UNITED STATES

U.S. regulators and legislators are investigating whether Wall Street investment banks deliberately sold risky structured securities to clients, and then bet on the securities failing, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Asian stocks rose on Thursday led by gains in technology shares, while the U.S. dollar edged further away from recent peaks after an unexpected drop in U.S. home sales cooled optimism about the economic recovery.

As the recovering U.S. asset-backed market heads toward the new year, concerns remain that overregulation may deliver a setback to a full recovery.

Oscar winning actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have split up after more than two decades together, Sarandon's representative said on Wednesday.

There's just no stopping Susan Boyle on the U.S. pop chart.

To hear veteran actor Jeff Bridges tell it, he had the time of his life in his new movie Crazy Heart playing a drunk -- and so far, no bad hangover.

Citigroup Inc repaid $20 billion to the United States, as the bank works to reduce government involvement in its compensation practices.

U.S. pay czar Kenneth Feinberg on Wednesday approved compensation plans for several executives and top-paid employees at three firms that have received taxpayer aid.

Grammy-winning Cuban band Los Van Van are celebrating 40 years of salsa revolution with a long-awaited return to the United States.

American International Group Inc investigated five executives who threatened to resign over federal pay limits, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Countries should stop blaming each other for the weak outcome of the Copenhagen climate talks and sit down together to move the process forward, the U.N.'s top climate change official said on Wednesday.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange lumber futures closed a little higher in nearbys on Wednesday as the market showed little direction going into the holiday, traders said.

Two French citizens have been charged by U.S. regulators with using inside information to buy securities of Chattem Inc before Sanofi-Aventis said it would acquire the healthcare group.

Alleged swindler Allen Stanford's lawyers and family have again asked a federal judge to order his release from prison pending trial, citing his physical and mental deterioration and inability to help prepare his defense.

Creditors of bankrupt Lyondell Chemical Co asked a U.S. judge to expand the investigation of the company's court-appointed examiner on Wednesday to ensure the petrochemicals company is fairly evaluating proposals from potential suitors.

U.S. consumer spending rose in November as incomes recorded their biggest gain in six months, but a surprise drop in new home sales to a seven-month low was a reminder that the economic recovery would be bumpy.

Fifty-five financial companies failed to pay dividends in November on money they borrowed from the U.S. government, bank research firm SNL said on Wednesday.

The International Monetary Fund has approved a $1.2 billion aid payment to Pakistan after concluding a review of the country's economic performance, the fund said in a statement on Wednesday.

Sales and earnings at uniform rental company Cintas Corp. will not be as high as financial analysts expect in the coming year, says the company's chief executive officer.

Two French citizens have been charged by U.S. regulators with using inside information to buy securities of Chattem Inc before Sanofi-Aventis said it would acquire the healthcare group.

Wells Fargo & Co and Citigroup Inc repaid a total of $45 billion to the United States on Wednesday, as major banks look to reduce government influence over their affairs.