2010 | featured news

The FBI says that violent crime dropped 6 percent in 2010, marking the fourth straight year of declines. And property crime also was down for the eighth straight year, falling 2.7 percent.

The winners of the 2010 Peabody Awards include some of the biggest names in television, though the age-old medium of radio shined this year with eight awards. Winners announced Thursday by the University of Georgia include "The Moth Radio Hour," which celebrates storytelling, and WNYC's series "Radiolab," a scientific exploration show. Others include "Trafficked," a Youth Radio investigation into child sex-trafficking with vivid first-person accounts.

Builders began work last year on the second fewest number of homes in more than half a century, as the weak economy kept people from buying houses.

US retail sales rose in December for the sixth consecutive month, but questions about the economy still remain.

Though December was weaker than expected, the overall holiday season was still relatively strong, analysts said.

General Motors Co posted a 7.5 percent rise in December U.S. auto sales and said it expects the industry to report sales at a 13 million-vehicle annualized rate for last month -- far higher than many forecasts and what would be the highest rate of 2010.

While three other firms disputed the finding, StatCounter of Dublin said Firefox surpassed Internet Explorer as the top European browser in December.

Imax, the big-screen movie specialist, said its global gross box-office sales more than doubled in 2010, thanks to additional theaters and big 3-D blockbusters.

Stock indexes were mixed Friday in quiet New Year's Eve trading....

After being left for dead in the wake of the 2008 election, Republicans staged a stunning comeback over the past year.