WASHINGTON – Senators backed by an alliance of manufacturers and unions blocked action Thursday on a pension overhaul bill in protest over requirements that companies with less than stellar credit ratings pay more into their pension funds. “We’re talking but we’re not getting anywhere,” said Sen. Mike DeWine (search), R-Ohio. …

SAN FRANCISCO – Web search leader Google Inc. (GOOG) Thursday posted a sharp rise in quarterly profit that topped Wall Street profit and revenue expectations, sending shares of the high-flying stock 7.5 percent higher. Google reported third-quarter net income rose to $381.2 million, or $1.32 per diluted share, more than …

BEIJING – Some 2,600 birds have been found dead of bird flu in northern China’s grasslands, the government said Wednesday, amid reports of new outbreaks in Europe and Russia. Preliminary tests detected the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in samples taken from a region south of Moscow where hundreds of …

NEW YORK – After four days on high alert, police announced Monday that they were scaling back a New York City (search) subway security crackdown prompted by a report of an Al Qaeda plot to blow up trains. Officials said they were still investigating claims by an informant that Al …

NEW YORK – Before you make any large or expensive purchases — such as home appliances, cars or cutting-edge electronics — you need to do some research to know exactly what you want and exactly how much it costs. While consumer stores allow you to see what’s out there and …

WASHINGTON – Texas Republican Rep. Tom DeLay (search) left an Austin courtroom Friday for his first court appearance on money laundering and conspiracy charges after his arraignment was delayed while the presiding judge asks a higher authority for a decision on whether to recuse himself. State District Judge Bob Perkins …

NEW YORK – Stocks rallied Monday, lifting the Dow and S&P 500 to their biggest one-day point gains in six months, after White House economic adviser Ben Bernanke’s (search) nomination to succeed Federal Reserve ChairmanAlan Greenspan (search) put to rest some market uncertainty. Earnings reports also buoyed investor sentiment. The …

ALBANY, N.Y. – Two Muslim men caught up in an anti-terrorism sting operation pleaded innocent Friday as details emerged about 10 new charges against them. Yassin Aref (search) and Mohammed Hossain (search) were accused Thursday of attempting to provide support to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based group listed by the federal government …

NEW YORK – New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. (search) said Friday that the newspaper was far too slow in correcting its reports indicating Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but the blame did not lie entirely with Judith Miller, the author of many of the stories. In …

I don’t think it’s cronyism — Bush’s pick of longtime legal aide Harriet Miers (search) for the Supreme Court. I think it might be Laura Bush’s choice. I think it just might be Texan George W. Bush saying, “Hey, can’t figure these East coast guys out, I’m going with the …