By Bloomberg News.

Reuters - Credit Suisse Group Inc. , one of three underwriters for Refco Inc.'s initial public offering, on Tuesday said it received regulatory subpoenas regarding the commodities and futures broker, which sought bankruptcy protection in October.

Reuters - Germany's Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) pushed up core earnings by 3.7 percent in the third quarter -- in line with expectations -- driven by profits at its key mobile phone business, it said on Wednesday.

AFP - Japan is expected to report on Friday a slowing of economic growth in the third quarter as domestic demand cooled, although the outlook for the world's number two economy remains positive, analysts said.

Aerospace giant Boeing is attempting to break the world record for the longest non-stop passenger airline flight.

UK consumer confidence fell for a third month in a row in October amid fears over jobs and the economy, the Nationwide says.

The last 10% of TV viewers to move to digital television will cost £572m to convert, says watchdog Ofcom.

Reuters - Insurer American International Group Inc. said on Wednesday it will delay filing its third-quarter results until November 14, giving it time to correct errors as it addresses previous accounting weaknesses.

Reuters - Seven & I Holdings Co. (3382.T), Asia's biggest retailer by value, said on Wednesday it had acquired a 95.4 percent stake in 7-Eleven Inc. in a $1.2 billion tender offer.

Vietnam is to become the first under-licence manufacturer of the drug believed to be an effective treatment for bird flu.

Germany's trade surplus with the rest of the world widens to a record 14.8bn euros in September, official figures show.

Britain's trade gap has narrowed after rising to a record in August because of hurricane pay-outs.

Workers at Seat are planning to stage a walkout in protest at plans to cut 1,340 jobs at the Spanish carmaker.

The sale of its US magazine business boosts profits for German media group Bertelsmann.

Mittal Steel suffers a sharp fall in profits as the two-year surge in global steel prices comes to an end.

Reuters - PepsiCo Inc. , the world's second-largest soft drink maker, on Wednesday backed its previous forecast and said it would take a restructuring charge.

Reuters - Insurer American International Group Inc. said on Wednesday it will delay filing its third-quarter results until November 14, giving it time to correct errors as it addresses previous accounting weaknesses.

Reuters - U.S. stock futures were slightly higher on Wednesday, with oil prices edging lower ahead of key U.S. inventory data.

Reuters - U.S. mortgage applications increased last week, driven by a brisk rise in demand for loans to purchase homes even as interest rates rose to 16-month highs, an industry group's figures showed on Wednesday.

USATODAY.com - The world's largest retailer wants to open a bank, and its critics are showering federal regulators with pleas to say no. Wal-Mart Stores' application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to charter a bank has drawn 1,550 mostly negative comments, the most ever.

Swisscom confirms that it is in takeover talks with Irish telecoms firm Eircom but says it might not make an offer.

Turkey is granted 'market economy' status by the European Union, a vital hurdle on the road to membership.

Iranian MPs urge President Ahmadinejad to withdraw his nominee for the post of oil minister for a second time.

Drugs group AstraZeneca files a legal case in the US against Teva Pharmaceuticals to protect its best-selling schizophrenia drug.

Reuters - US Airways Group Inc. , which merged with America West Airlines in September, on Wednesday reported a wider third-quarter loss.

Reuters - U.S. stock futures suggested a flat market opening on Wednesday, with stocks likely to receive some support as crude oil futures edged lower before oil inventory data forecast to show a rise in supplies.

Reuters - Delphi Corp. on Wednesday said its net loss shot wider in the quarter before the auto parts maker filed for bankruptcy, pressured by production cuts at former parent General Motors Corp. and high materials costs.

Reuters - Insurer American International Group Inc. said on Wednesday it would delay filing third-quarter results until November 14, giving it time to correct errors as it addresses previous accounting weaknesses.

AP - The German economy, Europe's biggest, will grow by only 1 percent next year amid high oil prices, the government's panel of economic advisers forecast Wednesday.

Reuters - Federated Department Stores Inc. on Wednesday reported a jump in quarterly net income, boosted by its sale of credit card assets to Citigroup Inc. .

Reuters - U.S. stocks edged higher on Wednesday after oil inventory data showed a much larger-than-expected rise in U.S. crude supplies, knocking the oil price lower and easing investor worries about higher energy prices.

Reuters - American International Group Inc. said on Wednesday it would restate several years of financial statements for a second time and delayed its third-quarter results to fix accounting errors.

