Strauss-Kahn paid hotel maid $1.5 million: report
Disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn paid a settlement of $1.5 million (1.1 million euros) to the New York hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault.
Climate: 'Rock' fix for oceans is badly flawed: study
Claims that global warming can be braked by dissolving huge quantities of rock in the sea to absorb carbon emissions are laden with flaws.
Katy Perry joins star-studded Obama inauguration
Pop princess Katy Perry was a starlet in stripes Monday, bundling up in the chill as she joined a bevy of celebrities at Barack Obama's second presidential inauguration.
Second time even sweeter, Obama fans say
Forget about deja vu or old hat as Barack Obama, America's first black president, was sworn in again. For some in the sea of humanity watching, cheering and shivering, the repeat was even sweeter.
Boeing suspends 787 deliveries
The American aerospace giant Boeing halted deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner on Friday but said it would continue to build the aircraft while safety experts examine its battery and electrical systems.
Teen author Stefan Bachmann reaps full-grown success
Stefan Bachmann is only 19, but his darkly mysterious debut novel set in a parallel world of faeries, goblins and child snatchers has already earned him comparisons to J.K. Rowling, Dickens and Dostoyevsky.
Leonardo DiCaprio to take 'long, long break' from filming
"Django Unchained" and "Titanic" star Leonardo DiCaprio said on Friday he was planning to take a significant break from filming and concentrate on his environmental campaigning.
US scientists find evidence of ancient Martian lake
A US spacecraft orbiting Mars has provided evidence of an ancient crater lake fed by groundwater, adding further support to theories that the Red Planet may once have hosted life.
Sasha Obama to her Dad: 'you didn't mess up'
To everyone else, he is the president of the United States, but to his young daughters Barack Obama is just Dad, who sometimes messes stuff up.
'Mama' screams to top of N. America box office
Newly released horror film "Mama" pushed the Oscar-tipped bin Laden manhunt movie "Zero Dark Thirty" out of the top slot at the North American weekend box office.
Obama takes oath of office to begin second term
US President Barack Obama took the oath of office Sunday to begin his second term at a simple ceremony stripped of the hope and historic promise that greeted his inauguration four years ago.
Japan says will sign child abduction treaty
Japan's foreign minister said Friday his country's new government would sign a treaty on child abductions, addressing one of the few rifts in relations with its main ally the United States.
US flu epidemic worsens, 29 children dead
A flu epidemic gripping the United States is more severe than usual, striking the elderly especially hard, health authorities said Friday as they also announced 29 child victims.
Confusion over fate of foreigners held in Algeria
An American hostage was confirmed dead Friday amid uncertainty over the fate of other foreigners held at an Algerian gas plant, with their captors demanding a prisoner swap and an end to French military action in Mali.
White House, Pentagon disagree over Mali: report
The White House and the US Defense Department are at odds over the danger posed by radical Islamic groups that have taken control of parts of Mali and are stirring up trouble in other parts of West Africa.
Obama's inauguration a boon for businesses
Tucked behind a tidy souvenir shop storefront on the ground floor of an office building one block from the White House.
US House Republicans back 3-month debt limit rise
Republicans proposed a three-month increase to the US debt ceiling Friday as they mulled breaking a protracted fiscal impasse, but warned any long-term deal would require Congress to pass a budget that cuts spending.
Some children outgrow autism: study
Some children diagnosed as autistic at a young age see their symptoms completely disappear when they get older, new research shows.
Apple, Google chiefs face grilling on 'no-poaching'
Apple chief Tim Cook and Google chairman Eric Schmidt are expected to face questioning in a lawsuit accusing Silicon Valley giants of secretly agreeing not to "poach" one another's workers.
US confronts new north Africa crisis
The United States was rocked Thursday by a new crisis spurred by Islamic militants amid a deadly hostage-taking in Algeria, prompting warnings to US interests in north Africa to boost security.