UNITED STATES

The scandal-hit liberal grass-roots group ACORN sued the U.S. government on Thursday, saying it did not have the right to cut off ACORN's federal funding because the group had not been convicted of a crime.

Foreign central banks' holdings of U.S. Treasuries fell and agency debt holdings at the Federal Reserve rose in the latest week, data from the U.S. central bank showed on Thursday.

Warren Buffett, perhaps the world's most admired investor, said on Thursday the financial panic that gripped the globe last year is a thing of the past, even as the U.S. economy's struggles persist.

Rod Nickel

Intel Corp will pay rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc $1.25 billion to settle all outstanding legal disputes, in a move that could weaken antitrust regulatory action against Intel.

The U.S. government's $700 billion bailout program will ultimately produce an overall loss for taxpayers, a key auditor for the program said on Thursday.

Walt Disney Co posted a larger-than-expected rise in both quarterly profit and revenue, fueled by an improving ad climate and strength in the media giant's cable operations.

Blockbuster Inc , the largest U.S. movie rental chain, posted a larger-than-expected third-quarter loss it said was due primarily to write-offs of debt financing costs and the sale of its Irish unit, and its shares plummeted 12 percent.

U.S. stocks fell broadly on Thursday as a stronger dollar weighed on commodity-linked shares and a guarded outlook from Wal-Mart Stores Inc led to worries about consumer spending.

Blockbuster Inc , the largest U.S. movie rental chain, posted a larger-than-expected third-quarter loss it said was due primarily to write-offs of debt financing costs and the sale of its Irish unit.

The Australian Dollar opens lower against the greenback today at 0.9215 after giving back all of yesterday's gains, and then some, as risk aversion swept offshore markets overnight. During yesterday's domestic session, local unemployment data came in better than expected. Whilst the jobless rate rose to 5.8 per cent, 24,500 positions were added in the month of October. A second consecutive monthly rise in employment may lead to another 25 basis point rate hike by the RBA in December.

Roomy Khan, one of several former traders cooperating with the prosecution of the biggest U.S. hedge fund insider trading case, told a judge she provided confidential information to several co-conspirators, according to a court document made public on Thursday.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits last week fell to the lowest level since January, the government said on Thursday, evidence the hard-hit labor market may be slowly improving.

Not sure what to give Uncle Sam this Christmas? How about a nice, fat check to help whittle away at the $7.6 trillion national debt?

Roomy Khan, one of several former traders cooperating with the prosecution of the biggest U.S. hedge fund insider trading case, told a judge she tipped several people at hedge funds with inside information on companies to make money from trades, according to a court document.

WASHINGTON - Drug makers, Internet companies and nonprofits packed a hearing into what is a gray area for U.S. health regulators: how far Twitter, Wikipedia, blogs and other social media can go in promoting drugs.

Nouriel Roubini, one of the few economists who accurately predicted the magnitude of the financial crisis, said on Thursday that a double-dip recession can be avoided if stimulus measures are unwound properly.

U.S. stocks extended losses on Thursday, with the S&P 500 index down 1 percent, as a fall in oil's price weighed on shares in the energy sector.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as a stronger dollar weighed on commodity-linked shares and a guarded outlook from Wal-Mart Stores Inc led to worries about the strength of consumer spending.

A former CIA agent whose unmasking led to the conviction of former Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide lost an appeal on Thursday to declassify parts of her memoir.

Richard Curtis is better known for the films he wrote than the films he directed, but he sees himself working behind the camera more and more.