Argentine lawmakers on Wednesday gave the government permission to enter talks with investors holding US$20 billion the country's defaulted bonds, in a bid to re-enter global credit markets.

The United States is eyeing side talks with key partners on services trade as a way to spur flagging World Trade Organization talks, the Obama administration's nominee for WTO ambassador said.

The Internet is still under the control of the United States, participants at a governance forum said, despite a move by America to loosen its grip over the private corporation that administers the net.

The Obama administration is poised to extend the life of the highly unpopular US$700 billion financial bailout, and, to display a commitment to fiscal responsibility, is planning to use much of the leftover funds to reduce the national debt, government sources said.

Despite the lowest mortgage rates since May, applications for loans to finance home purchases fell again last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday.

The budding economic recovery isn't getting much help from the home-building industry, which normally creates jobs and drives growth when a recession ends.

Almost a quarter of U.S. employers say morale among workers at their companies is low, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

A House committee voted Wednesday to give the government extraordinary new power to break up large financial companies that pose a risk to the economy.

California is putting big-screen televisions on a diet. Starting in 13 months, new TV sets will have to meet energy efficiency standards that slash the amount of electricity they consume.

More than 14,700 Americans with previously undisclosed offshore bank accounts have come forward to settle their back taxes after an amnesty offer, U.S. officials said Tuesday.