UNITED STATES

Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and prominent African-American lawmaker previously aligned with Sen. Hillary Clinton, switched to support rival Sen. Barrack Obama.

NASA released new images Wednesday of the moon's south pole region, a potential landing spot for humans or robotic lunar missions, demonstrating the surface is rockier than previously thought and has peaks as high as 2.5 miles along with deep craters.

Jay Leno has nearly two years left on the clock at The Tonight Show on NBC, but rival networks and at least one TV studio are said to be quietly, unofficially, courting the comedian with offers to keep him on the late-night circuit.

Crude oil futures fell from a record of $102.08 a barrel on Wednesday after the U.S. Government reported that crude inventories rose, exceeding forecasts.

Treasury notes turned slightly lower lower on Wednesday after regulators removed some lending restrictions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated a willingness to continue lowering interest rates.

The dollar crossed under the $1.51 per euro mark for the first time on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled that the Fed could continue to lower interest rates.

Gold surged to a record high above $960 on Wednesday as investors piled in, spurred by a plummeting dollar and oil rising above $100 a barrel.

The European Commission opened in-depth investigations on Wednesday to determine if billions of euros in German government assistance to two banks, hit by the U.S. sub-prime market crisis, amounted to illegal state aid.

Never has an expression of love been so public -- or featured so many guys in cutoff jeans shorts -- or been so damn sincere.

Major powers are looking for new ways to draw Iran into negotiations over its nuclear program while simultaneously pushing for more U.N. sanctions, U.S. officials and diplomats said on Tuesday. Political directors from the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council -- Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France -- as well as Germany, met in Washington on Monday to discuss how to tweak their Iran strategy.

Japan stocks buoyed Wednesday led by Asian stock markets' high stock prices and the news of sharp equity rises across Asia.

Copper futures recovered on Tuesday rising along with commodities and boosted by a decline on inventories.

Gold edged higher on Tuesday, continuing its rally as crude oil prices rose, the U.S. dollar weakened and a report showed rising U.S. producer prices.

Traders sold the greenback after key economic data reinforced the current dilemma facing the US Federal Reserve. The dollar slipped past the 1.49-level against the euro and relinquished the 0.93-mark versus the Aussie. Persistent

U.S. crude oil futures climbed above $100 a barrel on Tuesday, approaching a recent record high of $101.32 reached last February 20, the highest since trading began 25 years ago.

U.S. treasuries rose on Tuesday as investors fled to the safe-haven investments following the release of downbeat data about the U.S. economy.

Apple Inc's iTunes media store emerged the second most popular music retailer in the United States behind Wal-Mart Stores.

Natural gas remained stable on Tuesday, above $9 per million thermal units on concern that supplies will decline as cold weather moves into the regions of highest consumption.

The dollar fell on Tuesday, approaching a record low versus the euro after economic data painted the U.S. economy in a negative light.

Gold and silver futures rose after a report showed U.S. producer prices rose more than expected last month, increasing the appeal of the precious metals as a hedge against inflation.

Wall Street dropped for the first time in three days after producer prices rose more than expected and Google shares fell after data showed that the number web users clicking on ads, have decreased.