2011 | featured news

U.S. consumer spending rose less than expected in January as households took advantage of the largest increase in incomes in more than 1-1/2 years.

Consumer confidence rose in February to its highest point in three years as Americans feel more optimistic about their income prospects and the direction the economy is headed.

The contentious NFL labor negotiations went in front of a federal mediator Friday, two weeks before owners could impose a lockout on players and threaten the 2011 season....

US retail sales rose in January for the seventh consecutive month, although the increase was the weakest since June 2010.

The Grammys may feature only a handful of award presentations during the show, but the 2011 ceremony is now over and all 110 winners are now available.

Rahm Emanuel is in striking distance of being elected Chicago's next mayor on Feb. 22, with Gery Chico emerging as the rival with the best chance of forcing him into a runoff, a new Tribune/WGN poll shows.

Wealthy tax evaders with assets stashed offshore can come clean with U.S. authorities under a new amnesty program letting them pay taxes with reduced penalties, the government said on Tuesday.

Retailers are reporting surprisingly solid January revenue gains despite snowstorms that many feared would chill spending.

Director Woody Allen's romantic comedy Midnight in Paris is to open the Cannes Film Festival in May, organisers announce.

General Motors Co posted a 22 percent rise in sales for January, outperforming expectations for the market as a whole on gains in demand for its pickup trucks.