UNITED STATES

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday acknowledged recent signs of strength in the economy and said recent financial market strains have eased, offering few clues on the chances for further monetary easing.

For the first time since his arrest in 2009, Iran has admitted publically that Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been convicted of religious crimes.

For the first time since his arrest on Jan 20, Megaupload creator Kim Doctom sat down to be interviewed for New Zealand's Channel 3 News. During the 20-minute interview, Dotcom explains how he created the website, why he never broke a single law, and passionately exclaims that he will take on the entertainment industry because he knows he is innocent.

New York University School of Law has purchased an Upper West Side condo at 845 West End Avenue for $3.6 million, according to city records filed Thursday. The school will use the apartment for faculty, who will rent the unit, according to Michael Orey, spokesman for NYU Law.

Banks and technology shares led the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq more than 1 percent higher on Tuesday as U.S. retail sales exceeded expectations last month and concerns eased about the euro zone's crisis.

Walt Disney Co. shareholders reelected 10 members of the Disney board during the company's annual shareholder meeting despite opposition from shareholder groups who had recommended a vote against four board members.

The United States is pressing Saudi Arabia to boost oil output to fill a likely supply gap arising from sanctions on Iran, Gulf oil officials said, adding that an increase in production is unlikely to be needed before July.

JPMorgan Chase & Co is paying the federal government $45 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it charged veterans hidden fees in mortgage refinancings.

Shares of Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) were near their record high after reports the No. 1 chipmaker is trying to create a virtual TV service for the consumer sector.

The share of power generation in the U.S. by burning coal has fallen to near a 35-year low, as electric power plants showed less interest in thermal coal due to a mild winter and a shift to cheaper gas.

A Bloomberg National Poll showed 38 percent of Americans saying their situation is better than when Barack Obama took office, an increase from September, when 27 percent said the same.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit multi-year highs on Tuesday as U.S. retail sales rose more than forecast last month and as concerns eased about the euro zone's crisis.

The number of jobs waiting to be filled dropped slightly in January, the government said on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron will spend two days together, doing fun things like watching college basketball, but also getting serious and talking about Syria.

Obama's approval rating has fallen to a record low of 41 percent. What does this mean for the general election? The numbers tell a complicated story.

Business inventories beat expectations in January, increasing 0.7 percent to a record level as auto dealers replenished their stocks to keep pace with rising demand from consumers.

The White House on Monday released guidelines for the state health insurance marketplaces that are vital to the U.S. health care reform law.

Chevron Corp reiterated plans to grow production by about a fifth by 2017, helped by massive liquefied natural gas projects in Australia that are set to start up beginning in 2014.

U.S. retail sales posted their largest gain in five months in February as Americans stepped up purchases of motor vehicles and other goods even as they paid more for gasoline.

US Airways, the fifth-biggest U.S. airline by traffic, has registered a slew of internet domain names that suggest a merger effort with bankrupt American Airlines is imminent.

Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada, embroiled in a legal fight with former partner Steve Wynn, the chairman of casino operator Wynn Resorts, used a video on Tuesday to deny claims by the Las Vegas mogul that he was unsuitable to be a company director.