UNITED STATES

Smartphones running Google's Android software were the top seller among consumers in the United States in the second quarter, industry tracker NPD said on Wednesday.

Stocks rose on Wednesday, lifted by slightly better-than-expected jobs and services data, as well as an upbeat outlook from Priceline.com.

Nearly three-fourths of oil from the BP spill is gone from the Gulf of Mexico, with 26 percent remaining as a sheen or tarballs, buried in sediment or washed ashore, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday.

Private sector employment rose slightly more than expected in July, easing some concerns about labor market weakness ahead of a key government jobs report later this week.

Private employers added 42,000 jobs in July, compared to a revised gain of 19,000 in June

The services sector grew slightly more than expected in July, with new orders and employment rising in the latest month, according to an industry report released on Wednesday.

No. 2 U.S. homebuilder PulteGroup Inc posted its first profit since 2006 and solidly beat analysts' estimates for the second quarter, sending shares up 2 percent.

BP Plc claimed a significant milestone in efforts to plug its broken Gulf of Mexico well for good on Wednesday, as a U.S. government report showed nearly three-fourths of the spilled crude had been mopped up or dispersed.

Barnes & Noble Inc shares soared 21 percent on Wednesday after the struggling bookseller said it was up for sale and could get a bid from its founder to go private.

The benchmark U.S. crude oil price rose a touch on Wednesday, responding to official figures showing a higher than expected fall in crude stocks. The optimism was, however, tempered by a rise in gasoline and distillate inventories.

As many as 50,000 struggling homeowners in five U.S. states with high unemployment may receive help from a special $600 million federal fund intended to head off foreclosures.

The demand for U.S. mortgage applications to purchase homes rose last week for a third straight week as interest rates tumbled

Gold rose above $1,200 an ounce in Europe on Wednesday as a swell of fund buying put the price on track for its sixth successive daily gain. A soft performance on the global equity market and expectations for a rise in Chinese demand were early drivers to the day's rally, although U.S. private sector jobs data pushed up the dollar and diffused some of gold's safe-haven appeal.

The dollar rebounded from an eight-month low against the yen on Wednesday and rose against the euro as encouraging U.S. employment and service sector data prompted traders to unwind bets against the U.S. currency.

Time Warner Inc raised its full-year outlook after quarterly revenue grew at the fastest pace in two years, thanks to a surge in advertising sales at its cable networks and strong turnouts for movies like Clash of the Titans.

Toyota Motor Corp's biggest quarterly profit in two years and a hike in its annual forecasts failed to allay concerns about the strength in the yen, weak margins and a faltering U.S. market.

General Motors' venture capital unit is buying a minority stake in electric car start-up Bright Automotive to advance the development of fuel-efficient vehicle technologies.

Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday it would expand by 635 jobs a commitment to bring work to its U.S. unionized plants by 2012 that has been performed by parts suppliers.

Toyota Motor Co ignored evidence of acceleration problems in its vehicles for most of the past decade and failed to install a brake override system it knew could have prevented accidents.

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co President and Chief Executive Richard Kramer has been elected chairman of the largest U.S. tire maker effective October 1, the company said on Tuesday.

More than 30 U.S. billionaires pledged on Wednesday to give away at least 50 percent of their wealth to charity as part of a campaign by investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.