UNITED STATES

Efforts to tighten financial regulation picked up speed in the U.S. Senate on Thursday as a key committee targeted next week for the unveiling of revised legislation and the week after for a working session on it.

U.S. health regulators approved Roche's (ROG.VX) blockbuster cancer drug Rituxan to treat the most common form of leukemia in adults.

The Aussie dollar drifted lower in Asia yesterday pulling back from its opening levels near 90 cents before finding some support around 0.8950.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange lumber futures closed lower on Thursday amid pressure from reports of slowing cash trade and possible easier prices as wholesalers discount their wood, traders said.

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd (FFH.TO), which deals in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, reported fourth-quarter profit that plunged 77 percent on investment losses.

General Growth Properties is looking to raise $1 billion to $2 billion from public markets to fund an independent exit from bankruptcy, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

An apparently disgruntled man crashed a small plane into a federal building housing U.S. tax offices in Austin, Texas on Thursday, and federal officials said it may have been a deliberate attack.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a drop in holiday sales at U.S. stores and gave a disappointing profit outlook, casting doubt on its ability to keep shoppers won in the recession.

NATO and Afghan troops have hit pockets of stiff resistance in Marjah, the Taliban's main stronghold in southern Afghanistan, and may need another month to fully secure the area, a NATO commander said on Thursday.

U.S. stocks rose for a third straight day on Thursday as investors viewed company results and manufacturing data as evidence the economic rebound will continue.

President Barack Obama hosted exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the White House on Thursday, drawing an angry reaction from China and risking further damage to strained Sino-U.S. ties.

Germany's Maria Riesch snatched the women's super combined crown on Thursday after American Lindsey Vonn lost control and blew her chances of a second gold in as many days at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance unexpectedly surged last week, while producer prices increased sharply in January, raising potential hurdles for the economy's recovery.

Three U.S. Olympic winter athletes with Vancouver gold medals and star appeal to match can reap their rewards in hard cash from increased endorsements after the Games hullaballoo has ended. However, while Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and Shani Davis all struck gold on Wednesday, winning the men's snowboard, women's downhill and men's 1,000 meters speed skating race, respectively, their success cashing in will differ, analysts said.

Mutinous troops led by an army major captured Niger's President Mamadou Tandja on Thursday after storming his palace in a four-hour gun battle that killed at least three soldiers, military sources said.

After the long weekend, major U.S. stock indices have seen three straight days of rallying as rising commodities prices boosted the basic materials sector on Thursday.

U.S. stocks rose for a third straight day on Thursday as investors viewed company results and manufacturing data as evidence the economic rebound will continue.

U.S. stocks rose for a third straight day on Thursday, with investors encouraged by another batch of reassuring corporate earnings and signs of further stabilization in the manufacturing sector.

Norway claimed their 100th gold medal in Winter Olympics when Tora Berger won the women's 15 kilometer individual biathlon on Thursday but Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn again threatened to grab the limelight later.

On hopping Robson Street, the retail heart of downtown Vancouver, shop windows are ablaze with red and white as retailers seek to take advantage of the biggest game in town.

A second gold medal spectacularly secured, snowboarding icon Shaun White set his sights on a night of even higher office.