US stocks dipped, recording their first loss of the week as President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress sniped at each other and a deadline to avoid sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts drew closer.

New Yorkers awoke to the rumble of subway trains for the first time in four days and the death toll continued to rise from the former hurricane Sandy, one of the biggest and most devastating storms ever to hit the US.

Hurricane Sandy is threatening 50 million people on America's heavily-populated east coast today and forecasters warned that New York could bear the brunt of the one-of-a-kind superstorm.

A freak October storm knocked out power to more than 3.1 million homes and businesses across north-east America, with close to 2ft of snow falling in some areas.

Severe thunderstorms packing large hail and tornadoes have rumbled across the United States’ midsection, killing at least eight people and damaging dozens of homes.

Wall Street secured its best week in four years today, rising modestly after a surprise jump in home sales eased concern that frailty in the housing market will hurt economic growth.

Wall Street secured its best week in four years today, rising modestly after a surprise jump in home sales eased concern that frailty in the housing market will hurt economic growth.

ANGLO IRISH BANK has announced the appointment of Terence Baydala to senior vice president of commercial real estate lending for the firm’s New York office.

The 2006 US hurricane season – which runs from May 15 to November 30 – will be more active than normal but not as busy as last year, a weather company announced tonight.

Hundreds of salt-spreading trucks fanned out across New York City today as the region’s first major winter storm of the season threatened to drop up to 18 inches of snow, blanketing a wide swath of the Northeast US and New England.

Wall Street wandered through a listless session today finishing little changed as investors cast aside upbeat earnings at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Lowe’s Cos. ahead of critical inflation and spending data later this week.

Rioters defied emergency laws that took effect today as they looted and burned two superstores, set fire to a newspaper office and paralysed France’s second-largest city’s subway system with a firebomb.

Reports of extensive damage and photos of fallen oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico sent crude oil prices surging above $70 today, as the realities of the long-term damage from Hurricane Katrina began to sink in.

Sex rarely makes the news in Brazil’s conservative Northeast – until a small town declared an official Orgasm Day today.

Investors welcomed a lower-than-expected drop in wholesale prices and sent stocks higher today, ending a troubled week on Wall Street on a positive note.

OIL prices rose yesterday following Monday’s fall of nearly $3 in the face of rising US stockpiles and expected warmer winter weather.

Concerns over the economic impact of the Asian earthquake tsunami disasters pushed stocks lower in the United States today, putting Wall Street’s recent rally on hold despite decent holiday sales figures and falling oil prices.

US weekly chain store sales fell sharply in the latest week, as snowstorms in the Northeast hampered seasonal holiday shopping, according to the BTM-UBS weekly chain store index.

Two US soldiers missing for days from a checkpost have been found dead north of the capital, a senior US army officer said.

One of two tiny South Pacific islands cut off from the world for days by a massive cyclone has been left devastated, a New Zealand cameraman said after flying over it today.