IBT Staff Reporter

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday fought hard to protect the independence of the U.S. central bank and keep responsibility for consumer protection on financial products in its hands.

Hisense Electric Co Ltd, one of China's leading electronics and household appliances producers, said on Tuesday its profit rose nearly 90% in the first half of 2009 due to booming flat-panel TV sales.

Daniel Suelo, 48, has been living for nine years without taking or using any Monday in Utah, according to Details magazine.

Canon U.S.A., Inc announces the development of its Hybrid Image Stabilizer (IS) claiming to be the world's first* optical image stabilization technology that compensates shaky photographer.

Disney has released the first Alice in Wonderland trailer, giving us the first glimpse of the highly anticipated film directed by Tim Burton.

A meeting of MySpace people caused a young mom to be murdered mysteriously after meeting a friend name Dillon Maring in Ohio, and was never seen alive.

The Chinese government started a pilot program to provide technological support, subsidies and market pull to solar-power projects, aiming to boost the solar industry as a new growth point for the country's economy, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

Ebay Inc on Tuesday posted a quarterly net profit and revenue that beat Wall Street expectations, and shares rose more than 3 percent.

Amazon.com said on Wednesday that it has reached a deal to buy online shoe retailer Zappos.com Inc for $927.9 million, mostly in stock, as the world's largest online retailer, known for its electronics and books, moves aggressively into shoes and apparel.

Amazon.com said on Wednesday that it has reached a deal to buy online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos.com Inc for roughly $927.9 million, mostly in stock.

The Australian Dollar opens largely unchanged at 0.8160 after the domestic market's insipid reaction to yesterday's local inflation data which picked up in the June quarter by 0.5 per cent for a lower annualised reading of 1.5 per cent.

Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it is releasing the code for Windows 7 to PC manufacturers, keeping the software company on track to have machines running its new operating system in the stores by late October.

Hackers will soon gain a powerful new tool for breaking into Oracle Corp's database, the top-selling business software used by companies to store electronic information.

Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke spoke Wednesday for a second day of testimony on the Fed's semiannual monetary policy report. Bernanke tried to assure members of congress that the economy was on the mend and that tackling the rising unemployment rate is one of the most difficult and challenging parts of our task at this point. The overall economic situation remains very poor, he said. The Fed expects the recovery to start off very slow and pick up speed over time, he said.

A Chinese firm has signed a $3.6 billion investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) with Zambia in copper exploration and mining industry, a senior investment official said on Wednesday.

LG Electronics on Wednesday introduces its first ever THX certified 240Hz LH90 Series of LED-backlit LCDs, which was introduced at the International CES last January.

Authorities Wednesday morning searched Michael Jackson doctor's office for evidence of possible manslaughter.

Delta Air Lines Inc , the world's biggest carrier, said on Wednesday it no longer expects to make money this year and Southwest Airlines Co's debt fell to near junk, while AirTran Holdings turned a profit and saw its shares jump 10 percent.

China plans to implement a five year program advocating clean online games, starting next year, an official from the General Administration of Press and Publication told an industry conference Wednesday.

The twelve members of Porsche SE's supervisory board assembled on Wednesday, a day earlier than expected, to discuss the fate of the indebted sportscar maker.

Amazon.com said on Wednesday that it has reached a deal to buy online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos.com Inc for roughly $927.9 million, mostly in stock.

American International Group Inc , the insurer that has received billions of dollars in federal aid, withheld $2.4 million in bonuses due to be paid to dozens of senior managers on July 15.

The Nasdaq rose on Wednesday for the 11th straight day, buoyed by solid profits from Apple Inc and Starbucks Corp , while disappointing bank results and declining energy shares weighed on the broader market.

Michael Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray should not targeted as criminal, attorney Edward Chernoff said late Tuesday on his law firm's website.

The live broadcast of the Century Solar Eclipse provided by Sina had attracted more than 30 million viewers in three hours, with the latest record breaking peak concurrent users of over 3.2 million, which is much more than the one million viewers of the 2008 Olympics, Broad net Beijing reported on Wednesday.

Wells Fargo & Co and other major U.S. banks said the troubled economy drove big increases in loan losses, reducing second-quarter earnings.

The Nasdaq rose on Wednesday for its 11th straight daily gain, buoyed by solid profits from Apple Inc and Starbucks Corp .

Starbucks Corp. shares were among the biggest gainers of the day, as the stock jumped more than 18 percent on Wednesday, a day after reporting a profit for the third fiscal quarter and a despite lower revenues.

Republican lawmakers in California have threatened to scuttle a budget deal secured by the governor and top lawmakers over a plan for prison spending cuts, but Democrats said on Wednesday a vote on the agreement will take place this week.