keep for now

Tiger Woods, who has missed the last two majors because of leg injuries, will return to competition at next week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, the former world number one said Thursday.

Urgent efforts to avoid an unprecedented U.S. debt default suffered a new blow on Thursday when some fiscally hardline Republicans blocked a budget deficit plan proposed by their own congressional leaders.

As much of Texas suffers through one of its worst droughts, many rain-starved Texans are doing something they thought they would never do -- looking forward to the arrival of a tropical storm.

Expectant mothers who have gum disease are less likely to deliver their babies prematurely if they use mouthwash throughout their pregnancy, a new study suggests.

James Murdoch was unanimously confirmed as chairman by BSkyB's board, winning a reprieve from a phone-hacking scandal that threatens to draw him into multiple investigations, two sources briefed on the board meeting told Reuters.

An Army soldier arrested with suspected bomb-making materials near Fort Hood, Texas, was hatching a "terror plot" to attack military personnel, police said on Thursday.

Metal parts maker Precision Castparts Corp (PCP.N) posted a higher quarterly profit on Thursday as it sold more parts to plane makers, sending its shares up 4 percent.

Community Health Systems Inc (CYH.N), the second-largest U.S. hospital operator, beat analysts' second-quarter earnings expectations on higher operating revenue, sending its shares up more than 6 percent in after-hours trading.

Fortune Brands Inc (FO.N) announced a tender offer on Thursday for up to $1 billion of debt using funds from the company's planned sale of its Acushnet golf business.

Continental Airlines cancelled 24 flights on Wednesday due to a shortage of pilots after a barrage of sick calls, according to the carrier's parent, United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N).

Big gains in Latin America covered up U.S. declines at Colgate-Palmolive Co (CL.N) and Avon Products Inc (AVP.N), with the world's largest direct seller of cosmetics seen as having a harder road to recovery.

Scores of issuers in the U.S. municipal bond market, including cities, counties and school districts, were put on notice on Thursday by Moody's Investors Service that their top ratings could be cut if the United States' Aaa rating falls.

U.S. hog futures advanced on Thursday on renewed talk China may be seeking more U.S. pork, record high wholesale pork prices and higher live cash hog markets in the U.S. Midwest.

Online travel agency Expedia Inc (EXPE.O) said its quarterly net profit rose as bookings increased by 19 percent.

The triple-A ratings of 177 cities, counties, school districts and other entities could be cut along with the U.S. government's top rating, Moody's Investors Service said on Thursday.

All Star second baseman Rickie Weeks appears headed for the disabled list after injuring his left ankle during Milwaukee's 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Indians, needing help in their outfield, have acquired Kosuke Fukudome from the Chicago Cubs as part of a three-player deal, the teams said.

A Seattle man accused of killing a young Chicago-area girl five decades ago was arraigned on murder charges in Illinois on Thursday, one day after he was extradited from Washington state,

Overnight storms dumped a record amount of rain on parts of the Midwest, including more than 10 inches falling on Dubuque, Iowa, prompting fears of more Mississippi River flooding.

CME Group Inc (CME.O) is evaluating whether to move some operations to other states from Chicago to reduce its taxes, but it has not decided on an exact timeline, CEO Craig Donohue said Thursday.

The horrors and heroism of World War Two are given a fresh look in an Art Institute of Chicago exhibition of rediscovered Soviet propaganda posters, which depict Hitler as blood-thirsty, anxious and perverse.

House of Representatives Republican leader Eric Cantor Thursday challenged the Democratic-led Senate to accept a House-passed bill raising the debt limit or suffer the consequences of default.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress who has put forward a deficit reduction plan to be voted on later Thursday, said he had no control over whether his bill would avert a credit downgrade.

Four IPOs were received with varying levels of interest on their market debut, signaling that investors were being very selective of where they want to put their money.

Scientists have found a flu "super antibody" called FI6 that can fight all types of influenza A viruses that cause disease in humans and animals and say their discovery may be a turning point in the development of new flu treatments.

Membership of Norway's political parties has surged in response to calls to counter last week's massacre with more democracy and political participation, and some warn that the debate must shed traces of xenophobia.

The U.S. Congress, known for moving painfully slowly, can kick into high gear when it is staring down a deadline important to the entire country -- or when lawmakers are approaching their cherished August recess.

Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs threw his child sexual assault trial into disarray on Thursday when he fired his defense lawyers and demanded the right to represent himself, which the judge then granted.

A Republican deficit reduction plan headed for two major votes in the U.S. Congress on Thursday and its expected demise could force a bipartisan compromise to avert an unprecedented debt default.