UNITED STATES

Applications for U.S. home mortgages tumbled nearly 15 percent last week as demand for both refinancing and purchases evaporated, while interest rates climbed, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Kayani told a parliamentary defense committee that the withdrawal of U.S. troops would not necessarily hurt Pakistan’s military strength.

Amidst rumors flooding the Internet regarding Ashton-Kutcher and Demi Moore break-up, there are new reports emerging with a shocking possibility that Ashton Kutcher could be the mystery man who has fathered January Jones' baby.

Republican presidential frontrunner Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan was attacked from all sides on Tuesday, with his fellow candidates panning him during the GOP Debate in Las Vegas and President Barack Obama criticizing the plan on television.

U.S. stock futures have turned negative on a weak earnings report from Apple and tempered optimism on hopes of a big Eurozone bailout.

Morgan Stanley reported a third-quarter profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, helped by a large accounting gain that stemmed from declines in the value of its debt.

Nasdaq index futures fell on Wednesday after technology heavyweight Apple missed earnings expectations, while the broader market was little changed after a big run-up in the last session on a report Europe may beef up its crisis fund.

Switzerland should not agree to tax deals with countries beyond the European Union so as to ease economic integration with the bloc and avoid even bigger costs for Swiss banks, the deputy head of the Geneva Financial Center said on Wednesday.

U.S. stock futures are mixed Wednesday morning on conflicting reports about the possibility of a giant bailout for the Eurozone.

For decades, American workers and their machines advanced in tandem. As companies invested in technology, more workers were needed to operate machines.

Breaking away from his three day bus trip to North Carolina and Virginia, U.S. President Barack Obama was seen shopping for Halloween treats on Monday.

Ice Cream Sandwich powered Samsung Galaxy Nexus with facial recognition and zero shutter lag has been revealed by Samsung and Google.

French on-line music streaming service Deezer will launch in more than 100 countries in the coming weeks, and the start-up is negotiating with roughly a dozen telecom operators on partnerships in a bid to expand its global reach.

Gold prices held steady on Wednesday, shrugging off the downgrade of Spain's sovereign credit rating, as investors wait for clarity on Europe's plans to tackle the debt crisis at this weekend's European Union summit.

European stocks and the euro rose on Wednesday, on optimism policymakers will take major steps at a summit this weekend to solve the festering debt crisis and offsetting the impact from a cut to Spain's sovereign credit rating.

European stock index futures jumped on Wednesday, tracking a rise in Asian shares, but a cut to Spain's sovereign credit rating from Moody's Investors Service kept investors' risk appetite in check.

Now, the English can watch Johnny English on Facebook.

Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to director Michael Cuesta's Roadie, the company announced Tuesday.

Republican rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Perry were involved in a verbal spat on Tuesday, at a CNN-sponsored Presidential debate. However, despite disagreements on immigration and healthcare, the two main challengers united to criticize fellow-candidate pizza-magnate Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan

If there's nothing to fear but fear itself, as President Franklin Roosevelt contended during the Great Depression, then the world economy in 2011 has reached an interesting juncture between sentiment and reality.

It's beginning to look a lot like a weaker Christmas.