UNITED STATES

Just as Amazon revolutionized the way books are sold and Groupon has conditioned shoppers to expect daily deals on services and foods, a cluster of websites have upended the stodgy world of wine.

Sweden is tweeting to the world, and this week she is Hanna, just your average lesbian truck driver.

The Bank of Canada held its key policy rate at 1 percent on Tuesday, but forecast a faster Canadian recovery than expected despite an increasingly worrying outlook for the global economy.

Russian internet company Mail.ru has launched its answer to U.S. microblogging site Twitter, seeking to expand its business into social instant messaging and emulate the success of China's Weibo.

Political resistance is clashing with financial imperatives as the euro zone tries to strengthen its capacity to rescue debt-stricken member states after Europe's temporary bailout fund lost its top-notch credit rating.

A handful of technology leaders – IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Google and Apple – are all scheduled to report quarterly earnings over the next week. Here are five things to watch when the numbers come out because they may indicate prospects for 2012.

Stocks rose on Tuesday as improved sentiment about growth prospects in China overshadowed recent credit downgrades in Europe and a mixed bag of big bank earnings.

Stocks rose on Tuesday as improved sentiment about growth prospects in China overshadowed recent credit downgrades in Europe and a mixed bag of big bank earnings.

A gauge of manufacturing in New York State showed growth picked up in January, rising to the highest level in nine months as new orders and employment improved, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Tuesday.

Wells Fargo & Co beat Wall Street estimates with a 20 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit, boosted by improving credit quality and continued loan growth.

During last night's Republican debate in South Carolina, Congressman Ron Paul was booed for advocating the Golden Rule in foreign policy.

Almost half a century later after President Lyndon Johnson signed the U.S. Voting Rights Act with the Rev. Martin Luther King present, a debate has emerged over whether the powers the legislation confers on the federal government are still necessary.

German Investor confidence rose sharply in January as cheap, long-term loans provided by the European Central Bank soothed the financial markets, suggesting that the economy is stabilizing.

A gauge of manufacturing in New York State showed growth picked up in January, rising to the highest level in nine months as new orders and employment improved, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Tuesday.

In a spirited debate last night in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Republican candidates went after both President Barack Obama and their GOP rivals on issues ranging from U.S. trade relations and the federal income tax to misleading attack ads and America's relationship with Turkey. But what statements were true, and what were false?

A gauge of manufacturing in New York State showed growth picked up in January, rising to the highest level in nine months as new orders and employment improved, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Tuesday.

Aerospace group EADS batted away concerns over the financing needed to maintain a record wave of jet deliveries this year, as bumper orders from its Airbus unit and a major Japanese leasing deal provided fresh evidence of Asia's rising economic power.

Rick Perry has come under fire for his remark at Monday's South Carolina debate that Turkey is run by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists.

Puntung is a Sumatran rhino, one of roughly two hundred left in the world.

Stocks gained in early trading on Tuesday as Chinese data fueled the belief the government may move to stimulate growth, overshadowing recent credit downgrades in Europe and a mixed bag of big bank earnings.

China's economy expanded at its weakest pace in 2-1/2 years in the latest quarter, with the sagging real estate and export sectors heralding a sharper slowdown in coming months and fresh pro-growth measures from the government.