UNITED STATES

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and U.S. President Barack Obama will speak on Thursday for the first time since Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi's release and will discuss the global economy and Afghanistan.

The Taliban have a significant presence in almost every corner of Afghanistan, data from a policy think tank showed on Thursday, as the country lurches into political uncertainty after a disputed presidential election.

Whitney Houston returned to the U.S. pop album chart in grand style on Wednesday as her first album in seven years debuted at No. 1.

Shares of U.S. health insurers climbed on Thursday as analysts said President Barack Obama's highly anticipated speech urging Congress to act on health reform revealed no game changers.

The U.S. commercial paper market expanded for a fourth straight week for the first time since December, adding to signs of an economic rebound as the global financial crisis continued to abate, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.

President Barack Obama will tell Congress on Wednesday the time for bickering is over and call for quick action on a comprehensive healthcare overhaul that would dramatically transform the U.S. insurance market and health system.

President Barack Obama addressed the elephant in the room -- a government-run health insurance option -- by playing down its importance in a big speech to Congress on Wednesday, but not everyone was buying it.

Oil rose toward $72 a barrel on Thursday, supported by a report from the International Energy Agency that global demand will be higher this year and next than it previously forecast.

Leslie Oudin, the mother of U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, reportedly had an affair with her daughters couch Brian de Villiers.

Japan's Toshiba Corp needs to consider acquisitions so as to develop sales routes and gain share overseas in the growing market for LED lights, the head of its lighting systems operations said on Thursday.

A drive to agree a U.N. climate pact in Copenhagen in December risks failure unless world leaders revive bogged-down negotiations at a U.N. summit in New York on September 22, experts say.

France's Carrefour launched its second Russian store on Thursday with a pledge to pursue acquisitions in the country, and said the crisis had not changed its long-term vision of the market.

Japanese brewer Suntory Holdings, seeking overseas growth as Japan's population ages, is in talks to buy soft-drinks maker Orangina for at least the $2.6 billion that private equity firms including Blackstone paid for the company just three years ago.

For Omar Sharif, the future and the past are useless. The only thing that counts for the Egyptian actor is the present.

U.S. mortgage foreclosure filings in August hovered near July's record high despite broad efforts to keep borrowers in their homes and will probably rise for another year, according to a report released on Thursday.

Stock futures edged up on Thursday after data showed the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week.

Global oil demand will be almost 0.5 million barrels per day higher than previously forecast this year and next on stronger-than-expected U.S. and Chinese fuel consumption, the International Energy Agency said.

Oil rose toward $72 a barrel on Thursday, supported by OPEC's decision to hold output steady and forecasts by the International Energy Agency that global demand will be higher this year and next than it previously forecast.

Britain, South Korea and New Zealand left interest rates at record lows on Thursday, with Canada expected to follow suit, but in Asia at least there were signs that thoughts are turning to tighter policy.

Chinese carmakers are venturing on to the global stage with bids for Western brands from Volvo and Hummer to Saab, but there are doubts these inexperienced firms can manage the transformation such deals would bring.

Global oil demand will be almost 0.5 million barrels per day higher than previously forecast this year and next on stronger-than-expected fuel use in North America and Asia, the International Energy Agency said.