UNITED STATES

Citigroup Inc on Wednesday stood by its pledge to reward shareholders, as Wall Street sought to understand why the bank failed to win approval from regulators to increase its dividend or buy back stock.

The Obama administration has been quietly negotiating with representatives of the Conference of Catholic Bishops to tamp down their furious opposition to a federal mandate that insurance companies cover birth control, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum mistakenly asserted today that Puerto Rico cannot achieve statehood unless English is the island's principal language.

China Mobile <0941.HK>, the world's biggest carrier by number of subscribers, is set to post its slowest quarterly growth in almost two years on Thursday due to weak user rates, though the pace might pick up later this year if it attracts higher-end users with a network upgrade and lands an iPhone contract.

Interplay game developers are attempting to raise the money through crowd-funding website Kickstarter.com in order to develop a sequel to the role playing game (PRG) classic, Wasteland (1988) which told the story of a small party of ex-US soldiers travelling across a post-nuclear apocalyptic American southwest. According to lead developer Brian Fargo, this may be their best (and last) hope at resurrecting the iconic computer game.

Belgian doomsday survival author Patrick Geryl has made enough money to spend on preparing for a global catastrophe in 2012 by writing books about it and what other people can do to prepare.

Robert Pattinson's highly anticipated new film Bel Ami, will be premiering in the U.S on June.8, according to Magnolia Pictures.

Chevron Corp Chief Executive John Watson sees demand for oil being destroyed in the United States as a result of higher gasoline prices and an underperforming U.S. economy.

President Barack Obama's approval rating is at 49 percent and 50 percent a piece, according to new surveys from Gallup and Reuters/Ipsos.

The U.S. economy is recovering pretty well and trying to juice it up by allowing a little extra inflation would be disastrous, Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman known for successfully reining in double-digit inflation, said on Wednesday.

Apple fans are amped up for the new iPad’s 4G LTE service, which is one of the enticing features equipped to the third generation tablet. And with rumors circulating that the iPhone 5 will also sport this enhanced Internet service, users should consider the possible pitfalls of the LTE network.

Greg Smith did not choose the subtle approach for his exit from Goldman Sachs, where he had worked for 12 years. Instead, Greg Smith decided to post his resignation letter in The New York Times for the entire world to read. The resignation letter, entitled "Why I am Leaving Goldman Sachs," included scathing commentary on the "toxic" environment at the bank, its lack of "moral fiber" and the "muppets" who work there.

It's time to lather up in salt and grease because today is National Potato Chip Day. The delicious potato chip was invented in 1853 in a Saratoga lodge in New York. After a man complained that his fried potatoes (or French fries as we know them now) were too thick, an annoyed chef sliced them so thin that they were crispy, over-salted and could not be pierced with a fork without shattering.

The U.S. staff sergeant who killed over a dozen Afghan villagers this week has been flown out of Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

A Vietnamese tech site, which claims to have its hands on the new 6GB WiFi + 4G iPad, has leaked photos taken with the tablet's new camera displayed on the revolutionary iPad Retina Display.

Import prices rose in February on sharply higher oil costs, but there were few other signs of imported inflation pressure and food prices posted their largest decline in three years.

I'm old enough that I can talk about that, Anderson said in the new interview.

Nassim Taleb, author of the The Black Swan, is backing Ron Paul's long-shot candidacy for U.S. president. It's my duty as a citizen, as a person who lives here and as a taxpayer who doesn't want to be hoodwinked in the long run by bureaucrats, Taleb told CNBC in explaining his decision.

Stocks mostly edged lower on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 pulling back after nearing 1,400 as investors found little reason to extend the previous day's rally on the Federal Reserve's comments on the economy and the banking sector.

The driver of the truck, an Afghan civilian who worked at the base, has been arrested, but transported to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.

The S&P 500 knocked on 1,400 before edging lower on Wednesday as investors digested the previous session's rally on the Federal Reserve comments on the economy and the banking sector.