The U.S. on Wednesday offered to help Pakistanis displaced by an army operation against Islamist militants in a northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Pakistani officials have said more than 200,000 have fled Bajur, the primary focus of the nearly two-...

Even if a student plans on a major where the financial rewards aren't so obvious, such as art history or philosophy, most American families don't factor in their child's expected earning power when considering the potential debt load for college. That's...

A coalition of same-sex marriage opponents and taxpayer groups is trying to persuade voters to approve a state constitutional convention in the hopes of bringing the initiative petition process to Connecticut. Connecticut voters will be asked Nov. 4 whether...

Paddlings, swats, licks. A quarter of a million schoolchildren got them last year _ and blacks, American Indians and kids with disabilities got a disproportionate share of the punishment, according to a study by a human rights group. Even little kids can be...

Hewlett-Packard Co. weathered economic turbulence remarkably well in the fiscal third quarter but the technology bellwether faces another big challenge _ stiffer personal-computer competition _ that threatens to slow its steady growth. The Palo Alto-based...

As mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac struggle with continuing credit losses, their ability to raise needed capital is uncertain and, analysts say, is complicated by the possibility of a government bailout of the two companies. "We're in uncharted...

Oil prices were slightly higher in Asia on Wednesday as investors awaited a weekly crude inventory report for evidence an economic slowdown in the U.S. is cutting consumer demand for oil products such as gasoline. Light, sweet crude for September delivery was...

They survived war, but for some Iraq and Afghanistan veterans going to work back home isn't easy, either. An estimated 300,000 from the two wars have returned home with mental health problems, so-called invisible wounds, and about the same number suffered...

Support for climate-change proposals may be growing among investors in big U.S. companies. Shareholder resolutions related to climate change more than doubled over the past five years, according to statistics gathered by a coalition of public interest groups,...

The soaring cost of steel has Toyota considering raising prices in Japan without a model makeover for the first time in three decades, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday. Speculation has been rife Toyota Motor Corp. will be forced to announce higher prices...

Barack Obama and John McCain have burnished images as politicians who keep special interests at arms' length, yet there won't be much stiff-arming at their nominating conventions. For the next two weeks _ in Denver and then St. Paul, Minn. _ corporations,...

Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has consistently followed the government's instructions for keeping prohibited foreign money out of their presidential campaigns, and some of that banned money has slipped into Obama's campaign. During interviews with 123...

China has banned the use of its Olympic gold medalists' names as Internet addresses by anyone but the athletes themselves. The move announced Tuesday came after companies registered the names of winning Chinese athletes at the 2004 Athens Olympics as Web...

EBAY'S GOAL: The online auction company is still very profitable, but has struggled to bring in new users. So the company has taken several steps aimed at making shopping on eBay more attractive to buyers. THE FALLOUT: Some people who sell things on eBay say...

Some people who sell things on eBay are fed up with new rules the company has been imposing in hopes of making the auction site more attractive to online shoppers. Now even more changes are coming in the next few weeks, but this time eBay Inc. hopes it can...

Finding out when you can legally fire employees isn't an easy question to answer. Laws and cases have become increasingly protective of employees. Although the "at will" doctrine is still prevalent in many states (meaning that you can freely fire an employee...

U.S. consumers have been buying significantly fewer cell phones but paying higher prices for them, according to a research firm. The NPD Group said in a report Tuesday that 28 million cell phones were sold in the United States in the second quarter, a decline...

Due to arrive todaySHIPFROMPORT/BERTHCOSCO FELIXSTOWELONG BEACHOAK/58APL ARABIASAN PEDROOAK/30USL KEAUNKNOWNOAK/59ANDROMEDA LEADERPORTLANDBNC/2MAHIMAHIHONOLULUOAK/67MOL PARTNERLOS ANGELESOAK/30Due to depart todaySHIPDESTPORT/BERTHNYK NEBULAUNKNOWNOAK/...

Wall Street fell sharply for a second straight session Tuesday after a hefty jump in wholesale inflation and a drop in new home construction gave investors more reason to believe an economic recovery is far off. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped nearly...

The Chronicle is looking for readers who have had their interest rates raised or credit limits cut on home equity loans, credit cards or other loan accounts. We also want to speak with people who have been denied credit or had lenders tighten loan terms....