'Hobbit' slays competition for second weekend in a row Hordes of North American moviegoers flocked to theaters to watch "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," launching the "Lord of the Rings" prequel to box office gold for the second weekend in a row.
24 December 2012
US lobby issues point-blank 'no' on gun control The most powerful gun lobby in the United States stood firm Monday against any additional restraints on firearms and ammunition sales -- despite a national outcry in the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre.
24 December 2012
Revealed: secrets of ancient Chinese medicinal herb Scientist in the United States on Sunday offered a molecular-level explanation for how a Chinese herbal medicine used for more than 2,000 years tackles fever and eases malaria.
24 December 2012
Obama asked to retaliate over Russia adoption ban Tens of thousands of petitioners are calling for US President Barack Obama to escalate the diplomatic feud that led Moscow to propose a law barring Americans from adopting Russian children.
24 December 2012
Judge clears BP's $7.8 bn settlement in US oil spill British oil giant BP won US court approval Friday of a $7.8 billion settlement with people and businesses who lost money and property due to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
23 December 2012
Court puts Californian gay conversion ban on hold A US court put on hold Friday a new Californian law banning a form of therapy designed to change the sexual orientation of minors, pending a further appeal.
23 December 2012
US gun lobby urges armed police in every school The United States' most powerful pro-gun lobbying group demanded Friday that armed police be deployed to every school in the country following a mass shooting that left 20 young children dead.
22 December 2012
Obama picks John Kerry as secretary of state US President Barack Obama Friday nominated Senator John Kerry as his new secretary of state, as he began to reshape his national security team for a second term clouded by overseas crises.
22 December 2012
US stars in video demanding gun control action Film, television and music stars including Jeremy Renner, Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyonce have recorded a hard-hitting video urging action on gun control following the Newtown school massacre.
22 December 2012
Higgs Boson tops journal Science's top 10 of 2012 The discovery of the Higgs Boson, an invisible particle that explains the mystery of mass, leads a list of the top 10 scientific advances of 2012 released Thursday by the US journal Science.
22 December 2012
Internet 'moment of silence' to mark US school tragedy US tech leaders and celebrities have joined a call for an "Internet moment of silence" Friday to remember the victims of last week's massacre of 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school.
22 December 2012
US adoption groups voice concern over Russia ban US adoption agencies expressed deep concern Thursday after President Vladimir Putin backed legislation making it illegal for Russian children to be adopted by Americans.
22 December 2012
Google Play growing fast: survey Google's online Play shop of applications for Android-powered smartphones or tablets is growing fast, a report released Thursday by market tracker Distimo said.
22 December 2012
Republicans scrap 'Plan B,' fiscal cliff deal elusive A controversial Republican plan to let tax breaks expire on millionaires crashed to defeat Thursday when it failed to earn enough party support, leaving negotiations on averting the "fiscal cliff" up in the air.
22 December 2012
ConocoPhillips sells off Nigerian operation US energy giant ConocoPhillips has agreed to sell its Nigerian operations to growing African group Oando for 1.79 billion dollars (1.35 billion euros).
21 December 2012
Facebook to charge for some message delivery Facebook on Thursday began testing the feasibility of charging to guarantee that messages from strangers make it into inboxes of intended recipients at the social network.
21 December 2012
User revolt causes Instagram to keep old rulesInstagram on Thursday tried to calm a user rebellion by nixing a change that would have given the Facebook-owned mobile photo sharing service unfettered rights to people's pictures.
21 December 2012
Hunger, homelessness on rise in US: study Hunger and homelessness are on the rise in the United States, and cash-strapped cities and social services are being forced to turn needy people away empty-handed.
'Cirque du Soleil' makes 3D leap to the big screen Oscar-winning director James Cameron, who broke new ground with 3D technology with "Avatar," is bringing that knowhow to Cirque du Soleil, producing a 3D film featuring the high-flying acrobatic troupe.