BEIJING (Reuters) - The World Bank raised its 2010 growth and inflation forecasts for China and recommended a tighter monetary policy as well as a stronger exchange rate to restrain inflation expectations and asset bubbles.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-government protesters headed to the heavily guarded home of Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday in the fourth day of protests aimed at forcing him to call elections.

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Two missile strikes by pilotless U.S. drone aircraft on Wednesday killed at least six militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan, a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary, intelligence officials and residents said.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it 'could not be any clearer' in its repeated commitment to a stable exchange rate after the U.S. Congress threatened to levy duties on some Chinese exports if it fails to revalue its currency.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shin Eun-chul is a four-decade insurance veteran who, into his eighth year in charge of South Korea's No.2 life insurer, has not given any media interviews.

AP - Suspected U.S. drones fired missiles at vehicles and hit a militant hide-out in a tribal region of northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least nine insurgents, two officials said.

Reuters - The World Bank raised its 2010 growth and inflation forecasts for China and recommended a tighter monetary policy as well as a stronger exchange rate to restrain inflation expectations and asset bubbles.

Reuters - Thousands of anti-government protesters headed to the heavily guarded home of Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday in the fourth day of protests aimed at forcing him to call elections.

Reuters - Two missile strikes by pilotless U.S. drone aircraft on Wednesday killed at least six militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan, a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary, intelligence officials and residents said.

Reuters - China said on Wednesday it 'could not be any clearer' in its repeated commitment to a stable exchange rate after the U.S. Congress threatened to levy duties on some Chinese exports if it fails to revalue its currency.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Protesters emptied bottles of their blood outside the home of Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday after the government rejected calls for elections, but the opposition campaign was showing signs of flagging.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it 'could not be any clearer' in its repeated commitment to a stable exchange rate after the U.S. Congress threatened to levy duties on some Chinese exports unless it revalues its currency.

AP - Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print.

AP - When Congress battles over thorny bills, parliamentarian Alan Frumin has been known to sleep in his office — on call 24/7 as the Senate's Solomon, divining the answers.

AP - Red-shirted protesters hurled plastic bags filled with their own blood into the residential compound of Thailand's prime minister Wednesday, hoping their shock tactics will bring down his government.

AP - One was a drywall contractor and father, another a petite woman who cared for the elderly, another a U.S. military officer. The most alarming thing about a string of recently arrested terror suspects is that they are all Americans.

AP - The kit-built single-engine plane had turned into a glider, almost silently trying to make an emergency landing along a stretch of beach. Pharmaceutical salesman Robert Gary Jones, ear buds in, listening to his iPod while jogging neither saw nor heard it and was struck from behind Monday evening and killed instantly.

Reuters - Protesters emptied bottles of their blood outside the home of Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday after the government rejected calls for elections, but the opposition campaign was showing signs of flagging.

Reuters - Dubai World will offer banks a single proposal to repay in full the $26 billion debt it is renegotiating, with interest likely linked to LIBOR, Al Arabiya reported on Wednesday.

AFP - Thai protesters poured their own blood at the gates of the prime minister's residence Wednesday, but their four-day rally backing their ousted political hero appeared to be running out of steam.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai World will offer banks a single proposal to repay in full the $26 billion debt it is renegotiating, with interest likely linked to LIBOR, Al Arabiya reported on Wednesday.

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Iceland's central bank cut interest rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday to ease pressure on the stricken economy, despite uncertainty over international aid due to a row with Britain and the Netherlands.

AP - Much of the world is turning green Wednesday for St. Patrick's Day, the annual celebration of all hues of Irishness.

Reuters - Iceland's central bank cut interest rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday to ease pressure on the stricken economy, despite uncertainty over international aid due to a row with Britain and the Netherlands.

AFP - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Wednesday that the fatal shooting of a French policeman near Paris was 'a criminal action' carried out by Basque separatist group ETA.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it would not waver in sticking to a stable exchange rate and was being made a 'scapegoat' after the U.S. Congress threatened to seek duties on Chinese goods unless it revalues its yuan.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani court formally charged on Wednesday five young Americans of plotting terrorism in the country, their lawyer said.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan loosened monetary policy on Wednesday in a split vote that suggested the central bank would struggle in the future to meet government demands for easier monetary conditions.

