UNITED STATES

Many companies decided to blackout on Jan. 18 in protest of the 2012 SOPA and PIPA bills. While Facebook and Twitter could've helped rally against these controversial bills, it's better off that they decided to stay out of the protest.

The International Monetary Fund is seeking to more than double its war chest by raising $600 billion in new resources to help countries deal with the fallout of the euro zone debt crisis, but the United States and other countries are throwing up roadblocks.

Sundance Film Festival 2012 kicks off on Thursday at Park City Utah, where independent film makers will be given the opportunity to shine in front of vast, open-minded and artistic audiences.

Samsung has been rumored to be interested in purchasing Research In Motion, the company that makes BlackBerry smartphones, but Samsung has now denied it has any interest in the Canadian company. Samsung doesn't want to buy them and they won't be doing any software licensing of BlackBerry software either, a Reuters report said Jan. 17.

Former House Speaker and current Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said the United States should consider returning to the gold standard.

Stocks jumped to their highest since July on Wednesday as the International Monetary Fund sought to help countries hit by the European debt crisis, while forecast-beating earnings from Goldman Sachs dispelled some worries over bank profits.

Stocks jumped to their highest since July on Wednesday as the International Monetary Fund sought to help countries hit by the European debt crisis, while forecast-beating earnings from Goldman Sachs dispelled some worries over bank profits.

Images of the Costa Concordia cruise ship sinking off the West Coast of Italy have been splashed across the global media and as the death toll rises into double digits, the question of cruise ship safety is likely on the minds of many.

Johnny Depp's 14-year romance with French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis has hit the rocks, People magazine claimed on Wednesday, and the couple are living largely separate lives.

The Obama administration on Wednesday rejected the Keystone crude oil pipeline project, a decision welcomed by environmental groups but blasted by the domestic energy industry.

China is greatly concerned and strongly opposed to the United States' listing of Taobao, the country's largest consumer e-commerce website, as a notorious market for piracy, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerrard, the head of the largest energy industry trade group in the U.S., on Wednesday lambasted President Barack Obama's decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline.

After plaguing the Everglades, four types of the giant, slithering constrictor snakes have been officially banned from the Florida swampland.

Android powered smartphones are still the top choice overall in the U.S., but over the last three months, Apple iPhones were bought by nearly half of all people buying new phones. A new Nielsen report details a survey the company did, and it says 45% of new smartphone buyers went Apple, up from 25% in October.

Stocks gained on Wednesday as the International Monetary Fund sought to help countries hit by the European debt crisis, while Goldman Sachs' healthy earnings gave the financial sector another boost.

Apple is reportedly in talks to bring an Apple Store to Queens, New York -- specifically, Forest Hills. This would be the seventh Apple Store in NYC and the second outside of Manhattan, but why wasn't Brooklyn chosen as the next location?

Beyonce will apparently be making her first public appearance since the birth of Blue Ivy Carter on Wednesday night, for the grand reopening of Jay Z's 40/40 nightclub, the New York Daily News is reporting.

A 200-page opposition document on Mitt Romney, dubbed The Romney Book, was published online Wednesday. The Romney Book appears to have been created by Sen. John McCain during his 2008 presidential run, according to Yahoo news.

Digerati spearheaded by online sites including Wikipedia, Google and Reddit launched global opposition to two bills in the U.S. Congress they believe would threaten Internet commerce and creativity.

McDonald's Corp is poised to report robust December sales from U.S. restaurants open at least 13 months, according to a survey of U.S. franchisees.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), the second-biggest U.S. bank by assets, is expected to post a modest profit gain in the fourth quarter as cost-cutting offsets declining revenue from trading, retail and mortgage divisions.