GAINESVILLE, Florida (Reuters) - An obscure U.S. Christian pastor whose plan to burn copies of the Koran on September 11 has sparked an international outcry said on Wednesday he would go ahead with the event despite warnings it would endanger American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pastor Terry ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. reforms are poised to dramatically shift the nation's healthcare spending, not only curbing Medicare costs but also pumping more money toward the private sector as roughly 32 million people gain coverage. Although the law has little impact on overall healthcare ...

The latest Blue Chip Economic Indicators report on Thursday said the weaker outlook for second-half 2010 growth stemmed from lower expectations for consumer spending, business investment and private construction. "Growth in the current quarter now is expected to be little better than the ...

Sweden, in second spot, and Singapore in third leapfrogged the United States in the WEF's Global Competitiveness Report 2010/2011. Last year the Asian city-state ranked third and Sweden fourth. There were no newcomers in the WEF's top 10, although Germany climbed to fifth from seventh.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's capital is ready for its biggest political event in decades: giant billboards proclaim an event to make the country's "history shine forever," the dress rehearsals are complete and the army is ready. But like all things in secretive North Korea, the event ...

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan will limit foreign involvement in two major anti-crime units in a move likely to worry its Western backers and stoke fears about President Hamid Karzai's commitment to fighting endemic graft. Afghanistan is one of the world's most corrupt countries and Washington ...

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BP Plc and its Gulf of Mexico oil well partners traded blame on Wednesday after an internal BP investigation tried to downplay the company's role in the world's biggest offshore spill. The 193-page BP report offered a preview of how the British oil giant plans to ...

PARMA, Ohio (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, fighting to keep Democrats in charge of Congress, said on Wednesday the United States could not afford to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the rich and accused Republicans of being fiscally irresponsible. On a campaign trip to Ohio less than two months ...

The victims, mostly Central and South American migrants, were kidnapped last month in the northern state of Tamaulipas by the feared Zetas drug gang. They were blindfolded and bound before being lined up against a wall and gunned down, authorities said. "These seven people arrested in recent ...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's search engine now displays results before users finish typing. The new technology, dubbed Google Instant, can shave two seconds to five seconds off every Internet search, Google said on Wednesday, and could entice users to search more on its website.