BARACK OBAMA

President Barack Obama asked leaders in various capacities today how companies could start hiring again in opening remarks that were part of a business forum convened in Washington today.

U.S. lawmakers told President Barack Obama's top advisers on Thursday not enough was being done to combat corruption in Afghanistan, singling out allegations against the Afghan president's brother, whom Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged was a problem.

Obama's Job Challenge; Strong Demand for BofA; Big Growth in Mobile

President Barack Obama on Thursday urged corporate America to help tackle the nation's highest unemployment in 26 years but also hinted at federal tax credits and aid to states to ease jobless woes.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday he is willing to hold talks with Taliban chief, hoping to bring peace to the country.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday defended his record at the helm of the U.S. central bank before a skeptical Senate that is considering stripping the institution of its regulatory powers.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday defended his record at the helm of the U.S. central bank before a skeptical Senate that is considering stripping the institution of its regulatory powers.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday defended his record at the helm of the U.S. central bank before a skeptical Senate that is considering stripping the institution of its regulatory powers.

Italy will send around 1,000 additional soldiers to Afghanistan as part of U.S. President Barack Obama's planned troop increase, Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa said in an interview published on Thursday.

The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan reassured top officials on Thursday that Washington was not planning an early exit, part of a charm offensive to sell President Barack Obama's new strategy on three continents.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, making a case for a second term on Thursday, offered a forceful defense of the U.S. central bank's crisis-battling efforts, which he said prevented an even greater calamity.

Congressional efforts to revamp the U.S. healthcare system are not enough to stem soaring health costs or close the nation's budget gap, a top Obama administration official said on Wednesday, adding that current bills must be strengthened to help rein in spending.

Corporate executives expect a value-added tax to be considered by the U.S. Congress in the next five years, according to a survey by tax and accounting firm KPMG released on Thursday.

Republicans argued on Wednesday that recommendations advising against routine mammograms for women in their 40s could be used to ration healthcare under reform legislation before Congress, a charge Democrats denied.

The U.S. government approved the first 13 batches of human embryonic stem cells on Wednesday, enabling researchers using them to get millions of dollars in federal funding as promised by President Barack Obama in March.

The planet would be better off if the forthcoming Copenhagen climate change talks ended in collapse, according to a leading U.S. scientist who helped alert the world to dangers of global warming.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday will push back at efforts to curb the Fed's power as he goes before lawmakers considering his nomination to a second term at the central bank's helm.

President Barack Obama turns his attention on Thursday from Afghanistan to the battle against unemployment which has sapped his popularity and may shape his political future.

Taliban insurgents in Wardak province warned that more foreign troops will mean more casualties for families back home. Obama is sending more troops to Afghanistan and that means more Americans will die, an unidentified member of its council told BBC. With just a handful of resources we can cause even more casualties and deaths. If they increase it again, we'll increase their casualties too. And we're ready for it. We haven't killed civilians but the Americans have. I want to...

Top U.S. officials said the first of 30,000 new U.S. troops will arrive in Afghanistan in two to three weeks, but also made clear on Wednesday that plans to start bringing the soldiers home in 18 months could slip.

Democrats want increased lending to small businesses and funding for shovel ready transportation projects included in a job-creation bill they hope to pass in Congress next month to address the high U.S. unemployment rate.