IBT Staff Reporter

My travel agent had found me a ticket from San Francisco to Kolkata that was $200 cheaper. Downside being a 12 hour layover at Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok's brand new multi-billion dollar airport.

Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, on Friday announced the appointment of Cindy Mann as Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations (CMSO), part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Oil rose to a six-month high above $66 per barrel on Friday, marking its largest monthly percentage gain in more than a decade, after U.S., Japanese and Indian data suggested the economic downturn may be easing.

The United Auto Workers union has overwhelmingly ratified a new cost-cutting labor agreement with General Motors Corp , clearing a major hurdle in the automaker's restructuring efforts.

It’s easy for avid equestrians to add some horseback riding into almost any trip - you can even ride horses in New York’s Central Park. But why not experience something more than a simple follow-the-leader trail ride? These trips each offer something more for horse lovers.

Southwest airlines on Friday announced customers will soon be allowed to board the aircraft with their small dog or cat following payment of the “pet fare” of $75 each way.

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with the loss of cartilage in the knee joint of older individuals, researchers in Australia report.

A flight test found that up to 1.4 tonnes of fuel can be saved when mixing jet fuel with a biofuel obtained with the jatropha plant, Air New Zealand said

Winners and losers among drugmakers, insurers and other health companies could emerge as soon as next week as U.S. lawmakers prepare to unveil their long-awaited healthcare reform proposals.

Elderly, community-dwelling men and women appear more likely to obtain preventive health care when they live with their spouse, as opposed to living alone or with an adult child, researchers report in the American Journal of Public Health.

U.S. automaker Chrysler LLC neared approval for its sale to a group led by Italy's Fiat SpA after three days of testimony ended and parties shifted their attention to 350 objections -- although opponents are likely to file immediate appeals.

The dollar hit a five-month low against major currencies on Friday and the euro rose above $1.41 for the first time this year as hope of a global recovery drove investors to buy higher-yielding currencies and assets.

Time Warner Inc Chief Executive Jeffrey Bewkes said on Friday that his company is still leaning toward spinning off AOL to shareholders as the preferred method for divesting the struggling Internet unit.

Stocks rose on Friday as resurgent oil prices lifted energy shares, while a sliding dollar boosted the allure of multinationals like Coca-Cola Co and further signs of economic stabilization underpinned sentiment.

The U.S. dollar fell to five-month lows against a basket of currencies on Friday as an advance in global equities and signs of an easing global recession drove investors to snap up higher-yielding currencies and riskier assets.

MetLife Inc Chief Executive Robert Henrikson on Friday said the economic crisis has made it imperative that the life insurance industry be given a voice in Washington.

China has undergone dramatic changes since the army crushed student-led pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

India's EnergTek Inc on Friday said its natural gas production will increase more than 60 percent in 2010, in line with overall expectations for the Indian market last month from the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

President Barack Obama has said that the US has had inadequate protection over its computer networks for too long, adding that he will name a new cyber czar to oversee the nations computer defense system.

When Seema Shrikhande goes to work, she drives. When she takes her son to school, they drive. And when she goes shopping, to the bank or to visit friends, she gets into her car, buckles up and hits the road.

The Ricketts family's $900 million purchase of the Chicago Cubs from Tribune Co could close soon, despite disagreements on the value of broadcast contracts, two sources familiar with the talks said.

A woman has been reunited with her son via social networking site Facebook, 27 years after he was 'kidnapped' by his father.

Oil rose to a six-month high above $66 per barrel on Friday, on track for its largest monthly percentage gain in more than a decade, after U.S., Japanese and Indian data suggested the economic downturn may be easing.

Defaults on privately insured U.S. mortgages fell to a six-month low in April, providing evidence that deterioration in the nation's housing market may be slowing.

The International Space Station's crew now has six members for the first time in its 10-year history, after a Russian capsule carrying three astronauts docked at the orbiting outpost on Friday.

The two largest U.S. cable operators expect slower customer growth in the current quarter across all their products when compared with the first quarter.

U.S. stocks were mostly flat on Friday as rising oil prices lifted energy stocks and investors digested a mixed bag of data, including regional business activity and consumer sentiment.

President Barack Obama said on Friday he would name a top cybersecurity official to the White House as he released a report that recommended how to safeguard the nation's cyber network.

Canadian auto parts group Magna has reached a preliminary deal with General Motors Corp to invest in Opel, boosting hopes for a deal with the U.S. and German governments to save the carmaker.