UNITED STATES

An international arbitration panel has awarded the U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. $908 million in compensation for Venezuela's 2007 nationalization of assets, less than 10 percent of what the company sought in a dispute.

Dysfunctional politics threatens to deliver a protracted period of slow global growth, possibly lasting well beyond 2012, which will only deepen the political and economic problems for the West.

Rodman heard that Rick's Cabaret was launching a topless basketball league with Spud Webb, a former NBA star with the Atlanta Hawks. Currently, Webb is in charge of the NBA Development League team the Texas Legends. Rodman hopes his topless team and face Rick's Cabaret's team in a charity game, according to MSNBC.com.

An international arbitration panel has awarded U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) $908 million in compensation for Venezuela's 2007 nationalization of assets, less than 10 percent of what it sought in a dispute that pitted a top global oil company against one of the world's largest oil exporters.

The United States will remain the top choice of most global commercial real estate investors in 2012, but the country has lost ground to Brazil which ranked No. 2 this year, according to a survey released Sunday.

The United States will continue to be the top choice of most global commercial real-estate investors in 2012, but the country has lost ground to Brazil, which ranked No. 2 this year, according to a survey released Sunday.

North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong Un and protect him as human shields while working to solve the burning issue of food shortages by adhering to the policies of his late father, Kim Jong Il.

Iran dismissed on Sunday the United States' move to impose new sanctions on financial institutions dealing with the Islamic state's central bank over the country's disputed nuclear program, the Students news agency reported.

Earlier this week, Experian Hitwise released its annual list of the most-visited Web sites of 2011; unsurprisingly Facebook topped the list, surpassing Google. Just a few days after that Nielsen Research came out with its own analysis and released its own list of the 10 most-visited Web sites, putting Google on top.

Republican Presidential front runner Mitt Romney said that if elected as president he would veto the Dream act legislation. Romney was answering to a voter's question at Le Mars in Iowa, regarding his stand on the Dream act bill.

China's big manufacturers narrowly avoided a contraction in December a survey showed on Sunday, but downward risks persist and suggest the world's second's second-largest economy will need fresh policy support to counter a slowdown in growth.

President Barack Obama, striking a hopeful note in a year-end weekly address, hailed foreign policy milestones while keeping pressure on Congress to further extend payroll tax cuts through the end of 2012.

A magnitude-4.0 earthquake shook eastern Ohio at 3:05 p.m. on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The recent quake was the 11th during the last eight months in Mahoning County.

An international arbitration panel has reached a verdict in a dispute over Venezuela's nationalization of Exxon Mobil assets, Venezuelan sources said on Saturday, adding they saw the decision as favorable to the South American nation.

The Indian economy and the stock markets for the whole of 2011 was bad. One has to forget 2011 and gear up for a challenging new year 2012.

Occupy this: the trash bin. At least, so say students at Michigan's Lake Superior State University who released an annual list of words they deem so misused, overused and cliched they should be banished in the year ahead.

So, why would Philadelphia's story be so much worse than other similarly troubled metropolises?

Republican White House hopefuls scoured Iowa for undecided voters on Saturday and front-runner Mitt Romney argued that he is the best to take on President Barack Obama as time ran short before the first votes of the 2012 election season.

Switzerland and the United States need more time to negotiate a tax deal, Swiss finance minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told Swiss radio on Saturday, as the United States pushes for it to supply information on bank clients who are alleged to have evaded taxes.

If you are celebrating New Year's Eve in New York City but do not feel like venturing to Times Square, there are other options around the island as well - ones that include fireworks.

The great Norwegian butter shortage got me to thinking that shortages of 2012 might be just the ticket to send my faithful readers off to a rockin' New Year's Eve celebration. For sure, Lady Gaga will make it seem alright, though.