UNITED STATES

Claims for jobless benefits fell to 359,000, but Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned this week that recently improved employment data seem out of sync with the pace of U.S. economic growth.

The ‘Material Girl’, Madonna, has decided to sell her Beverly Hills mansion, which she bought in 2003 for a cool $12 million.

Stock index futures edged lower on Thursday as investors awaited weekly jobless claims data for signs the economy will continue to support equities as they come off their best first quarter in 14 years.

Air China Ltd <0753.HK><601111.SS> has not cut or cancelled any Airbus orders and is sticking to the delivery plan for the aircraft, it said on Thursday, adding that it plans to expand capacity.

House Republicans are decrying revised rules for U.S. detention centers that house undocumented immigrants as too lenient. Democrats say conditions for detainees are still too harsh.

Futures on major US stock indices point to a lower opening on Thursday ahead of economic data including final estimates for fourth quarter GDP and initial jobless claims.

As of now, several organizations fear that that the pastor will be executed any time and without notification, as is Iran's practice of executing those on the death row.

Stock index futures edged lower on Thursday as investors awaited weekly jobless claims data for signs the economy will continue to support equities, coming off their best first quarter in 14 years.

Firstly, it was shocking enough when there were rumors of Barbadian singer Rihanna getting back with her abusive ex Chris Brown. But when the rumors dint prove themselves to be true, and just when you thought Rihanna might have grown out of bad boys, fresh rumors of her and Ashton Kutcher dating started doing the rounds on the internet. But wait! Before we conclude that Riri has found love in a hopeless place for the second time, here is some news. The 24-year-old singer has denied the rumors! R...

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda frequently entertains dignitaries from all over the world, but he was a touch star-struck on Thursday when he hosted a young billionaire with a whiff of celebrity: Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Wednesday were: Collective Brands, Red Hat, Vocera Communications, Guidewire Software, Petroquest Energy and Leapfrog Enterprises. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: Newcastle Investment, American Greetings, Fortress Investment Group, Western Digital Corp, USG Corp and AVG Technologies NV.

The aide-turned-author, who is portrayed in the HBO movie Game Change, has a short list of potential female running mates she'd like to be considered for the 2012 Republican ticket.

Asian stock markets ended lower for the second day on Thursday as weaker-than-expected US durable goods orders and an unexpected downward revision of Britain's economic growth weighed on the sentiment.

North Korea has started fueling a rocket, moving a step closer to its controversial launch mid-April, a Japanese newspaper has reported.

News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch vowed to hit back hard against what his company president called baseless allegations from the BBC that a subsidiary ran a secret unit to promote piracy against pay-TV rivals.

The 542 percent increase, to $103.9 billion in 2011 from $16.2 billion in 2000, makes China the third-biggest export market for the United States after Canada and Mexico.

Federal authorities filed criminal charges Wednesday against a JetBlue Airways pilot who ranted about religion and the Sept. 11 hijackings and pounded on a locked cockpit door before passengers subdued him in a midair uproar.

Asian shares eased for a second day in a row Thursday, as investors limited their risk exposures on concerns about growth prospects in the world's two largest economies, the United States and China.

As a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court seemed ready to strike down President Barack Obama's health care law Wednesday, a new poll found that Americans supports its goals by 2 to 1.

Crude futures steadied on Thursday, trading little changed after a 1.8 percent drop the day before due to a big rise in U.S. crude inventories and talk of a release of U.S. and some European strategic reserves.

Adrienne Rich, a leading American poet and advocate of women's and gay liberation, died Tuesday at her home in Santa Cruz, Calif., her family said. She was 82.