NEW YORK

More people dropped out of face-to-face talk therapy than telephone-based therapy in a new study.

Now that the initial public offering of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, has lost 32 percent of its value, technology giants including International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) are on a shopping spree. That may chill the IPO pipeline.

Crude oil futures edged higher Wednesday as positive US service sector data and the G7 leaders' pledge to tackle economic problems provided some relief to the markets.

It will be your last change to catch a glimpse of one of the rarest cosmic spectacles -- the slow movement of the planet Venus across the face of the sun.

You have been warned.

Scout Willis, the 20-year-old daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, was reportedly arrested in New York on Monday for using a fake ID and drinking beer in a subway station.

The question of whether gay marriage is legal or heralding the destruction of civilization, is not yet an issue ripe for the court?s final word.

One more U.S. state is joining the ranks of those considering opening their doors to fracking, the controversial drilling technique that has brought jobs and revenue across the U.S. while being accused of being environmentally damaging. Kansas is, like North Carolina and New York, debating whether to say yes to oil and gas companies that want to drill in the state.

Citing lax laws and concerns about their water supply, farmers in Australia are pressuring lawmakers to impose a moratorium on the controversial drilling technique known as fracking.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears to have altered dramatically her long-held opposition to euro zone nations sharing responsibility for the debts of the monetary union's most troubled banks.

With Europe in turmoil, the affluent French, British and their continental neighbors are flying to buy one of the world's most stable investments: Manhattan real estate.

When New York Times reporter, Jessica C. Andrews, questioned Ken Borochov, the visionary behind the Mordekai brand, about his expanding jewelry line's popularity among the younger demographic, he wasn't too keen about the line's faddish perception.I want the pieces to be timeless. He claimed, I don't look at trends; I go for what I feel myself. When further questioned about his use of neon, one of this season's latest trends.

The Los Angeles Kings are on the verge of completing one of the greatest runs in American sports history.

During a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, pledged to prevent foreign intervention in Syria.

Shares of AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL), the No. 7 website, traded near their 52-week high again Tuesday after activist investors Starboard Value won more crucial backing to win seats on the board of directors.

Nicki Minaj isn't getting any love as the hate-fest continues in the wake of her label's decision to have her back out of Hot 97's Summer Jam concert on Sunday. Funkmaster Flex turned up the heat on the popular artist late Sunday with a series of harsh disses aimed at the starlet and the Young Money label.

Olivia Culpo might have once described herself as a short, chubby nerd, but the beautiful Miss Rhode Island's beauty won her the title of Miss USA 2012 on Sunday night.

The euro zone avoided recession with zero growth in the first quarter, but it seems to have run out of luck. Recent data out of the single currency bloc has led economists to conclude with confidence that a recession is looming and the European Central Bank may not act Wednesday.

Groups concerned that overuse of antibiotics in animal feed is endangering human health by creating antibiotic-resistant superbugs scored a small legal victory Monday when a federal judge told the FDA to take a second look at its decision to reject citizen petitions on the issue.

Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL), the No. 1 database developer, said it had agreed to acquire private Collective Intellect to bolster its Cloud capabilities for software-as-a-service functions.

When California voters head to the polls for their primary on Tuesday, they will also find a proposal to raise taxes on cigarettes -- in a state that's already among the most anti-smoking. But the money the tax might raise won't fix California's troubled finances.