IBT Staff Reporter

John Smoltz of Braves has managed to come to a preliminary agreement on a contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Text of President-elect Barack Obama's speech on the economy on Thursday at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., as found on Barak Obama's presidential transition website.

NACCP Image Awards, created by the oldest US civil rights organization, named singers Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson, along with cast of TV comedy Tyler Perry's House of Payne as some of the top nominees on Wednesday.

NBC on Thursday announced the 16-member cast of Celebrity Apprentice.”

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo escapes injury in horror smash Thursday despite writing off his Ferrari in a horrible car crash near Manchester airport.

Early Wednesday, French motorcyclist Pascal Terry was found dead in in the Dakar Rally in Argentina in an area of dense vegetation, about 50 feet from his motorcycle, with food and water beside him without his helmet.

MGA Entertainment Inc.'s can continue to make and sell its Bratz dolls through 2009, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Mumbai - The market reacted with shock, Wednesday, after the promoters of beleaguered technology outsourcer Satyam Computer Services admitted to cooking up its books to the tune of $ 1 billion.

Ukraine has set its conditions with natural gas chief saying if Russia will provide more extra Gas to Ukraine it will allow Russia to send the fuel back into the freezing European Union.

Bankrupt department store chain Woolworths, a stalwart of British retailing for 100 years, turned out the lights at the final 200 of its 807 shops on Tuesday.

Wal-Mart Inc., the world's top retail chain, said on Thursday its fourth-quarter profit will miss earlier forecasts due to slower sales, the impact of a strong dollar on its international business and litigation costs.

The stars, including Jay Z, Bruce Springsteen and Jessica Alba will be out in shows around Washington D.C. in the days leading up to the inauguration of Barack Obama as U.S. President.

Netflix Inc the world's largest online movie rental service announced today a deal with Vizio will allow viewers to watch high definition television's through Vizio's new Connected HDTV Platform.

Verizon Communications Inc. selected Microsoft Corp. as its partner to provide Internet services to customers concluding months of speculation.

'Dark Knight' walks away with five People's Choice Awards on Wednesday.

Sony unveiled the VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC, boasting that it is the world's lightest notebook with an 8-inch screen and weighing just 1.4 pounds at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday.

Major retailers reported dismal monthly sales for December on Thursday, with Wal-Mart Inc, the nation's biggest retailer, showing a disappointing 1.7 percent rise in December sales at its US stores open at least a year and cut its quarterly earnings outlook.

Investors filed lawsuits against Indian Satyam Computer Services on Thursday one day after the company's CEO resigned and confessed to manipulating the company's accounts to show enormously inflated profits and false assets.

Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into Israel early Thursday as the Israeli air force intensified its operations in the Gaza Strip. The rockets exploded near the city of Nahariya wounding two people, Israeli police and emergency medical services said.

The Bank of England cut interest rates by half a percentage point to 1.5 percent on Thursday - its lowest rate since the bank was created in 1694 - as it aims to stave it off a deeper economic slump.

President-elect Barack Obama is warning that without bold action the nation's recession could linger for years as seeks support among lawmakers and the general public for a massive fiscal stimulus package.

Microsoft Corp., CEO Steve Ballmer announced Wednesday evening the company will release a test version of Windows 7 on Friday to consumers, a product which he called the best version of Windows ever at the 2009 International Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas.

Russian and Ukrainian state gas companies failed to reach an agreement on gas prices during negotiations as of early Thursday to resume shipment in supplies into Europe after a two day standoff.

On Wednesday Israel resumed its attacks on Gaza bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour stop to allow in humanitarian aid.

Former New York Jets coach Eric Mangini has signed a four-year deal to become head coach of the Cleveland Browns, SportingNews.com has confirmed.

The game is over for Jeff Jagodzinski, its not time to say good-bye.

On Wednesday the Zimbabwe government announced restrictive new licensing fees of up to US$30 000 on journalists working for foreign media in Zimbabwe.

A six-year-old boy drives to school courtesy of GTA Skills, after he missed his bus and was keen on getting to school

U.S. stocks fell the most in one month on Wednesday after a private jobs report showed U.S. employers slashed more jobs than forecasted in December, Intel Corp. lowered its outlook forecast and Alcoa Inc. said it plans to cut 13 percent of its workforce.