UNITED STATES

A federal judge refused to approve a settlement between a top U.S. regulator and Bank of America Corp over executive bonuses, the latest twist in the bank's star-crossed takeover of Merrill Lynch & Co.

A former Credit Suisse broker testified on Thursday that he and his former business partner lied to corporate clients and sent them incorrect information in emails to cover up investments in risky debt.

U.S. oil prices fell back slightly from a six-week high on Thursday, pulled lower by weakness on Wall Street and gains in the U.S. dollar.

The United States confirmed the first Hispanic of the Supreme Court on Thursday voting 66-31 for Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Stocks slid on Thursday as investors took profits after a recent rally and turned cautious a day before the government's crucial July jobs report.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic confirmed by the Senate for the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.

Japan's Prime Minster and Hiroshima mayor together with at least 50 thousand people including representatives from different nations gathered together on Thursday to mark the 64th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has briefed on official from the White House's National Security Council about his trip to North Korea where he met face to face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a White House spokesman said on Thursday.

Twitter and Facebook, two of the Web's hottest hangouts, suffered service problems on Thursday, raising speculation that they had come under a pre-planned coordinated attack by hackers.

A U.S. federal judge has refused to approve a settlement between regulators and Bank of America Corp related to the acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co, stating that it could be unfair to the public.

General Motors Co unveiled plans to launch a plug-in SUV for its Buick brand in 2011, its latest move away from gas-guzzling vehicles in response to higher fuel-economy standards.

Twitter Inc., the fast-growing microblogging service, was inaccessible Thursday morning, struck by a denial-of-service attack, the company said on its status blog. Meanwhile, Facebook's site has been sluggish and unresponsive on Thursday.

The number of laid-off U.S. workers submitting new claims for jobless benefits fell sharply last week, fanning hopes the fragile labor market was on the mend and that the broader economy was stabilizing.

People concerned about their careers should be extra careful about what they post on the Internet during a recession, career counselors say.

U.S. stocks have entered a new bull market, and the S&P 500 index could rise as much as 10 percent from current levels by the end of this year, Goldman Sachs strategist Abby Joseph Cohen said on CNBC on Thursday.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday issued a final rule to fight oil market manipulation, saying such fraudulent conduct can have wide-ranging ramifications throughout the U.S. economy.

August is do-or-die month for both President Barack Obama and his hopes of overhauling U.S. healthcare, and the battle will be fought not in Washington, but across the country.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on Thursday for an extension of $2 billion for the Cash for Clunkers program that is quickly consuming its first $1 billion investment sooner than expected.

U.S. oil prices retreated from a six-week high on Thursday, pulled lower by weakness on Wall Street and gains in the U.S. dollar.

U.S. presidential couple Barack and Michelle Obama, Brad Pitt and French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy all made the cut for an annual list of the world's best dressed -- and gave a few tips on where to find bargains.

U.S. stocks fell for the second day on Thursday as Cisco's cautious outlook for a recovery and falling telecom stocks offset optimism about the economy spurred by a steep drop in the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits.