UNITED STATES

Greece's debt crisis on Thursday dominated the first day of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's visit to the United States, as he urged the International Monetary Fund to be more lenient with Athens in bailout talks to prevent a big potential explosion.

Offshore drilling for oil has begun in Cuban waters in the shadow of the Florida Keys, and with the memory of BP's Macondo Gulf of Mexico spill still fresh, authorities are bracing for the worst.

Activision Blizzard Inc's quarterly sales beat Wall Street expectations on Thursday as the video game publisher lost fewer World of Warcraft subscribers than it did a quarter ago.

Calpers, the largest U.S. pension fund, is seeking support for a longstanding proposal to get Apple Inc to require a majority vote before electing unopposed candidates to the company's board.

Internet service providers are not broadcasters, and don't need to adhere to strict rules designed to boost Canadian content on domestic television and radio, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday.

Internet service providers are not broadcasters, and don't need to adhere to strict rules designed to boost Canadian content on domestic television and radio, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday.

PepsiCo Inc Chief Executive Indra Nooyi laid out a plan to turn around the company's North American soft drink business that includes ramping up advertising, cutting thousands of jobs and a bigger-than-expected decline in near-term earnings.

Republicans expressed frustration Thursday at the slow pace of negotiations over extending a tax break for workers that expires at the end of the month, accusing President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats of blocking agreement.

With the price of natural gas so low, BG Group has become the latest company to scale back their shale natural gas production in the United States, in what could be the start of a temporary retreat from the gas industry in the country.

Hours after Greece's ruling coalition announced it had concluded an 11th-hour agreement on new austerity measures in an effort to satisfy foreign lenders, it seemed that everyone - from creditors abroad to political allies back home - was turning on the Greek leadership.

President Barack Obama announced Thursday that 10 states have been exempted from certain requirements of the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind, allowing them the freedom to determine their own methods for raising education standards.

In the two days since a California court declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional, the Republican response has been swift and utterly predictable. But the most ridiculous response came from Rick Santorum, who claimed that opponents of same-sex marriage were the real victims of intolerance.

When commodities brokerage MF Global imploded, the FBI and federal prosecutors were quick to launch an investigation to pursue what seemed obvious to outspoken regulators and lawmakers: laws were broken and crimes were committed.

President Barack Obama said on Thursday he was granting 10 states exemptions from parts of the No Child Left Behind education law, a move that could prove popular in an election year with parents and teachers who have criticized the law - but raises concern among some advocates for low-income and minority students.

On Thursday protestors in the U.S. joined others around the world by handing a 250,000 strong petition to employees at Apple's Grand Central Station store.

Like the Joker in a Batman movie, Earl Sweatshirt rode back into town and aired a short 30 second video in which he laid out his demands, speaking from behind a transparent cartoon face with gigantic lips.

Brazil is a booming, resource-rich emerging market economy. Exporting to Brazil from the U.S. has become an increasingly lucrative activity for U.S. business.

The mandate under the Affordable Care Act requires Catholic-affiliated institutions like hospitals and colleges to offer health care plans that cover contraception at no cost.

The Federal Reserve announced on Thursday it has reached an agreement with five U.S. banks on penalties totaling $766.5 million over problems in their mortgage servicing businesses as part of a larger $25 billion foreclosure deal struck between the banks and state and federal agencies.

The Federal Reserve announced on Thursday it has reached an agreement with five U.S. banks on penalties totaling $766.5 million over problems in their mortgage servicing businesses as part of a larger $25 billion foreclosure deal struck between the banks and state and federal agencies.

U.S. workers contributed more to their 401(k) plans in 2011, while average balances at year’s end also rose slightly, according to a quarterly survey by Fidelity Investments.