AP - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declined to say Wednesday if Democrats have enough votes to pass historic health care legislation, but hinted that they're poised to use an arcane parliamentary process to get it done.

AP - A defense lawyer says a Pakistani court has charged five young Americans with planning terrorist attacks in the South Asian country.

AP - LeBron James was shaky early and spectacular late.

Reuters - China said on Wednesday it would not waver in sticking to a stable exchange rate and was being made a 'scapegoat' after the U.S. Congress threatened to seek duties on Chinese goods unless it revalues its yuan.

Reuters - A Pakistani court formally charged on Wednesday five young Americans of plotting terrorism in the country, their lawyer said.

Reuters - The Bank of Japan loosened monetary policy on Wednesday in a split vote that suggested the central bank would struggle in the future to meet government demands for easier monetary conditions.

AFP - The Basque separatist group ETA was accused Wednesday of killing a French policeman near Paris, the first deadly attack by the armed group on a French officer in its 40-year campaign.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has increased its missile arsenal by 25 percent in the past two years to about 1,000, expanding the threat the state poses to the region, the South's defense chief said Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained of vote fraud Wednesday after new but incomplete results from a March 7 election showed their candidate trailing secularist challenger Iyad Allawi.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Barack Obama on Wednesday and spoke by telephone with his vice president as a vocal feud over Jewish settlements took on softer tones.

AP - Leaders of Thailand's anti-government protesters, who have hurled their own blood at the offices and home of the prime minister, said Wednesday they will remain camped out in capital indefinitely, though in smaller numbers.

AP - Prices at the wholesale level plunged in February by the largest amount in seven months as a big drop in energy prices offset higher food costs.

Reuters - In May, 2002, Jerome Mitchell, a 17-year old college freshman from rural South Carolina, learned he had contracted HIV. The news, of course, was devastating, but Mitchell believed that he had one thing going for him: On his own initiative, in anticipation of his first year in college, he had purchased his own health insurance.

Reuters - North Korea has increased its missile arsenal by 25 percent in the past two years to about 1,000, expanding the threat the state poses to the region, the South's defense chief said Wednesday.

Reuters - Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained of vote fraud Wednesday after new but incomplete results from a March 7 election showed their candidate trailing secularist challenger Iyad Allawi.

Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Barack Obama on Wednesday and spoke by telephone with his vice president as a vocal feud over Jewish settlements took on softer tones.

GENEVA (Reuters) - China has urged Iran to accept a nuclear fuel swap proposal to ease demands for new sanctions on Tehran, a senior Chinese diplomat said, adding that Beijing wants 'every avenue' tried before considering sanctions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In May, 2002, Jerome Mitchell, a 17-year old college freshman from rural South Carolina, learned he had contracted HIV. The news, of course, was devastating, but Mitchell believed that he had one thing going for him: On his own initiative, in anticipation of his first year in college, he had purchased his own health insurance.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained of vote fraud on Wednesday after new but incomplete results from a March 7 election showed their candidate trailing secularist challenger Iyad Allawi.

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Two missile strikes by pilotless U.S. drone aircraft on Wednesday killed at least nine militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan, a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary, intelligence officials and residents said.

AP - President Barack Obama's much-challenged health care overhaul gained traction Wednesday as a liberal lawmaker became the first to switch his opposition and Catholic nuns declared their support in an unusual public break with the bishops.

AP - Companies that hire unemployed workers will get a temporary payroll tax holiday under a bill that easily won final congressional approval Wednesday.

AP - Police say a security breach at Los Angeles International Airport halted screening at three terminals for about 20 minutes.

AP - All 208 episodes of television's 'General Electric Theater,' hosted by then-actor Ronald Reagan, are being delivered to former first lady Nancy Reagan on Wednesday as part of the two-year celebration of the late president's 100th birthday.

AP - NFL owners will vote next week whether to allow each team a possession in overtime in the playoffs if the team winning the OT coin toss kicks a field goal on the first series.

Reuters - China has urged Iran to accept a nuclear fuel swap proposal to ease demands for new sanctions on Tehran, a senior Chinese diplomat said, adding that Beijing wants 'every avenue' tried before considering sanctions.

Reuters - Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained of vote fraud on Wednesday after new but incomplete results from a March 7 election showed their candidate trailing secularist challenger Iyad Allawi.

