UNITED STATES

Asian shares hit a fresh 14-month high on Friday on optimism over U.S. earnings and the global economy, while the U.S. dollar got a reprieve after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated monetary policy would have to be tightened as a recovery takes hold.

U.S. lawmakers urged regulators to investigate Google Inc's ability to block expensive calls to rural areas to slash expenses, marking the latest spat between the Internet giant and AT&T Inc.

Prosecutors will not be allowed to suggest to a jury in the trial of two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers that they believe one defendant tried to hide certain email evidence, a U.S. judge ruled on Thursday.

Guy Laliberte, the Canadian billionaire circus entrepreneur, flew into space with a clown nose and an idea that was literally out of this world.

Country singer Taylor Swift has proven she has nothing to fear from touring after performing to sold-out crowds, so the 19 year-old said on Thursday she will extend her Fearless Tour into 2010.

If George W. Bush was the Decider who relied mostly on gut instinct as U.S. president, Barack Obama has shown himself to be the Deliberator.

Comedian Lewis Black has been making people laugh with his take-no-prisoners approach to whatever pops up in his cross-hairs -- government, milk, official tips on how to survive a nuclear blast.

A top U.S. labor group on Thursday asked the Obama administration's pay czar to stop any retirement payments to Bank of America Chief Executive Ken Lewis.

Security software maker Sophos Inc is introducing free programs that prevent sensitive data from getting outside corporate firewalls, taking on products sold by Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc.

The United States slipped from first to third place after the U.K. and Australia in a ranking of financial development released by the World Economic Forum on Thursday, as the global financial crisis badly hurt bank stability in developed countries.

Filling your vehicle's tank with fuel made from algae is still as much as a decade away, as the emerging industry faces a series of hurdles to find an economical way to make the biofuel commercially.

China's Tengzhong may finalise a deal with General Motors Co [GM.UL] on Friday to acquire the U.S. automaker's Hummer business for about $150 million, a source familiar with the deal said.

The Canadian Auto Workers expect to return to full scale formal contract negotiations with U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co on October 26, the union said on Thursday.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday as a surprising quarterly profit from Alcoa Inc got third-quarter earnings off to a strong start.

General Motors Co GM.UL will look to sell the steering business it took back from former parts subsidiary Delphi under a deal that closed this week, the automaker said in a letter to its suppliers.

The number of U.S. workers filing new jobless claims hit a 9-month low last week, and retailers posted their first monthly sales gain in over a year, easing fears recovery from recession would be unsustainable.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has recommended an increase of 40,000 U.S. troops as the minimum necessary to prevail, two sources familiar with his recommendations said on Thursday.

Vaccination programs against H1N1 swine flu are under way in the United States, China and Australia and will begin soon in parts of Europe.

New York Major Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday platform for the next mayoral elections saying that American visa holders and American immigrants have made the Big Apple the city that it is and deserve to be recognized.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday as a surprising quarterly profit from Alcoa Inc got third-quarter earnings off to a strong start.

Staples Inc and Home Depot Inc are collaborating with environmental groups in a pilot program aimed at conserving fast-disappearing Southern U.S. forests, organizers said on Thursday.