Madonna, Ritchie granted divorce
The show-business marriage that began in a Scottish castle came to an end in a drab London courtroom Friday as Madonna and Guy Ritchie were granted a preliminary decree of divorce.
Stocks turn higher on Geithner nomination
Stocks turned higher after NBC News reported that New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner will be nominated as President-elect Barack Obama's Treasury Secretary.
GM plans more cuts, eyes up to 10 factories
General Motors Corp. will extend its holiday shutdown or make other production cuts at five factories at as it deals with a continued U.S. auto sales slump and fights to stay solvent.
Hundreds wait at stores for BlackBerry Storm
Hundreds of people lined up at Verizon Wireless stores on Friday to buy the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion that aims to compete with Apple's iPhone.
Blast kills 8 mourners at Pakistani funeral
A blast killed at least six mourners Friday at the funeral of a Shiite cleric in northwest Pakistan who was gunned down hours earlier, police said.
Report predicts U.S. decline, Russia rise
Global warming could be a boon to Russia while the U.S. could further decline in importance during the next two decades, says a U.S. intelligence report with predictions for the world in 2025.
NBC: Obama to nominate Clinton for State
Transition and Democratic officials say the junior senator from New York will be nominated for secretary of state sometime after Thanksgiving, barring unforeseen issues.
Bush signs bill providing extra jobless benefits
President George W. Bush on Friday ensured that millions of laid-off workers will keep getting their unemployment checks as the year-end holidays approach.
Obama team springs leaks
Barack Obama was famously able to impose discipline and control over his presidential campaign, but it didn't take long for him to discover that running a transition is something quite different.
Sexism award goes to 'ugly ducklings' mayor
An Australian outback mayor's plea for lovelorn female "ugly ducklings" to move to a remote mining town to reverse a shortage of eligible women has won him the country's yearly award for outrageous sexism.