UNITED STATES

Boosted by non-residential developments, builders increased their December 2011 spending at a rate higher than economists had expected. The gain confirmed previously observed trends about the ongoing economic recovery in the U.S., which has seen better than expected progress in industry while still facing a soft residential housing market.

In an age where people spend more time socializing on the Internet than they do in person, it’s important to have at least a basic understanding of the social media universe. As the Facebook IPO approaches, here's how Twitter works for a better understanding.

U.S. manufacturing activities expanded at a faster pace in January, according to a closely-watched reading on the health of the sector in a demonstration that manufacturing is starting out the year on a positive note.

Chrysler Group LLC posted a 44 percent rise in U.S. auto sales in January, led by gains for its Jeep brand, while its larger domestic rival General Motors Co lost ground in a month marked by modest growth.

Ten days after Newt Gingrich dealt Mitt Romney a stinging defeat in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, Romney captured some key voter blocs that had backed Gingrich en route to a decisive win in the Florida primary.

A potentially deadlier form of the bird flu virus poses one of the gravest known threats to humans and justifies an unprecedented call to censor the research that produced it, a top U.S. biosecurity official said on Tuesday.

Stocks rallied on Wednesday as upbeat economic data out of China and Germany eased concerns about the global economy and Greece neared a long-delayed deal on a debt swap.

Mitt Romney cemented his front-runner status with his Florida 2012 primary win Tuesday night, coming ahead of Newt Gingrich with almost half of the vote.

Russia blamed radiation on Tuesday for a computer glitch that doomed its Mars moon mission, but space industry experts cast doubt on the findings of an investigation into the crash of what was to be Moscow's first deep space mission in two decades.

South Korea's LG Electronics Inc, the world's No.2 TV maker, swung to a profit in the fourth quarter as its latest smartphone model helped its ailing handset unit post a small profit after six consecutive quarterly losses.

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc's quarterly profit declined due to a number of expenses, but when stripping out the one-time charges, the Nasdaq stock market parent beat analysts' expectations.

Crumbling global demand restrained factory output in Asia and most of Europe in January, business surveys showed on Wednesday, putting pressure on policymakers to shore up growth and counter a spreading malaise.

Chrysler Group LLC reported a hefty 44-percent gain in U.S. auto sales in January, led by its Jeep brand, while Ford Motor Co posted a 7 percent gain, falling short of some analyst estimates.

The pace of job creation by private employers slowed more than expected in January after a sharp gain the month before, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Facebook is expected to submit paperwork to regulators on Wednesday morning for a $5 billion initial public offering and has selected Morgan Stanley and four other bookrunners to handle the mega-IPO, sources close to the deal told IFR.

Applications for U.S. home mortgages slipped last week, even as interest rates also eased, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Pfizer Inc. announced on Tuesday that it will recall at least one million birth control pill packets in the U.S. because they don't prevent pregnancy, the company reported. Here is a full list of the birth control pills affected by the Pfizer recall.

Resident Evil 6, which has been developed and published by Osaka, Japan-based company Capcom, is scheduled for a Nov. 20 release.

Italian carmaker Fiat-Chrysler surprised the market with lower 2012 profit targets that were still better than expected, sparking a share rally as investors shrugged off the threat of a weakening European economy that saw it cut its revenue outlook.

Four British men admitted to planning a bomb attack on the London Stock Exchange, saying that they were inspired by American-born al-Qaeda radical Anwar al-Awlaki.

Women who eat about three servings of fish per week have a somewhat lower chance of having polyps found during a routine colonoscopy than women who eat just one serving every two weeks, according to a new study.