UNITED STATES

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton left North Korea on Wednesday with two American journalists whose release he secured in a meeting with the hermit state's leader, possibly opening the way to direct nuclear disarmament talks.

The Obama administration insisted on Tuesday it had not offered any sweeteners to North Korea in its nuclear standoff with the West in return for its release of two American journalists to former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton left North Korea on Wednesday with two American journalists whose release he secured in a meeting with the hermit state's leader, possibly opening the way to direct nuclear disarmament talks.

UBS AG is in talks to hire former Merrill Lynch executive Robert McCann to head its wealth management business in the Americas, the Financial Times said on Tuesday, citing people close to the negotiations.

Sony Corp will begin selling this month the cheapest digital book reader for the United States, taking rival Amazon.com Inc head-on in the small but fast-growing market for electronic readers.

Consumers Spending More, GM's Thumbs Up, Clunkers Go!

The board of General Motors Co endorsed the automaker's direction and the focus of management after the first meeting of directors since GM emerged from a U.S. government-financed bankruptcy last month.

President Barack Obama turned 48 years old on Tuesday. The White House said he did much of his birthday celebrating over the weekend with friends and families at Camp David.

DISH Network Corp and EchoStar Corp said on Tuesday they were pleased the Patent and Trademark Office issued an initial office action rejecting TiVo Inc's software claims as invalid.

Stocks edged higher on Tuesday, led by the financial sector as economic data pointed to a sustained if slow recovery from the recession, taking the Dow and the S&P 500 to nine-month highs.

The U.S. government's Cash for Clunkers program has boosted the U.S. auto sales to the highest level of 2009 in July, which is surprising success to both car dealers and the government.

There's something exhilarating, magical, and beguiling about going to Greece. It's like going to Disneyland for the first time. You build yourself up for something incredibly amazing

The U.S. Senate will approve a $2 billion proposal to extend the cash for clunkers auto sales incentive by week's end, the Senate Democratic leader said on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama is still searching for the right person to lead the fight against an epidemic of cybercrime, the White House said on Tuesday as it came under fire following the resignation of a top cybersecurity adviser.

Sirius XM Radio shareholders may sense better days ahead, fueled by optimism about new revenue streams, the launch of its iPhone software and the cash for clunkers car buying program.

The U.S. Senate will approve a $2 billion extension of the cash for clunkers auto sales incentive by week's end, Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday, giving new life to a successful program that has boosted industry sales to a 2009 high.

Stocks edged higher on Tuesday, led by the financial sector as economic data pointed to a sustained if slow recovery from the recession, taking the Dow and the S&P 500 to nine-month highs.

Leading global automakers reported forecast-beating quarterly results on Tuesday, but continued to give cautious outlooks for the industry, which remains hard hit by weak demand and a lack of consumer credit.

CVS Caremark Corp has the ability to make more acquisitions, but Chief Financial Officer Dave Rickard would not say whether his company wants to buy Aetna Inc's pharmacy benefit management business.

The Postal Regulatory Commission has released Tuesday nearly 700 locations of post offices in the United States that are proposed to be closed.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing on the climate bill called Climate Change Legislation: Allowance and Revenue Distribution. Power company Duke Energy Co. said its profit declined 21 percent in the second quarter to $276 million or 21 cents per share from $351 million or 28 cents per share a year earlier.