IBT Staff Reporter

J.C. Penney Co Inc posted a smaller-than-expected net loss on Friday as it reined in costs, but the retailer indicated full-year profit might miss expectations, sending its shares down nearly 5 percent.

North Korea is willing to hold talks with Washington, a senior diplomat for the state said on Friday in the first such comments since former President Bill Clinton's visit to Pyongyang last week.

Michael Phelps, who holds the Olympic record with 14 gold medals for swimming, was involved in a traffic accident in Baltimore, Maryland, on Thursday night, but did not suffer any injury's, police said.

A hardline Iranian cleric urged the judiciary on Friday to resist Western pressure to free Western-linked detainees held after the country's disputed June presidential election, state radio said.

U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Friday after a report showed consumer sentiment weakened, while Boeing Co , a Dow component, pressured the index after flaws halted work on parts of its long-delayed jetliner.

The European Commission expressed doubt on Friday over whether a merchant ship which has been missing for more than a week had fallen prey to pirates as the vessel's operator had suggested.

The first video of the moment of the collision between a helicopter and a small aircraft in New York City that killed nine people has emerged online on NBC.

Myanmar's reduced sentence for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi may be an indication the junta is becoming more sensitive to international pressure as it prepares a transition to civilian rule next year, analysts say.

When Congress returns September 8, lawmakers will continue work on an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system. There are three different plans in the works, all containing changes that would be phased in over a number of years.

Two existing drugs used to treat osteoporosis may be effective in killing influenza viruses, including the new H1N1 swine flu and the H5N1 bird flu viruses, researchers in Hong Kong have found.

A study published last year suggested that bipolar disorder may be over diagnosed in people seeking mental health care. Now new findings shed light on which disorders many of these patients actually have.

Although seizures are more likely in people with Alzheimer disease (AD) than in the general population, they are not a common feature of AD, new research indicates.

President Barack Obama is taking his healthcare reform message out west this weekend with two more public meetings seeking to overcome vociferous opposition to the $1 trillion overhaul scheme.

The air controller who handled a small plane before it collided with a helicopter over New York's Hudson River was suspended for allegedly violating procedures, but aviation officials said on Thursday they did not believe his actions contributed to the accident.

Aging white adults appear to have a greater risk of developing the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation than their black peers, new research suggests.

China South City, a Shenzhen-based integrated logistics and trade centre operator, plans to raise at least HK$4 billion ($513 million) in a revived plan for its Hong Kong IPO by the end of September, according to a source familiar with the deal.

Retired police officer Bob Ritz has health insurance that covers his medical and dental care in the United States.

Radiation detection provider Mirion Technologies Inc on Thursday became the latest private-equity backed company to file for an initial public offering, as more buyout firms try to unload some of their portfolio companies in the public markets.

Danish hearing aid and headset maker GN Store Nord reaffirmed its full-year sales and profit guidance on Friday after cost cuts helped it beat forecasts for second-quarter core earnings.

Ping An Insurance (Group) Co of China Ltd, the world's No. 2 life insurer by market value, posted a 34 percent jump in second-quarter earnings as China's stock market boom boosted investment returns.

As much of the most vocal debate over the U.S. health reform bill focuses on non-existent

The yen extended gains against the euro and the U.S. dollar after a report showed U.S. consumer prices were flat in July over June but fell over the past 12 months by the most since 1950.

Dole Food Co Inc, the world's largest producer of fresh fruits and vegetables, filed with U.S. regulators on Friday to raise up to $500 million in an initial public offering of common stock.

Hedge fund firm Man Group Plc sold its remaining stake in U.S.-listed futures and options broker MF Global in a deal that will earn it an initial $112 million.

A Canadian bank has held preliminary talks on buying a stake Allied Irish Banks, Ireland's second biggest bank, after it has been cleansed of risky loans, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Iraqis including journalists, writers and booksellers demonstrated in central Baghdad on Friday against what they say is state censorship.

Bank of America Corp has promoted Cathy Bessant to president of global corporate banking, as the largest U.S. bank shuffles management in the wake of its acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co.

Volkswagen Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn is set to become CEO of Porsche SE as well, two people familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

Republic Airways Holdings won its bid to buy bankrupt Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc for $108.75 million after a day-long auction in bankruptcy court late Thursday.