Eric Linton

Russia shot down suggestions from some U.N. Security Council members of an imminent deal on a draft resolution aimed at stopping Syria's bloody upheaval, warning it would veto the current text if it were put to a vote on Friday.

The United States, European governments and Arab states have begun discussing the possibility of exile for Bashar al-Assad despite skepticism that the defiant Syrian president is ready to consider such an offer, Western officials say.

The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it plans a $2.8 billion upgrade of about 350 of its aging F-16 multi-role fighter planes to help offset slower purchases of the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Asian shares and major currencies were stuck in ranges Friday ahead of key U.S. jobs data, which will offer more clues over the state of the world's largest economy, while Greek debt restructuring talks dragged on.

Businessman and reality TV personality Donald Trump will endorse former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination Thursday, several media outlets reported Wednesday night.

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to repeal a provision of President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul setting up a home-care program for the elderly and disabled that regulators said was unworkable.

Federal authorities successfully kept a U.S. businessman in jail Wednesday ahead of his trial for trade secret theft, and argued that it was Chinese government representatives who directed him to obtain valuable technology manufactured by chemical giant DuPont.

The House of Representatives, seeking to cut the U.S. deficit and burnish its own tarnished image, passed a bill Wednesday to extend a pair of pay freezes for federal workers, including its own members.

A proposed settlement to resolve mortgage abuses by top U.S. banks will give states broad authority to punish firms that mistreat borrowers in the future, according to documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

House Republicans will propose legislation Tuesday calling for $260 billion in spending on transportation infrastructure for up to five years, an election-year proposal touted as a job creator.

Chancellor Angela Merkel cemented her political ascendancy in Europe Monday when 25 out of 27 EU states agreed to a German-inspired pact for stricter budget discipline, even as they struggled to rekindle growth from the ashes of austerity.

Japan's Nikkei share average was on track to snap a three-day losing run Tuesday and headed for its best January performance since 1999, as investors took cues from optimism about the U.S. economy and shrugged off weaker corporate earnings results.

President Barack Obama Monday played down the use of U.S. drones in Iraq, saying the program was very limited and focused mainly on protecting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned Monday that it may downgrade "a number of highly rated" Group of 20 countries in 2015 if their governments fail to enact reforms to curb rising health-care spending and other costs related to aging populations.

Mitt Romney's lead over Newt Gingrich has grown to 15 percentage points in Florida, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday found on the day before the state's Republican primary.

The world is running out of time to make sure there is enough food, water and energy to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population and to avoid sending up to 3 billion people into poverty, a U.N. report warned on Monday.

An Oregon special election in which national Democrats have sought to paint the Republican congressional candidate as a Tea Party radical foreshadows a tactic the party will employ in its quest to take back Congress seats lost in the 2010 election.

Just a week before futures brokerage MF Global filed for bankruptcy, the firm's chief financial officer told analysts at Standard & Poor's that its capital position had "never been stronger," according to the ratings agency

The possible release of detained Taliban leaders is likely to join Iran's nuclear ambitions at the top of a busy agenda when the top seven American intelligence chiefs testify before the Congress this week.

Gold ticked lower Monday after earlier rising to its highest in more than seven weeks as investors awaited the outcome of Greece's debt deal talks, but sentiment was supported by a firmer euro and lower-than-expected U.S. growth data.

Armored forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad took control Sunday of eastern suburbs of Damascus from opposition fighters after two days of bombardment and fighting with rebels, activists said Sunday night.

Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has leaked more than 600 liters of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond over the weekend, but none is thought to have escaped into the ocean.

More than 400 anti-Wall Street protesters were arrested in Oakland during a night of skirmishes in which police fired tear gas and bean bag projectiles, the city said on Sunday, marking one of the biggest mass arrests since nationwide economic protests began last year.

White House hopeful Mitt Romney's lead over rival Newt Gingrich has edged up to 12 percentage points in Florida, with just two days remaining before the state's Republican primary, according to results of a Reuters/Ipsos online poll released on Sunday.

On the European currency, a mood of short-term relief tinged with longer-term doubt prevails among the world's movers and shakers at this year's World Economic Forum session in the Swiss Alps.

The United Steelworkers union told U.S. refinery workers to prepare to offer safe and orderly refinery shutdowns before a strike that could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, sources familiar with the union's preparations said Sunday.

Swiss engineering company ABB (ABBN.VX) was near an agreement Sunday to acquire U.S. manufacturer Thomas & Betts Corp (TNB.N) for about $ 4 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Iran sent conflicting signals in a dispute with the West over its nuclear ambitions Sunday, vowing to stop oil exports soon to some countries but postponing a parliamentary debate on a proposed halt to such sales to the European Union.

South Sudan has totally shut down oil output in a dispute with Sudan over export transit fees and will only restart after the two reach a deal covering border security and the disputed Abyei region, its oil minister said Sunday.