working its way through the military chain of command, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The Aussie dollar pulled back from its early morning highs above 89 cents yesterday dipping to an intraday low of 0.8865 following slightly softer than forecast Home Loan data. The markets insatiable desire for the AUD resurfaced however as it bounced back to eventually exchange at an overnight high near 0.8950, its highest level since early August 2008.

Dell plans to launch a smartphone with Google's Android mobile software on carrier AT&T's network as soon as early 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The U.S. airline industry, battered severely in the last year by volatile fuel costs and an economic recession, may show signs of recovery when carriers begin reporting quarterly earnings next week, experts said on Wednesday.

U.S. consumers have cut their use of credit by 4.5 percent from all-time highs last year, as the latest report released today by the Federal Reserve showed a $12 billion decline in August.

Australian actress Naomi Watts, who starred in The Ring, King Kong, and Eastern Promises, is the actress who provides the best return for a film studio, according to a list by Forbes.com.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce isn't taking Apple's resignation quietly after Apple announced on Monday it was quitting the organization because it disagrees with the chamber's policy on climate change.

The Obama administration's latest effort to boost the beleaguered housing market is likely to help mortgage insurers as lower defaults will boost their liquidity.

Alcoa Inc posted a surprise profit on Wednesday, after three consecutive quarterly losses, mainly because of cost savings and an increase in aluminum prices.

The Standard & Poor's 500 and Nasdaq indexes edged up on Wednesday as investors responded positively to early earnings results as the quarterly reporting period got under way.

Alcoa Inc posted a surprise profit on Wednesday, after three consecutive quarterly losses, mainly because of cost savings and an increase in aluminum prices.

Spain's Telefonica offered on Wednesday to buy Brazilian telecommunications company GVT for 6.5 billion reais ($3.7 billion) in cash, seeking to trump a bid by French rival Vivendi.

Singer Beyonce Knowles finally spoke out on Kanye West's actions at the Video Music Awards last month.

Madonna's ex husband Guy Ritchie spoke about the pop diva in an interview with Esquire Magazine published Wednesday.

Oil prices fell toward $69 a barrel on Wednesday after U.S. data showed fuel stocks surged last week in the world's biggest energy consumer, signaling a recovery in oil demand could take more time.

The top U.S. communications regulator praised recent moves by top wireless companies to open their networks and said he would work to overcome a looming shortage of airwaves used by the industry.

Global investments in renewable energy technology like wind, solar and hydroelectric power have slid dramatically this year as the economic crisis limited government and private funds for new projects, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Amazon.com Inc is introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, for over 100 countries, including China and most of Europe, intensifying a battle for the burgeoning digital book market.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped while other major indexes were little changed on Wednesday as investors booked profits after two days of strong gains and turned cautious at the approach of earnings season.

Chemicals maker DuPont says it does not expect to match last year's profit levels until at least 2012, according to a filing with U.S. regulators on Wednesday.

The dollar gained against the euro and a basket of major currencies on Wednesday as optimism following Australia's interest rate hike fizzled out and traders said the greenback's recent decline was overdone.

The bar codes of Madonna, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and any celebrity can be created with online bar code generators with the input of a name.

U.S. securities regulators said on Wednesday it will appeal a court decision dismissing its insider trading case against Dallas Mavericks basketball team owner Mark Cuban.

Dell Inc said it will close a North Carolina desktop computer manufacturing plant early next year, laying off 905 workers, as the world's No. 2 PC maker continues to shed jobs and streamline its business.

Verizon has teamed with Google on Tuesday to co-develop several Android-based devices that will be pre-loaded with innovative applications from both parties as well as third-party developers, in an effort to fight off the iPhone and its exclusive agreement with AT&T.