Kerry on Gulf tour pledges backing for Syria rebels
US Secretary of State John Kerry has promised to "empower" Syria's opposition, while warning arch-foe Iran that time for talks on Tehran's nuclear ambitions could run out.
'Jack' slays N. America box office
Big-budget action-adventure "Jack the Giant Slayer" crushed all rivals in its debut weekend, easily topping the North American box office.
Biden marches with US civil rights leaders in Alabama
Vice President Joe Biden marched with black civil rights leaders Sunday in Selma, Alabama to commemorate the "Bloody Sunday" beating of voting rights marchers 48 years ago.
TED Talks take wing online as enclave ends
As a week of mind-bending TED Conference talks ranging from animal necrophilia to fighting poverty ended Friday, inspiring presentations from the renowned gathering were spreading.
US suggests Keystone pipeline won't harm environment
The US State Department suggested Friday that a $5.3 billion Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline would have no major impact on the environment, but stopped short of recommending it be approved.
Syria, Moscow condemn US aid to rebels
Syria and ally Russia denounced a US pledge to provide direct non-lethal aid to rebel fighters, saying it will fuel more violence in the two-year conflict.
Judge slashes $1 bn Samsung-Apple penalty in half
A judge on Friday cut $450 million from a $1 billion award to be paid by Samsung in a landmark patent lawsuit from Apple, saying a jury had wrongly calculated the damages.
Peter Gabriel wants to talk with animals online
Peter Gabriel joined big thinkers and one of the Internet's founding fathers Friday in launching an "Interspecies Internet" for animals to communicate with us and each other.
$85 billion austerity hit lines up US economy
An $85 billion dollar austerity time bomb was to detonate against the US economy Friday, as President Barack Obama blamed a Republican refusal to compromise for a failure to avert "dumb" spending cuts.
Russian boy's Texas death ruled accidental
The death of a young boy adopted from Russia at his Texas home was an accident and the bruises found on his body were self-inflicted, a coroner ruled Friday in a case that ignited a diplomatic row.
Video games zap their way into top New York museum
Pac-Man and other legends from the video game world became the latest and perhaps most unlikely additions to the Museum of Modern Art's illustrious collections in New York on Friday.
Asian markets mostly down, weak China data
Asian markets were mostly lower on Friday as traders took a breather after healthy gains in the previous session while Chinese data showed growth in manufacturing activity had slowed.
US, South Korea launch major joint exercises
Thousands of US troops converged on South Korea Friday for the start of annual joint military exercises, a report said, as tensions run high on the peninsula following North Korea's third nuclear test.
First-ever space tourist plans Mars mission
The world's first space tourist, US multimillionaire Dennis Tito, unveiled plans Wednesday to send a manned mission to Mars and back, targeting a launch date less than five years away.
Wang goes for 'modern elegance' in Balenciaga debut
New York fashion star Alexander Wang presented his much anticipated first show for Balenciaga with a collection praised as "elegance, modernity, structure".
US film, music industries roll out anti-piracy program
A new "copyright alert" system has begun rolling out this week in the United States in an effort to curb online piracy.
US pledges first direct aid to Syria rebel fighters
The United States has announced it will provide direct aid to Syrian rebels, but not the arms they had hoped for, as well as $60 million in extra assistance to the political opposition.
Facebook buys advertising firm from Microsoft
Facebook agreed Thursday to buy Atlas Advertiser Suite from Microsoft as part of an effort to boost ad revenues at the massive social network.
Glasses.com turns heads with 3-D iPad app
Jonathan Coon turned heads Wednesday with iPad software that lets people try on sunglasses by manipulating 3-D images of themselves from the neck up.
New study finds anti-nausea drug safe for pregnancy
Morning sickness is an all-too-common side effect of pregnancy, and a new study out Wednesday said a medication used to treat the most serious cases is safe for fetuses.