AFP - The European Commission granted Turkey "market economy status" provided it keeps up the pace of reforms, in a symbolic boost for Ankara a month after it started EU entry talks.

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Oil prices hit their lowest level for three months as figures show larger than expected crude stockpiles in the US.

Europe's biggest coal-fired power station receives a firm takeover bid from US electricity giant Constellation Energy.

Britain's trade gap has narrowed after rising to a record in August because of hurricane pay-outs.

Reuters - Hotel chain La Quinta Properties Inc. on Wednesday said it agreed to be acquired for $2.28 billion in cash by the Blackstone Group, as lodging companies continue to lure deep pocketed investors.

Reuters - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday as Exxon Mobil Corp. shares rebounded with oil prices, offsetting a drop in General Motors Corp. on concern about earnings in the automotive sector.

AP - French businesses are worried that the cost of the past 13 nights of rioting that has swept the country could go beyond clean-up to hurt investment and consumer confidence going into the all-important winter shopping season.

Reuters - Clothing retailer Tommy Hilfiger has received five separate offers for the company, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The oil company executives emphasized that prices were being driven by larger forces often out of their control.

Today's announcement was the third restatement made by A.I.G. this year as the isurance giant continues to struggle to restore investor trust after an accounting scandal.

The loss for the third quarter was smaller than the one posted a year earlier, but it was still larger than Wall Street had expected.

David Gunn opposed the Bush plan to turn over the Northeast Corridor to a federal-state consortium.

Reuters - Top executives of big oil companies on Wednesday defended surging profits at a time of high prices, and warned a Senate hearing that a windfall profit tax could stymie investment and lead prices still higher.

Reuters - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday for the fifth session in six days as investors bought shares across a wide range of sectors on hopes that seasonal patterns would spark a year-end rally.

Reuters - Shares of Pixar Animation Studios Inc. rose as much as 13 percent to a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company beat quarterly earnings forecasts and said talks to extend its relationship with Walt Disney Co. had been positive.

Reuters - Roche Holding AG expects rheumatoid arthritis to become a key plank of its drugs business in the future, driven by sales of two products now nearing the market, its head of pharmaceuticals said on Wednesday.

AP - French businesses are worried that the cost of the past 13 nights of rioting that has swept the country could go beyond clean-up to hurt investment and consumer confidence going into the all-important winter shopping season.

Reuters - Federated Department Stores Inc. , in the process of integrating its acquisition of May Department Stores, on Wednesday reported a surge in quarterly net income, boosted by the sale of credit card assets to Citigroup Inc. .

Hopes of a global trade deal recede after WTO officials fail to iron out key differences ahead of a crucial meeting.

Reuters - Computer and telecommunications network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. on Wednesday posted a slightly lower quarterly profit due to the cost of expensing stock options.

Reuters - The U.S. current account deficit is not sustainable but an adjustment need not be disorderly, provided the government and central bank deliver good policies, a top Federal Reserve policy-maker said on Wednesday.

Reuters - U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Wednesday as oil at the lowest level in more than three months boosted retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., while General Motors Corp. hit a 13-year low on concerns about a possible strike at its main auto parts supplier.

Reuters - Whole Foods Market Inc. , the top U.S. natural and organic foods retailer, on Wednesday said it plans to increase its quarterly dividend by 20 percent to 30 cents per share, set a special dividend of $4.00 per share and announced a two-for-one stock split.

Cisco Systems, the world's biggest maker of internet equipment, posts a slightly lower quarterly profit.

Reuters - Refco Inc. on Wednesday asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to liquidate its futures brokerage, as an intense auction for its assets dragged into the night.

Reuters - U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Wednesday as oil at the lowest level in more than three months boosted retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., while General Motors Corp. hit a 13-year low on concerns about a possible strike at its main auto parts supplier.

Reuters - Whole Foods Market Inc. , the top U.S. natural and organic foods retailer, on Wednesday said quarterly profit plunged 68 percent, weighed down by a higher tax rate related to stock options and a charge for estimated losses due to Hurricane Katrina.

General Motors Corp. said Wednesday it plans to restate its earnings from 2001 because an accounting error led the company to overstate its earnings by up to 35 percent.

Reuters - Cisco Systems Inc. on Wednesday reported a slightly lower quarterly profit as it expensed stock options compensation for the first time and disappointed investors with a revenue forecast below expectations, pushing its shares down in after-hours trade.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates amid strong U.S. growth and risks of higher inflation, with no hint that it is nearing a pause, Fed policy-makers made plain in comments on Wednesday.

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