News: National and World

An FDA panel backed Vivus's Qnexa, which could lead to approval of the first new prescription weight-loss drug in more than a decade.

Members of the Group of 20 advanced and developing economies plan to renew pressure on Europeans in coming days to expand their Continent-wide bailout funds, despite the latest rescue deal for Greece.

Live updates, analysis and fact checking of Wednesday's Republican presidential debate hosted by CNN.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said North Korea is trying to influence the outcome of elections in the South this year with threats against his government, but Seoul remains open to talks if Pyongyang wants to improve relations.

General Motors and French car maker Peugeot Citroën are discussing a European auto alliance as the two grapple with weak sales and a raging price war on the continent.

Somalia's al-Shabaab militia, which has held much of the country in its violent sway for years, faced defeat at the hands of Ethiopian and Somali troops.

MESA, Arizona (Reuters) - Rick Santorum finally got his chance at center stage in a debate of Republican presidential candidates on Wednesday that represented the best chance to address large numbers of voters before a pivotal period in the 2012 campaign.

TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A federal judge declared on Wednesday that a Washington state rule requiring pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives against their religious beliefs is unconstitutional.

TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A federal judge declared on Wednesday that a Washington state rule requiring pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives against their religious beliefs is unconstitutional.

President Obama asked Congress to reduce the top rate to 28 percent, entering a debate with Republicans who seek even lower taxes for businesses.

Parents go to Hong Kong for better medical care and lifelong residency benefits for their children, but locals are outraged over being shut out of maternity wards.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Thursday called for a leadership vote within her ruling Labor Party, a day after bitter rival Kevin Rudd resigned as foreign minister, extending a political crisis that threatens the future of her government.

The train crashed at a busy central station in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, killing 49 passengers and injuring more than 600 people.

A day after NATO officials apologized for the burning of Korans, American Embassy officials were on lockdown and hundreds of Afghans were marching on a NATO camp near Kabul.

California's attorney general reached a deal with six of the largest companies in the mobile-device market over privacy policies for apps.

A new program would require banks to send to court officials who have the power to alter loans to keep people in their homes.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - Two Alabama women were accused of murder on Wednesday for allegedly killing a young girl by forcing her to run for three hours without stopping, authorities said.

Gov. Bob McDonnell said he wanted an amendment stipulating that pre-abortion ultrasounds be limited to a non-invasive abdominal scan.

A jury convicted former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely of second-degree murder in the 2010 death of his ex-girlfriend, Yeardley Love.

China could face an economic crisis unless it implements deep reforms, including scaling back its state-owned enterprises and making them operate more like commercial firms, a report says.