UNITED STATES

An increase in the spurt of mortgage applications, following low mortgages rates and a rising demand for refinancing activities

Fiat S.p.A. plans to close its headquarters in Mirafiori, Italy for eight additional working days this summer to save ?8 million ($10.1 million) following lackluster European profits for the company.

U.S. manufacturing productivity surged 5.4 percent in the first quarter, the most since last year?s third quarter, even as overall productivity eased about 1 percent, the U.S. Department of Labor said.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Finals thanks to their young guns.

Rush Limbaugh reached new heights, or depths, of metaphoric understanding Tuesday, dubbing President Obama Barack Kardashian, to lambaste the President's celebrity status and red carpet friends. The White House's response was dismissive, as is usually the case when asked about Limbaugh.

Both Virgin Mobile and Cricket Wireless will be among the first U.S carriers to launch Apple's iPhone on a pre-paid service.

Punters in London pubs say the power station is cursed, but its latest purchase is far from extraordinary. The influx of Asian and Arab investors to England -- as well as to the United States, France, Greece and elsewhere -- is emblematic of the current economic state of the world.

Now that Shawn Johnson is out of the way, it's Gabrielle Douglas's time to shine. The elite gymnast and two-time member of the U.S. National Gymnastics team is getting the attention of pretty much everybody, with her high-flying moves that she embraces with her uneven bars routine.

Global stocks rose Thursday after China unexpectedly cut its interest rate and continued rising even after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke declined to commit to more economic intervention to boost the U.S. economy.

President Obama and Mitt Romney have both raised tens of millions of dollars, but they have taken different routes to get there.

Israel plans to build hundreds of new homes in West Bank settlements. The announcement came as an effort foundered Wednesday in parliament to skirt an Israeli Supreme Court ruling ordering the demolition of apartment buildings in a settlement unauthorized by the state.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, extended its push into the pre-paid mobile market by adding Virgin Mobile USA, which will sell the device for between $30 and $50 a month.

When will Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather finally face off?

Ever since ?Tekken? debuted in arcades in 1994, is has been deemed as a classic of the fighting genre. Recently, the ?Tekken? team has joined forces with those of ?Street Fighter? in a mash-up of traditional fighting game goriness. However, for ?Tekken Tag Tournament 2,? fans are in store for an unexpected collaboration with a different type of pop-culture icon from the 1990s.

NYC's metropolitan area is at risk for billions in hurricane-driven storm surge damage.

Saddam Hussein's personal secretary and distant cousin Abed Hamid Hmoud was executed on Thursday, according to the Iraqi Justice Ministry.

I propose Toby and Kristen co-host the show, Romney said from backstage at an unknown location. See? I just put two people back to work. You're welcome, America.

A sweeping effort to suspend the deportation cases of thousands of immigrants has produced few results so far, according to a New York Times analysis.

Richard Schulze, the founder and largest shareholder of Best Buy Co. (NYSE: BBY), the biggest U.S. electronics chain store, told the company's board Thursday he is resigning, effectively immediately. A reason for the abrupt departure was not publicly disclosed.

Florida Governor Rick Scott vowed on Wednesday to continue a disputed effort to purge ineligible voters from the rolls, defying a federal order to halt the process.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has once again condemned the government of Bashar al-Assad and its unconscionable crackdown on dissidents, which has so far lasted 15 months and resulted in between 10,000 and 15,000 deaths.