IBT Staff Reporter

As many as a third of votes cast for Afghan incumbent Hamid Karzai in last month's presidential election are suspect and must be checked for fraud, the head of a European Union election observer mission said on Wednesday.

The new Japanese government has pledged to protect and revitalize agriculture, a policy that may be incompatible with a global push to free up world trade.

Japan's incoming government has named a veteran politician with a reputation for opposing market-friendly policies to head up banking policy and financial supervision, in a surprise move that will likely concern some investors.

New Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama took office Wednesday, launching an untested government pledged to radically change how the nation is run and make domestic demand, not exports, the engine of growth.

U.S. consumer prices rose in August from July on a spike in gasoline costs, the Labor Department said on Wednesday, but the underlying trend pointed to muted inflation pressures.

U.S. consumer prices rose in August from July on a spike in gasoline costs, the Labor Department said on Wednesday, but the underlying trend pointed to muted inflation pressures.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Wednesday on gains in commodity prices and renewed merger and acquisition activity.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Wednesday on gains in commodity prices and an upswing in merger and acquisition activity as investors awaited a batch of key economic data, including industrial production and consumer prices.

The Beatles boasted some of the best-selling albums on the U.S. pop chart on Wednesday after nostalgic fans scooped up the Fab Four's much-hyped reissues.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Wednesday on gains in commodity prices and an upswing in merger and acquisition activity as investors awaited a batch of key economic data, including consumer prices and industrial production.

Singer Whitney Houston said in an interview aired on Tuesday that she is drug-free as she embarks on a career comeback, and that her faith guides her through her ongoing fight to stay clean.

Oil eased below $71 a barrel on Wednesday after a higher-than-forecast rise in U.S. fuel stocks offset positive expectations for the world economy that spurred other markets higher.

Trade unions urged G20 leaders on Wednesday to respond decisively to the specter of 59 million job losses and slammed banks for awarding bonuses worth more than 20 percent of the taxpayer money spent bailing them out.

Chrysler Group LLC will present a five-year business plan by the end of November that will outline numbers and the path out of two years of difficulties, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

A majority of Americans believe Wall Street executive compensation is unreasonable, and that bankers fared better than others during the financial crisis, a poll conducted for Reuters shows.

Top U.S. movie rental chain Blockbuster Inc, which is facing tough competition from Netflix Inc and Coinstar Inc's Redbox, plans to close up to 960 stores by the end of next year.

The economic downturn will likely cost as many as 25 million people their jobs by end-2010 as the unemployment rate nears a record 10 percent in the OECD group of countries, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Geely Automotive , the Chinese carmaker whose parent is eyeing Ford's Volvo unit, is set to raise capital through a bond issue in a move that may provide funding for a Volvo bid.

Chrysler's new business plan will be presented by the end of November and will show numbers and the path out of years of difficulties, the company's chief executive said on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama's decision to restrict tire imports from China shows a more activist approach to enforcing rights Washington has negotiated in trade deals, as well as making good on a promise to labor groups that helped elect him.

As debate rages on how to reform the U.S. healthcare system, many of the one in six Americans now without medical insurance are hoping that reform brings at least one thing -- affordable coverage.

World equities rose on Wednesday to new 11-month highs, after upbeat U.S. data boosted faith in an economic recovery, persuading more investors to sell their low-yield dollars to buy growth-oriented stocks and commodities.

The U.S. economy will emerge from recession by growing more than 2 percent in the current and fourth quarters on a dramatic reversal in inventories, but growth next year will be tepid, a UCLA Anderson Forecast said on Wednesday.

The world's top mobile browser maker, Norway's Opera Software, released on Wednesday a test version of its mobile browser, Mini 5, promising new features, easier usage and new design.

Oil shed early losses and hovered near $71 on Wednesday as the dollar's fall to one-year lows and Asian equities' climb to 2009 highs drew investors back to risky assets on brightening signs of a U.S. economic recovery.

Asian shares swept to their highest levels for 2009 on Wednesday after upbeat U.S. economic news boosted riskier assets leveraged to global growth, while the U.S. dollar slipped to a one-year low.

Asian shares hit their highest levels for 2009 on Wednesday after upbeat U.S. economic news gave riskier assets leveraged to global growth a boost, while the U.S. dollar slipped to a one-year low.

SEC's Options Tough; Adobe's Gamble; Lehman's Complaint

New York cable TV operator Cablevision Systems Corp said on Tuesday it is rolling out a service to enable subscribers to interact with commercials by clicking on their remote controls.