CALIFORNIA

The head of Toyota Motor Corp blamed the company's drive for rapid growth for slipping safety standards and said he was deeply sorry for accidents caused by problems with Toyota vehicles.

Toyota Motor Co. has not ruled out an electronic malfunction as a cause of unintended acceleration in its vehicles which has led to a major global recall.

Toyota Motor Corp apologized for letting safety standards slip during a period of fast growth and vowed to respond more quickly to consumer complaints as two days of congressional hearings crucial to the automaker's reputation began on Tuesday.

Toyota Motor Corp promised a quality shake-up and apologized for safety mistakes that it blamed on rapid growth.

Top executives at Toyota Motor Corp promised a quality shake-up on Tuesday as the Obama administration said it would hold the carmaker's chief to a pledge to address safety issues after massive recalls.

Lawmakers delivered opening statements today during a hearing investigating Toyota's and the government regulators' response to complaints of unintended acceleration in the company's vehicles.

Toyota misled the public about the adequacy of auto recalls to address unintended acceleration in its vehicles, the lawmakers said Monday.

Newport Beach, California has been rated the top wealth center among U.S. communities in a new listing by the business news website Portfolio.com.

President Barack Obama made a last-ditch bid to revive his stalled healthcare overhaul on Monday with a plan to make insurance more affordable and to bolster government authority to regulate premium hikes.

The liberal grass-roots group ACORN is reeling after scandals that have hurt its fund-raising ability and prompted its big New York and California chapters to quit and set up fresh organizations.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will buy the fledgling Vudu online movie on-demand service, in a deal expected to close within weeks and pit the world's largest retailer against the likes of Netflix Inc.

Oilfield services leader Schlumberger Ltd aims to gain market share in shale gas drilling with its purchase of rival Smith International Inc, and expects few antitrust hurdles for the takeover.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will buy the Vudu movie service in a deal that puts the world's largest retailer in competition for online delivery of films with the likes of Netflix Inc, the New York Times reported on Monday.

President Barack Obama tried to rejuvenate his stalled healthcare overhaul on Monday with a revised plan to make insurance coverage more affordable and bolster federal authority to regulate premium hikes.

Ahead of a televised health care reform discussion among Washington's top politicians on Thursday, the White House today proposed creating a new Health Rate Authority to help investigate unreasonable rate increases.

President Barack Obama will pitch his bid to revamp the U.S. healthcare system as a way to control big insurance company rate increases when he releases his healthcare plan on Monday, the White House said.

More generations are living under the same roof and the trend will deepen as families grappling with near double-digit unemployment share expenses, a study showed on Monday.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's Republican governor, defended Democratic President Barack Obama's stimulus plan on Sunday, saying 150,000 new jobs were created in his state thanks to the legislation.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, who angered environmentalists, fishing groups and other Democratic lawmakers by proposing to divert more water to California's farmers, said on Friday she was working to avoid controversial legislation.

After over 200 orbits around the Earth, Space shuttle Endeavour landed safely in Florida on Sunday, ending a 14-day mission to the International Space Station.

The largest U.S. auto insurer alerted regulators earlier than first believed about a worrying trend of accidents involving Toyota Motor Corp vehicles, while the Obama administration's top transportation official said on Friday he would not relax pressure on the carmaker.