TUNIS (Reuters) - A top Libyan official on Wednesday welcomed as a 'step forward' a call by Swiss officials for damages to be paid to a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was arrested in Geneva in 2008.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Preliminary U.S. efforts to gradually retake full control of the Taliban's birthplace Kandahar are already underway, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Wednesday, offering few details.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Canadian man charged by U.S. prosecutors two weeks ago with trying to fraudulently obtain aircraft parts from Honeywell International Inc was found dead in his New York apartment, apparently of natural causes, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

AP - Companies that hire unemployed workers will get a temporary payroll tax holiday under a bill that easily won final congressional approval Wednesday.

AP - A Pakistani court charged five young Americans on Wednesday with planning terrorist attacks in the South Asian country and conspiring to wage war against nations allied with Pakistan, their defense lawyer said.

AP - Anti-government demonstrators vowed Wednesday to extend their protest in the Thai capital indefinitely, after taking their attention-grabbing tactic of pouring bottles of their own blood to the prime minister's home.

AP - All the world from the Sydney Opera House to the Empire State Building turned Irish, or at least Irish for the day, as revelers marked St. Patrick's Day with bagpipes, dancing, emerald lights and green body paint in a flurry of celebration.

AP - Airport security agents mistakenly allowed a bottle of liquid to pass through before it was properly scanned early Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport, causing a security breach that halted screening for about 25 minutes, authorities said.

AP - A state-run TV channel is stirring controversy with a documentary about a fake game show in which credulous participants obey orders to deliver increasingly powerful electric shocks to a man, who is really an actor, until he appears to die.

Reuters - A top Libyan official on Wednesday welcomed as a 'step forward' a call by Swiss officials for damages to be paid to a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was arrested in Geneva in 2008.

Reuters - Preliminary U.S. efforts to gradually retake full control of the Taliban's birthplace Kandahar are already underway, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Wednesday, offering few details.

Reuters - A Canadian man charged by U.S. prosecutors two weeks ago with trying to fraudulently obtain aircraft parts from Honeywell International Inc was found dead in his New York apartment, apparently of natural causes, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Two missile strikes by pilotless U.S. drone aircraft on Wednesday killed at least nine militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan, a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary, intelligence officials and residents said.

AFP - Israel on Wednesday dismissed mounting pressure to stop building homes for Jewish settlers in annexed east Jerusalem, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying the demands were 'unreasonable.'

LONDON (Reuters) - A former banker is suing his old employer, French bank Societe Generale, claiming he was dismissed for being 'too successful.'

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban police grabbed members of the opposition group 'Ladies in White' by their hair, dragged them into a bus and drove them away to break up a protest march on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki reclaimed the lead on Wednesday over secularist challenger Iyad Allawi in results from a March 7 parliamentary election that has been dogged by fraud allegations.

AP - President Barack Obama's much-challenged health care overhaul gained traction Wednesday as a liberal lawmaker became the first to switch his opposition and Catholic nuns declared their support in an unusual public break with the bishops.

AP - The Iraq's election commission says the prime minister's coalition has retaken the lead from his secular challenger in the preliminary tally of votes from the parliamentary elections.

AP - Israel on Wednesday lifted its tight restrictions on Palestinian access to Jerusalem's holiest shrine and called off an extended West Bank closure after days of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

AP - Gov. David Paterson's press secretary on Wednesday became the fourth top staffer to quit amid dual scandals, resigning just hours after her boss publicly proclaimed for the first time that he did nothing wrong when he talked to a woman who had accused one of his top aides of abuse.

AP - Police said a man broke into a Pittsburgh home and climbed into bed with its owner, apparently because he was drunk and cold following a rap concert. Homeowner Frank Fontana says he was in bed when the man climbed in about 5:30 Wednesday morning. Fontana says he asked whether it was a woman who has keys to his home — and he grabbed a baseball bat when a deep male voice answered, 'No, it's not.'

AP - Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington failed a Major League Baseball test for cocaine last season, but has apologized and will keep his job. 'I made a huge mistake and it almost caused me to lose everything I have worked for all of my life,' Washington said at a news conference Wednesday. 'I am not here to make excuses. There are none.'

Reuters - A former banker is suing his old employer, French bank Societe Generale, claiming he was dismissed for being 'too successful.'

