UNITED STATES

The planned sale of Citigroup's real estate asset management arm has hit a snag after some of the unit's clients refused to give their blessing to a disposal, sources told Reuters.

U.S. President Barack Obama will host the Dalai Lama at the White House on Thursday despite China's warning that the meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader could further damage strained ties.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said on Wednesday his debt-stricken country was not seeking European taxpayers' money but needed a breathing space to cut its budget deficit and borrow on normal conditions.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc sued seven of its former private wealth management division executives for abruptly leaving the company to join rival Credit Suisse early this month, court documents show.

The U.S. dollar rose against the euro on Thursday as poor growth prospects and Greece's fiscal deterioration hounded the euro zone single currency, while gold slid after the International Monetary Fund said it would sell more of its bullion holdings.

Calpers released late on Wednesday a list of 11 firms with which it has invested that did not reply to its request for information on their use of placement agents.

The U.S. dollar rose to a near 9-month high against the euro on Thursday as the single currency was dogged by worries about sovereign debt levels and poor growth prospects, while gold fell after the International Monetary Fund said it would sell more of its bullion holdings.

American Shani Davis became the first man to win two Olympic 1,000 meters speedskating titles when he repeated his Turin triumph Wednesday at the Richmond Olympic Oval.

American Lindsey Vonn overcame a painful injury and the weight of massive expectation to win a scintillating and, for many, very painful women's downhill and seize the limelight at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday.

Simon Property Group Inc stepped up pressure on General Growth Properties Inc on Wednesday, threatening to walk away from its $10 billion bid if its bankrupt rival did not begin talks soon.

H.J. Heinz Co raised its 2010 earnings forecast, helped by strength in emerging markets, while U.S. foodmaker Campbell Soup Co cut its sales forecast as frugal U.S. consumers shunned ready-to-eat soup.

Several Federal Reserve policy makers want to begin selling securities relatively soon to cut back the U.S. central bank's massive help to the financial system as the economy finds a footing, the Fed said on Wednesday.

Deere & Co posted higher-than-expected earnings, sending its shares up 5 percent, as wider margins at its farm equipment and finance units helped it to overcome challenging economic conditions.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday said his commitment to NASA was unwavering after his administration's 2011 budget slashed funding to return U.S. astronauts to the moon.

U.S. regulators launched a preliminary investigation into reported steering problems on the Corolla sedan on Wednesday as Toyota Motor Corp faced questions from U.S. lawmakers on whether it had ignored red flags on safety before a wave of vehicle recalls.

Walgreen Co will buy Duane Reade for $618 million in cash, catapulting the largest U.S. drugstore operator into the top spot in New York City and raising the stakes for rivals like CVS Caremark Corp .

The Federal Reserve should sell its U.S. mortgage-backed securities holdings sooner rather than later as the economic recovery gathers steam in order to extricate itself from fiscal policy, a senior central bank official said on Wednesday.

EBay would consider acquisitions in the $5 billion Russian online retail market to help maintain a foothold in the country, Chief Executive John Donahoe said.

The fate of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's $150 million accord with Bank of America Corp over the Merrill Lynch & Co takeover hung in the balance as a federal judge sought help in resolving striking inconsistencies in events leading up to the merger.

A 0.5% rise in the December leading index report produced by Westpac had little influence on the Aussie dollar during yesterday's local session as it remained range bound between 0.9000 and 0.9025 for the majority of the day.

Stronger-than-expected corporate results and upbeat economic data drove U.S. stocks higher on Wednesday as they fed expectations the recovery will bolster corporate profits.