UNITED STATES

Ministers from Hezbollah and its Lebanese allies resigned Wednesday, toppling the government of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri before expected indictments against the Shi'ite group over the killing of Hariri's father.

Most Americans made work-related New Year's resolutions this year, be they to try to change jobs or get a raise or promotion at their current workplace, according to a survey released Friday.

Ghana, the latest entrant to the club of African oil producers, has sold its first crude oil exports to Exxon Mobil Corp., oil trading sources said on Wednesday.

The Obama administration is exploring ways to boost tax incentives for corporate investment in the United States, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday, ahead of his meeting with chief financial officers from some of America's biggest companies.

Investors are likely to pour more funds into Egypt in 2011 as a strengthening economy and attractive yields outweigh a fragile social backdrop and uncertainty ahead of a presidential election.

Arizona enacted a law on Tuesday that will forbid picketers to come within 300 feet of a funeral or burial service, a move meant to reduce the impact of planned protests of Arizona shooting victims by members of a Kansas-based church known for protesting the funerals of U.S. soldiers.

Sarah Palin has broken her silence on the Arizona shootings, striking back at critics who have implied, or said outright, that Palin was to some degree culpable for inspiring the assassin Jared Lee Loughner due to shooting metaphors Palin has used in political campaigns.

The United States wants a real, demonstrative commitment from China that it is serious about shifting away from export-led economic growth, a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday ahead of next week's state visit by China's Hu Jintao.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss found a skeptical audience on Tuesday as they tried to persuade a U.S. appeals court to release them from a $65 million settlement over the founding of online social network Facebook.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after a healthy bond sale in Portugal eased nervousness about the euro zone's debt crisis and investors pushed U.S. bank shares higher on signs of strength.

U.S. bank stocks rose as a broker upgrade and a successful bond sale by debt-ridden Portugal added to a mood of optimism.

Lost without Lost? Couldn't get enough of Avatar? Big budget, time-travel, mystery adventure series Terra Nova is coming to U.S. television in May, from the writers behind hit shows Star Trek and 24.

President Barack Obama is getting a bump in his approval ratings from an improving economy but Americans want him to focus on reducing debt and spending, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Wednesday.

U.S. bank stocks rose as a broker upgrade and a successful bond sale by debt-ridden Portugal added to a mood of optimism.

In his first speech as Britain’s new Minister of Trade and Investment, Stephen Green (The Baron Green of Hurstpierpoint) emphasized the vital importance of China to British UK economy.

U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-NY, is the new chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and, in that capacity, is planning hearings into, as he said, the radicalization of the American Muslim community and homegrown terrorism.

President Barack Obama is set to deliver remarks in prime time at a memorial in Arizona on Wednesday for the victims of a shooting which left six people dead and 14 injured, including critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after a healthy bond sale in Portugal helped ease concern over the latest sovereign debt crisis to crop up in Europe and signs of strength in the U.S. banking sector.

Analyst Meredith Whitney, who has faced enormous criticism over her dire warnings about the likelihood of up to 100 U.S. municipalities defaulting this year, reiterated her call. She further warned that when the defaults commence, the muni bond market will witness a massive exodus.

Campbell Soup Co said it would form a joint venture with Swire Pacific Ltd <0019.HK> to expand the reach of its business in China.

U.S. import prices jumped in December as energy costs surged, a sign that while inflation may be tame domestically there are plenty of price pressures coming from overseas.