IBT Staff Reporter

Microsoft Corp. has announced on Thursday the availability of Release Candidate (RC) of Windows 7, marking an significant milestone to the final availability of its latest operating system.

China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environmental Protection have requested a study on a carbon tax that may become a method for the nation to slash greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

As of the World Health Organization reports Friday, there are 11 countries and 331 cases were confirmed to have been infected with the influenza A (H1N1).

A Central Florida radio talk show host was arrested in Seminole County for allegedly shooting his wife and her dog in what he calls an accident.

Chrysler LLC said Friday that its April sales took a heavy knock of 48 percent, the steepest drop in the industry, as the company plunged into bankruptcy.

U.S. auto sales fell 34.4 percent in April as the industry held near the lowest levels in nearly 30 years and closed out the month with Chrysler LLC filing for bankruptcy protection.

An vice president with Royal Dutch Shell said Friday that without the intervention of policies to create a market price for carbon dioxide, it would be impossible to deploy carbon capture and sequestration technologies.

On Friday, PHP Company unit, Zend Technologies Inc. said it has release its new version of 1.8 Zend Framework for rapid application development.

Ford Motor Co, which reported first quarter net loss of $1.43 billion, said Friday its April sales in the Americas fell 31.6 percent amidst the economic downturn.

A project of The 60 plus Association – a gathering of all stakeholders and GM 'Main Street' Bondholders -- said Friday it has agreed that Ad Hoc Committee's GM Restructuring Plan is the best solutions for all the stockholders.

Alaska governor Sarah Palin rejected $28.6 million from the federal government's stimulus package destined for the State Energy Program because she said Alaska has conditions that are not conducive to a federally mandated universal energy code, she said.

Microsoft designer for the Platform Components, Creation and Collaboration team, Mike LaManna has invented a prototype mouse that suits to help special needs children to keeps their pointing fingers on the left click of the mouse.

The U.S. Congress will make enough progress on climate change legislation this year to boost prospects for success at December's Copenhagen summit on cutting greenhouse gases, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid predicted on Friday.

The true dimensions of the U.S. credit crisis will become much clearer next week with the release of results from unprecedented government stress tests of the nation's 19 largest banks and their capital needs.

Acer, the world's joint second largest manufacturer of PCs, has reportedly confirmed that Windows 7 will be available pre-loaded on their new all-in-one Z5600 PC from 23 October, ahead of Microsoft's suggested release date.

The United Nations refugee agency said Friday a second team of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is scheduled to arrive today in Sri Lanka. The team of four includes specialists on community services, protection and other essential field functions.

U.S. consumers felt much more upbeat about the economy in April, a month when the country's battered manufacturing sector also appeared to be crawling out of a deep recessionary hole, reports showed on Friday.

U.S. stocks rose on Friday as surging oil prices pushed energy shares higher and fresh economic data suggested key parts of the economy could be stabilizing.

Danny Gans, a popular Las Vegas singer and comedian, died in his sleep Friday at the age of 52.

In recent months the availability of jumbo loans has decreased while the interest rate spread between jumbo rates and ten-year treasuries has widened. These developments are having a negative effect on the housing market.

As the world worries about an imminent pandemic, some retailers and game creators are seeking new ways to monetize on swine flu

U.S. stocks turned lower on Friday in volatile trading as banks fell on concern over what the government's stress tests will show after the release of the results was delayed.

Tiffany & Co said on Friday it is buying bankrupt U.S. handbag maker Lambertson Truex as the high-end jeweler seeks to expand its array of leather goods.

Google Inc., the largest Internet search engine provider in the world, obtained a patent today for a water-based data center to be powered with the ocean's waves.

Plumped up Kirstie Alley vowed she would shed the pounds during an appearance on Oprah and reclaim her slim bikini figure she strutted on Oprah just two years ago.

Ford Motor Co on Friday posted a 31.6 percent decline in U.S. sales for April as the economic downturn continued to pressure the industry.

Shares of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion rose 4 percent on Friday after analysts at UBS Investment Research upgraded the stock and said the company stands to gain from the corporate side of its business once the economy rebounds.

With a French grandmother, it is a good thing I love France as much as I do. But, I mean, what’s not to love about France? It is the ultimate tourist destination offering everything from bustling, historic and romantic cities like Paris, to quaint villages with cobblestone streets, to vineyards, to beautiful beaches and rocky coastlines.

Hong Kong confirmed Asia's first case of the new H1N1 flu virus in a Mexican traveler on Friday, prompting authorities to seal off the hotel where the 25-year old man had been staying.