UNITED STATES

General Electric Co acknowledged that three former traders at a finance unit engaged in bid-rigging of municipal bonds and agreed to pay authorities $70.4 million in penalties and damages, the latest settlement in a long-running probe that has ensnared some of the largest financial institutions.

Nearly all 2012 Republican candidates - Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and others - claim they are fiscal conservatives. That is, they promise to cut the U.S. national debt through reduced government spending.

At 12 a.m. on Dec. 24 until Christmas Day you can track Santa's journey on the NORAD Santa Tracker 2011. You can also see a video below featuring Santa's tracks from NORAD Santa Tracker 2010.

Consumer spending was tepid in November and a gauge of business investment fell for a second straight month, suggesting the economy lost some of its recent momentum.

Europe faces another year of dismal economic performance in 2012 that will weigh on global growth, but emerging markets and the United States should at least keep the world economy moving in the right direction.

Warner Bros. has announced that The Dark Knight Rises trailer was downloaded more than 12.5 million times within the first 24 hours of its release on iTunes Monday, breaking the record of over 10 million set by the trailer for The Avengers, which was released on iTunes in October, according to reports.

One day after vocalizing its support for the SOPA Bill in 2012, GoDaddy decided to pull its support from the bill after many threatened to boycott the company's services.

Halliburton Co Chief Executive David Lesar has just made a gift of $1 million worth of shares in the company, according to a regulatory filing on Friday, rounding out a year in which he reduced his stake by a third.

Tim Tebow's relationship status remains a mystery. Does he have a girlfriend? Does he not? One lovely lady he has been linked to is Lindsey Vonn, Olympic skier. Vonn recently told TMZ I'm not opposed to dating him.

The year began with a shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that left six people dead and 14, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, injured, and it ended with the last troops coming home from Iraq. It began with Congress deadlocked over spending and taxes and ended with Congress, well, deadlocked over spending and taxes.

U.S. companies Facebook, Google and Yahoo, and other internet firms, have been ordered by two Indian courts to remove material considered religiously offensive, the latest skirmish in a growing battle over website content in the world's largest democracy.

Zayzafouna is published under the patronage of the Palestinian National Commission for UNESCO.

The European debt crisis roiled markets all year, producing the most volatile trading since the 2008-2009 meltdown. That is, except in one market -- the euro.

A former unit of General Electric Co. (GE) agreed to pay $70.35 million to U.S. regulators to resolve complaints about the company's role in anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market.

The S&P 500 turned positive for the year on Friday as equities rallied again on a run of better-than-expected economic data, though volume continued to be seasonally weak.

In order to keep the American people updated on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill restoration, BP will be launching its new advertising campaign immediately after Christmas.

Shares of United Continental Holdings fell about 7 percent on Friday as some analysts cut their fourth-quarter profit estimates, citing weaker-than-expected revenue.

Shares of United Continental Holdings fell about 7 percent on Friday as some analysts cut their fourth-quarter profit estimates, citing weaker-than-expected revenue.

GoDaddy.com has pulled its support of SOPA, aka the Stop Online Privacy Act, in the face of withering criticism and threatened boycotts.

It often seems these days that in all walks of life, whether in politics, business, sports, arts, and, yes, journalism, character too often gives way to popularity, to fame, to money, or to power. Character is an individual thing.

Gold extended its record bull run in 2011 for an 11th year as confidence in the world's financial leaders and their stewardship of fiat currencies plummeted.