UNITED STATES

After months of heated battle over healthcare reform in the Congress, leaders in both parties held out little hope for compromise at a bipartisan meeting that will provide a national stage for the arguments fueling the long-running debate.

In the United States alone there are probably around 36 million Darryls, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which created the character, played by an actor on its website to help train doctors.

Start-up Bloom Energy unveiled a new fuel cell technology that can power buildings, positioning the energy generators as an alternative to the electricity grid.

Switzerland will no longer accept untaxed money into its banks as it tries to ease pressure on its $2 trillion offshore banking industry from key trading partners seeking to boost tax revenues, it said on Thursday.

Wall St was set for a lower open on Thursday after rating agencies said they may downgrade Greece's sovereign debt, reigniting worries over possible defaults in the euro zone, and an increase in jobless claims fueled concerns about the U.S. economy.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods excluding transportation unexpectedly fell in January, while the number of workers filing for jobless benefits rose last week, suggesting a loss of momentum in the pace of economic recovery.

Optimism over Fed Chairman Bernanke's comments on Wednesday faded as global markets sputtered over unsettled Greece woes.

A mortgage banking group on Wednesday said it proposed to top U.S. officials a new plan offering forbearance to unemployed homeowners and asked the Treasury for credit to support the plan.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday after rating agencies said they may downgrade Greece's sovereign debt, reigniting concerns over possible defaults in the euro zone.

Diversified U.S. manufacturer SPX Corp expects profit to fall sharply in the first quarter, weighed down by weak demand for power transformers.

Coca-Cola Co is in talks to buy most of its largest bottler for roughly $15 billion, including debt, marking a shift in its strategy to keep its bottling operations separate, a person familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.

North Korea threatened to attack South Korean and U.S. forces for scheduled joint military drills in March even as nuclear envoys picked up the pace of work to get stalled disarmament talks back on track.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday after rating agencies said they may downgrade Greece's sovereign debt, reigniting concerns over possible defaults in the euro zone that have dogged markets recently.

China's military warned the United States on Thursday to speak and act cautiously to avoid reigniting tensions between the two powers, denying the People's Liberation Army played a part in Internet hacking.

Akio Toyoda stood tearful under a giant display bearing the name of the company his legendary grandfather founded.

President Barack Obama hosts Republicans and Democrats at a high-level meeting Thursday that seeks to break an impasse over how to revamp the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare industry.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday after rating agencies said they may downgrade Greece's sovereign debt, reigniting concerns over possible defaults in the euro zone that have dogged markets recently.

Cyber attacks on Facebook pages set up to pay tribute to two murdered Australian children has prompted calls for the social networking site to be more accountable for its users.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.4 to 0.6 percent, pointing to a weaker start for equities on Wall Street on Thursday.

Toyota Motor Corp's president apologized to U.S. lawmakers and ended the day in tears, marking a potential climax to his company's safety crisis.

Software giant Microsoft Corp has won a U.S. court approval to deactivate a global network of computers that the company accused of spreading spam and harmful computer codes, the Wall Street Journal said.