Standard Chartered bank reported first half profits for the ninth consecutive year Wednesday and said it was successfully reaching out to burgeoning middle classes in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The bank reported a 20 jump in net profits to $2.5 billion, up from $2.1 billion the year before.

Internet company AOL is trying to snatch a larger portion of the tablet computer audience by launching free iPad software that presents a customized, daily e-magazine that draws in content from all over the Web.

Called Editions, the software is similar to news-aggregating mobile apps such as Flipboard and Pulse, but more focused on bringing users a finite, tailored amount of content that updates once per day. AOL's app is being released Wednesday.

Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith will be getting Oscars.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says the three will be honored with Oscar statuettes at the Governors Awards in November. The academy's Board of Governors voted Tuesday to recognize the entertainment industry veterans.

At least five people were killed on Tuesday as the Syrian army pressed on with its crackdown on the flashpoint protest city of Hama and troops stormed a Damascus suburb.

At least 24 civilians were reported killed across Syria on Monday, among them 10 during protests after special evening prayers, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdul Rahman said.

The legendary Playboy bunny costume can be pretty snug, but it puts a wearer in the mood.

The actresses who star as those alluring waitresses in NBC's "The Playboy Club" say dressing for the role made it easier to play.

North Korea has launched a massive synchronized dance and gymnastics show meant to glorify its leaders and unify its people ahead of a crucial anniversary next year.

Organizers say up to 100,000 people will participate in the Arirang show. The performance comes as the North prepares for next year's centennial of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

For two years, a 36-year-old bear who performed during the 1980 Moscow Olympics has been kept with other retired circus animals in a rusty old bus parked on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.

Animal rights activists say they receive only minimal care in their cramped and stinking cages.

Some artists got naked on Wall Street during a performance art piece — and then they got arrested.

The two men and a woman were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct Monday morning outside the New York Stock Exchange.

Jennifer Lopez told Vanity Fair magazine that she still believes in love despite her split from her husband of seven years, Marc Anthony.

The singer and actress gave the publication her first interview since announcing her divorce earlier this month.

Ignoring the red-and-white danger sign, Sri Mulyati walks slowly to the train tracks outside Indonesia's bustling capital, lies down and stretches her body across the rails.

Like the nearly dozen others lined up along the track, the 50-year-old diabetes patient has all but given up on doctors and can't afford the expensive medicines they prescribe.