Comcast Corp's quarterly profit rose 22 percent as customers signed up for additional phone and Internet services, helping the top U.S. cable operator fight competition from phone and satellite operators.
Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell for a third straight month in October to a 19-month low, feeding hopes the labor market will continue to improve as economic activity rebounds.
Technocrats and some existing ministers will be included among Afghan President Hamid Karzai's new government within the next three weeks, a spokesman said on Wednesday, but his main rival ruled out taking any part.
The United States ranks 30th in terms of infant mortality, an important measure of the quality of healthcare, according to a report released on Tuesday.
U.S. employers who tell workers to stay home when they are sick will have to give them paid time off for up to five days under new federal legislation proposed on Tuesday.
U.S. mortgage applications rose for the first time in four weeks, reflecting a jump in demand for home refinancing loans as interest rates on 30-year loans dropped below 5 percent, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.
The dollar fell broadly on Wednesday as firmer equity and commodity prices buoyed demand for the euro and perceived riskier currencies, while traders braced for a policy decision from the Federal Reserve.
Oscar organizers on Tuesday named an unlikely pair of hosts for March's Academy Awards, comedian Steve Martin and 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin, a past loser at the world's top film awards.
In a move that puts him at the cutting edge of sport sponsorships, comedian Stephen Colbert and his fans will back the U.S. Speedskating team at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the talk show host said.
U.S. stock index futures rose on Wednesday on an upbeat forecast from carmaker Nissan and a rebound in European banks, ahead of jobs data and the Federal Reserve's statement on interest rates and the economy.
Kirstie Alley is to parlay her lengthy weight-loss battle into a U.S. TV series for what the actress called in a Tuesday Twitter message a very funny docu about me losing weight, raising unpretentious kids, and biz.
Censorship of the Internet is open to challenge at the World Trade Organization as it can restrict trade in services delivered online, a forthcoming study says.
German politicians seethed and unions tore up a deal to cut costs in protest at General Motors' completely unacceptable decision not to sell Opel, its European unit, after months of painstaking talks.
Stock index futures rose on Wednesday ahead of key jobs and services sector data, with investors also eyeing the Federal Reserve's statement on interest rates and the economy.
Time Warner Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly profit, and the media powerhouse raised its full-year earnings forecast in a sign that advertising sales at networks like CNN and TBS are showing life.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is expected to reaffirm its intention to keep U.S. interest rates at ultra-low levels for a long time to support the economy, even as signs of recovery accumulate.
Oil rose above $80 a barrel on Wednesday, extending the previous session's near 2 percent gain, following a U.S. industry report showing an unexpected fall in crude stocks and supported by a weaker dollar.
The video games sector has yet to gain from a downturn where consumers stay home to play, but social games creator Playfish says the industry is just beginning a new growth spurt.
The Walt Disney Co's breakthrough deal to build one of its signature theme parks in Shanghai marks a major advance for Western media and entertainment firms trying to crack a tough China market.
The dollar steadied below a one-month high against a basket of currencies on Wednesday, while Asian stocks edged higher in muted trade ahead of a policy announcement from the Federal Reserve that kept investors wary.
Delphi, the auto-parts maker that emerged from a four-year bankruptcy in October, is forming a new board of directors and will name retired Dupont Chief Executive John Krol as its chairman, the Wall Street Journal said.
General Motors' decision to keep its European arm Opel after months of negotiations to sell it triggered anger and dismay in Germany, which had led the talks and was putting up much of the cash.