U.S.

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below the asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August than in July, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

Higher credit costs are likely to weigh on earnings for the U.S. mid-cap banks in the third quarter, but expectations appear fairly realistic going into the period, Morgan Stanley said.

Every 13 seconds in America, there is another foreclosure filing. That's the rhythm of a crisis that threatens to choke off hopes for a recovery in the U.S. housing market as it destroys hundreds of billions of dollars in property values a year.

You may have heard the oft-quoted statistic that autism affects 1 in 150 US children. Turns out it's more like 1 in 91 -- and about 1 in 58 boys, according to new figures released Sunday.

Britain's The Independent newspaper on Tuesday reported that Gulf Arab states were in secret talks with Russia, China, Japan and France to replace the U.S. dollar with a basket of currencies in the trading of oil.

The new Pakistani Taliban chief released a new video clip Sunday on Pakistani television, vowing to retaliate against the U.S. and Pakistan.

A U.S.-led group has entered the race to buy Ford Motor Co's Volvo cars unit, the Financial Times reported, in a challenge to China's Geely Automotive which last month confirmed its interest in the loss-making Swedish carmaker.

China Real Estate Information Corp, a provider of real estate information and consulting services, is planning to raise up to $248 million in a U.S.-listed initial public offering set for Oct 16.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher start on Monday to snap a four-day losing streak. The futures for the Dow Jones industrial average DJc1, the S&P 500 SPc1 and the Nasdaq Composite NDc1 were up 0.5-0.6 percent at 0822 GMT.

Dutch maker of photocopier and printing systems Oce NV posted a third-quarter loss and sharply declining revenues due to weak European markets, but said it saw early signs of bottoming out in some U.S. markets.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Friday wrapped up debate on a massive overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system and prepared to vote on the legislation next week.

European shares hit a four-week low on Friday, extending the previous day's sharp losses, with investors anxious before key U.S. jobs figures after data this week raised doubt about the strength of economic recovery.

The 2009 Free Night of Theater begins in October. It is the fifth anniversary for the annual Free Night of Theater.

The United States should provide information about top militants in Pakistan, a government minister said on Thursday, as Washington stepped up pressure on Islamabad to go after Taliban leaders.

Government funds propped up an ailing European auto industry in September, in contrast to an expected slump in sales in the United States after its cash for clunkers scheme ran out of money.

Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in September, showing further signs that the labor market is improving. Planned job cuts announced by U.S. employers fell to 66,404 last month, down 13 percent from 76,456 in August, according to a report released on Thursday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday as investors awaited a raft of data, including manufacturing and jobless, that could provide clues on the strength of an economic recovery. The data due out will also include pending home sales, personal income and consumption, and may offer fresh evidence on the strength of the U.S. recovery, ahead of Friday's non-farm payrolls.

Congressional leaders on Wednesday pressed General Motors Co GM.UL and Chrysler to resolve complaints about dealer franchise terminations the automakers pushed through during their brief bankruptcies.

The U.S. government and the body in charge of assigning Internet addresses signed an agreement on Wednesday that allows for greater global participation in the Internet domain name process.

Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it will recall some 3.8 million vehicles in the United States because of the risk that a loose floormat could force down the accelerator, a problem suspected of causing crashes that have killed five people.

Expanding broadband usage throughout the United States will require subsidies and investment in infrastructure upgrades of as much as $350 billion, a regulatory panel said on Tuesday.