UNITED STATES

The head of No. 3 U.S. mobile service Sprint Nextel Corp said on Thursday that it is fair for the U.S. government to ask whether handset exclusivity deals should have time limits.

Package delivery giant and U.S. economic bellwether FedEx Corp reported a 53 percent drop in quarterly profit on Thursday as the worldwide economic downturn continued to weigh on shipping volumes.

There's a good chance you've been hearing more about biodiesel lately. This article, the first of several short discussions about biodiesel that will appear in the next few months, lays out some of the basic terminology and qualities associated with this fuel.

U.S. copper futures fell before steadying at slightly lower levels Thursday morning, under pressure from a steadier dollar and down even as latest labor, housing and manufacturing data provided further evidence of recovery.

World leaders will commit to keep spending to prop up their economies at a G20 summit next week, Russia said on Thursday, while France appeared to tone down its rhetoric on the issue of bank bonus caps.

U.S. stocks rose slightly in volatile trade on Thursday as positive economic data outweighed a report from FedEx Corp that the global downturn continued to hurt its shipping business.

World leaders will commit to keep spending to prop up their economies at a G20 summit next week, Russia said on Thursday, while France appeared to tone down its rhetoric on the issue of bank bonus caps.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly fell last week, data on Thursday showed, while there was a rise in the number of those still on the benefit rolls after an initial week of aid.

President Hamid Karzai defended Afghanistan's disputed presidential election on Thursday after early results showed him the winner, while a suicide bomb attack on Italian troops tested the resolve of a major NATO ally.

Oil prices hovered around $72.50 a barrel on Thursday after rising more than 5 percent this week as swollen U.S. distillate stocks such as diesel offset a weaker dollar and rallying equities.

Discover Financial Services posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday as loan losses grew less than anticipated and the sixth-largest U.S. credit card issuer trimmed costs.

Indonesia's most wanted Islamist militant was killed in a police shoot-out in Central Java, police said on Thursday, lifting a major security threat ahead of a planned visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.

New Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama got some good news on his first full day in office as the central bank said the struggling economy was showing signs of recovery and 72 percent of voters backed his cabinet.

President Barack Obama will pledge U.S. action on financial regulatory reform at the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh and underscore the need for global coordination on the issue, a senior aide said on Wednesday.

Men taking the antiviral drugs peginterferon and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C virus infection often experience sexual dysfunction, results of a study indicate.

Jay Leno's new prime-time chat and comedy TV show lost more than 7 million viewers on its second night after a slew of bad reviews but was still the No. 1 U.S. network show of the night, audience ratings figures showed on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama on Thursday abandoned plans for a large missile defense shield in eastern Europe, promising instead a stronger, swifter defense system to protect U.S. allies against any threat from Iran.

A third of malaria cases in African babies can be prevented by giving them regular doses of antimalarial drugs even before the children are infected, researchers said on Thursday.

U.S. food packager Bemis Co said on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice had requested additional information about its planned purchase of Rio Tinto's U.S. packaging arm.

The head of No. 3 U.S. mobile service Sprint Nextel Corp said on Thursday that it is fair for the U.S. government to ask whether handset exclusivity deals should have time limits.

British construction group Balfour Beatty has agreed to buy U.S. project management firm Parsons Brinckerhoff for $626 million, and will ask shareholders to help fund the deal, it said on Thursday.