IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. homebuilder sentiment rose in September to its highest level since May 2008, the National Association of Home Builders said on Wednesday, bolstering the view that the battered housing market is stabilizing.

Britain plans to update laws on defamation dating back to the 19th century to make them more suitable for the Internet age, the ministry of justice said on Wednesday.

U.S. stocks rose 1 percent on Wednesday, helped by weakness in the dollar and data showing a rise in industrial output.

Venture capitalists searching for the next big green idea to invest in are being more cautious in their due diligence but are still more than willing to place risky bets in the emerging sector.

Boeing Co's long-delayed and hotly anticipated 787 Dreamliner is a case study in the growing pains that can accompany engineering innovation.

A solar-powered house built by a group of Texas students offers a blueprint for recession-hit U.S. families to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and their electricity bills without busting their budget.

An Iranian attempt to ban attacks on nuclear sites suffered a setback on Wednesday when fellow developing nations declined as a bloc to endorse a draft resolution, diplomats said.

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Richard Parsons, the chairman of Citigroup Inc , is joining Providence Equity Partners as a senior adviser, the Rhode Island-based private equity firm said on Wednesday.

Microsoft's new Bing search portal is the fastest-growing U.S. search engine among the top 10, according to a Nielsen report released Monday.

Yale university lab technician, Raymond Clark, was released by police being questioned in connection to the slaying of graduate student who worked in the same lab.

Lawyers for Bank of America Corp and former Merrill Lynch & Co brokerage chief Robert McCann were in talks Wednesday to resolve his lawsuit accusing the bank of blocking him from taking a job with a rival.

A weak U.S. labor market led to bigger bank writedowns of credit card debt in August as a record-high jobless rate left consumers struggling to pay their bills.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both jumped 1 percent on Wednesday as increased industrial production and a pickup in mergers and acquisitions reinforced hopes the economy was gaining speed.

Comeback singer, Whitney Houston, on Tuesday in an interview with Oprah talked about her cocaine addiction, her marriage with Bobby Brown and her struggle to get out.

Fritz Henderson, the chief executive of General Motors GM.UL, expects that a deal to sell a majority in Opel to a Russian-backed consortium around Magna (MGa.TO) can be signed by the beginning of next month.

Luxury sports carmaker Ferrari thinks it could take 2-3 years for sales to return to levels seen in 2008, its chief executive, Amedeo Felisa said in an interview with Reuters TV.

Opel's chairman warned that turning around the unprofitable automaker in the next few years would not be an easy road as the sale of the European carmaker to Canada's Magna (MGa.TO) drew a political storm.

Honeywell's (HON.N) car parts business expects to post profits in 2009 and 2010, unlike many of its rivals, thanks to a growing demand for its efficiency-increasing turbo chargers, the unit's head told Reuters.

Swedish automaker Saab expects a positive outcome from the negotiations aimed at securing $600 million in loans from the European Investment Bank, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) is on track to have cut structural costs by up to $15 billion since 2005, but has room to make further reductions, the automaker's chief financial officer said on Wednesday.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) will produce a seven-seat minivan-like vehicle built on a stretched compact car platform in North America beginning in late 2011, the automaker said on Tuesday.

U.S. Senator Max Baucus unveiled his plan for a 10-year, $856 billion healthcare overhaul on Wednesday that would revamp insurance rules but does not include a government-run option backed by liberal Democrats.

Three of London's top rainmakers are set to square up against a superstar of the 1980s merger era if the looming takeover battle between Kraft and Cadbury ignites.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) is asking European governments to keep incentives for consumers to scrap old cars because demand remains very weak and an abrupt suspension of the programs could lead to another sharp decline in sales, the head of Ford Europe said on Tuesday.

U.S. industrial production rose for a second consecutive month in August, Federal Reserve data showed on Wednesday, providing another piece of evidence that the economic recovery was under way.

The head of Royal Bank of Canada, Canada's largest bank, said on Wednesday the bank's operating environment is recovering and its strong capital base could allow it to acquire assets as other banks shrink.

Jordan Lloyd, a 22-year old waitress from Matthews, N.C. was crowned the winner on CBS' Big Brother 11 aired Tuesday.

Oil edged above $71 a barrel on Wednesday after data showed U.S. crude stockpiles fell more than expected last week, but higher inventories of gasoline and winter fuel capped gains.