Reuters - Cuban police grabbed members of the opposition group 'Ladies in White' by their hair, dragged them into a bus and drove them away to break up a protest march on Wednesday.

AFP - Israel on Wednesday dismissed mounting pressure to stop building homes for Jewish settlers in annexed east Jerusalem, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying the demands were 'unreasonable.'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama picked up support for healthcare reform on Wednesday from a former critic and from a group of Catholic nuns, who broke with bishops on the abortion issue and urged final passage of the Senate overhaul.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike in Pakistan last week appears to have killed a top al Qaeda planner who Washington believes helped organize December's deadly suicide bombing at a CIA base in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A package of tax breaks and highway spending cleared Congress on Wednesday, the first of what Democrats hope will be several efforts to bring down the 9.7 percent unemployment rate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Would U.S. forces kill or capture al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, if they ever found him? The goal is to capture him, the Pentagon insists, but the leading U.S. law enforcement official says that's not likely.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The press secretary for New York Democratic Governor David Paterson resigned on Wednesday amid state and federal ethics probes of her boss that have triggered the departures of other top aides.

AP - President Barack Obama's sweeping health care legislation won precious support from a longtime liberal holdout in the House on Wednesday and from Catholic nuns representing dozens of religious orders, gaining fresh traction in the run-up to a climactic weekend vote.

AP - Complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyotas repaired under recalls have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data.

AP - Idaho Gov. C.L. 'Butch' Otter on Wednesday became the first state chief executive to sign a measure requiring his attorney general to sue Congress if it passes health reforms that force residents to buy insurance. Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states nationwide.

AP - The man who has led Iraq for the past four years is battling for his political survival just as U.S. troops are getting ready to pack up and go home.

Reuters - President Barack Obama picked up support for healthcare reform on Wednesday from a former critic and from a group of Catholic nuns, who broke with bishops on the abortion issue and urged final passage of the Senate overhaul.

Reuters - A U.S. drone strike in Pakistan last week appears to have killed a top al Qaeda planner who Washington believes helped organize December's deadly suicide bombing at a CIA base in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Would U.S. forces kill or capture al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, if they ever found him? The goal is to capture him, the Pentagon insists, but the leading U.S. law enforcement official says that's not likely.

Reuters - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki reclaimed the lead on Wednesday over secularist challenger Iyad Allawi in results from a March 7 parliamentary election that has been dogged by fraud allegations.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California Highway Patrol report released on Wednesday in a sensational 'runaway' Toyota Prius incident appears to support the version of events given by the driver, which the automaker has called into question.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday Israeli plans to build more homes near East Jerusalem were not helpful for the Middle East peace process, but he said the issue had not led to a crisis with one of the United States' closest allies.

AP - Idaho took the lead in a growing, nationwide fight against health care overhaul Wednesday when its governor became the first to sign a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy health insurance.

AP - The man who has led Iraq for the past four years is battling for his political survival just as U.S. troops are getting ready to pack up and go home.

Reuters - A California Highway Patrol report released on Wednesday in a sensational 'runaway' Toyota Prius incident appears to support the version of events given by the driver, which the automaker has called into question.

Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday Israeli plans to build more homes near East Jerusalem were not helpful for the Middle East peace process, but he said the issue had not led to a crisis with one of the United States' closest allies.

Reuters - The press secretary for New York Democratic Governor David Paterson resigned on Wednesday amid state and federal ethics probes of her boss that have triggered the departures of other top aides.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Hackers have flooded the Internet with virus-tainted spam that targets Facebook's estimated 400 million users in an effort to steal banking passwords and gather other sensitive information.

AP - Products intended to treat cats and dogs for fleas and ticks kill hundreds of pets each year and injure tens of thousands, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday as it outlined plans to make the products safer.

AP - Lacey Brown is down and out on 'American Idol.'

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp has told U.S. safety regulators that it is considering how to fix nearly 1.2 million Corolla and Matrix models at risk of stalling out because of flaws in an electronic system.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp has told U.S. safety regulators that it is considering how to fix nearly 1.2 million Corolla and Matrix models at risk of stalling out because of flaws in an electronic system.

AP - President Barack Obama's sweeping health care legislation won precious support from a longtime liberal holdout in the House on Wednesday and from a retired Catholic bishop and nuns representing dozens of religious orders — gaining fresh traction ahead of a climactic weekend vote.