United States

Saturday, January 11th 2014 - 11:04 UTC
President Obama names Stanley Fischer vice-chair of the Federal Reserve

US President Barack Obama Friday nominated former Israeli central bank governor and renowned economist Stanley Fischer as vice chair of the Federal Reserve, completing a shakeup of the board's leadership.
Saturday, January 11th 2014 - 08:20 UTC
Number of US jobs created last December was the lowest for three years

The US economy created only 74,000 jobs in December, with many Americans giving up looking for work, latest figures show. The number of jobs created was the lowest for three years and was well under half the number expected by analysts.
Saturday, January 11th 2014 - 08:13 UTC
US congress becomes 'club' of millionaires: Democrats slightly wealthier than Republicans

For the first time, half of the members of the US Congress are millionaires, according to a wealth analysis. At least 268 of the 534 politicians in the Senate and House of Representatives had a net worth of 1m dollars or more in 2012.
Thursday, January 9th 2014 - 06:59 UTC
Most Fed members agreed on December's stimulus reduction, indicate minutes

Federal Reserve members mostly agreed about a reduction in the central bank's stimulus efforts in December, meeting minutes released Wednesday reveal. The central bank announced a $10bn a month reduction in its bond buying program at the end of its December meeting.
Wednesday, January 8th 2014 - 20:17 UTC
Kennedy in 1963 considered a military intervention in Brazil; a coup followed in 1964

Former US President John F Kennedy mulled possible military intervention in Brazil one year before the 1964 coup that ousted then constitutional president Joao Goulart, according to archive documents released on Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 8th 2014 - 05:07 UTC
All 50 US states suffered freezing temperatures, affecting 190 million people

Weather records have tumbled across North America, as all 50 US states saw freezing temperatures. The most extreme arctic blasts, blamed on a weather pattern known as the polar vortex, were said to have affected nearly 190 million people.
Tuesday, January 7th 2014 - 23:28 UTC
JP Morgan will pay 1.7bn dollars penalty related to Bernard Madoff's fraud

JPMorgan Chase & Co will pay a 1.7 billion dollars penalty to settle charges by US federal authorities that the bank failed to report suspicious activity relating to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
Tuesday, January 7th 2014 - 05:58 UTC
Yellen confirmed as next Federal Reserve chairperson: Senate votes 56-26

Janet Yellen, a key force behind the Federal Reserve's unprecedented and controversial efforts to boost the US economy, was confirmed on Monday by the Senate to lead the central bank just as it begins to unwind that stimulus.
Monday, January 6th 2014 - 06:47 UTC
Midwestern US warned of 'life-threatening' temperatures of up to minus 51 Celsius

Residents of the Midwestern United States braced for the coldest weather in two decades, temperatures that forecasters warned would be life-threatening. An estimated one third of the US population has been affected by the extreme weather conditions that also reached neighboring Canada.
Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 15:40 UTC
Colorado, USA, celebrates the end of marihuana prohibition and opens new chapter

The world's first state-licensed marijuana retailers legally permitted to sell pot for recreational use have opened for business in Colorado with long lines of customers, marking a new chapter in America's drug culture.