Senator Bob Corker wants a proposed bank agency to be more lenient toward nonbank companies, but some advocates say that would hurt consumers.

In such a move, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would be taken over by its creditors in exchange for debt forgiveness, people briefed on the matter said.

BEIJING (AP) -- China's exports rose in February in a new sign of growing global demand that could help persuade officials to let the Chinese currency rise.

The region?s major indexes were largely mixed as Chinese exports soared nearly 46 percent in February from a year earlier.

As Democrats considered potential maneuvers, business groups announced plans for a campaign to stop the legislation.

European Aeronautic Defense and Space said part of its profit plan is to win more American contracts, a strategy some analysts questioned.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood was evicted after pressuring the Walt Disney Company into offering refunds to buyers of its Baby Einstein videos.

The drug, known for its ability to smooth frown lines, can now be used to treat spasticity in muscles of the elbow, wrist and fingers.

Net earnings were down 96 percent as the economy weakened cargo transportation and a breakdown of Eurostar trains disrupted year-end holiday travel.

The supermarket chain?s profit topped Wall Street?s forecast of 34 cents a share, and its sales were better than the $17.7 billion analysts expected.

A year has passed since the stock market rally began, but the global economy is still a long way from recovery.

AP - Derivatives have become a dirty word.

AP - The luxury apartment buildings Yang Xuhua passes on her way to work are a daily reminder of her own frustrated efforts to buy a home. Prices for even modest apartments in Shanghai have soared, putting home purchases out of reach for white collar workers and professionals.

AP - Asian stock markets were little changed Wednesday even as surging Chinese exports pointed to a pickup in global trade.

AP - Oil prices hovered above $81 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed mixed evidence about U.S. crude demand.

Reuters - Oil reversed earlier losses to gain a few cents toward $82 on Wednesday after China said imports jumped in February, boosting evidence that emerging Asian economies will lead global demand back into growth this year.

China's exports surged 46% in February, figures show, raising hopes of a strong recovery in global trade.

The earthquake in Chile may cost the global insurance industry as much as $7bn (£4.7bn), Swiss Re estimates.

Gordon Brown is expected to say he has guided the economy through a 'storm' and is best-placed to secure its recovery.

Northern Rock says that it made 'good progress' in 2009, after reporting a sharp fall in its annual losses.

AP - Nationalized mortgage lender Northern Rock said Wednesday that it returned to profit in the second half of 2009 as interest income rose and losses on loans fell.

AP - Highlights of Senate legislation extending unemployment insurance and expired tax breaks:

Reuters - Oil fell toward $81 a barrel on Wednesday in volatile trade as expectations for a gain in U.S. crude stockpiles offset surging Chinese imports.

AFP - GM Daewoo, the South Korean unit of struggling US auto giant General Motors, said Wednesday it intends to return to profit this year and currently needs no further financial support from creditors.

Israel, widely believed to have nuclear weapons and possessing no oil, said on Tuesday that it intended to develop civilian nuclear plants for energy.

Some fear a proposed change to a film incentive program would discriminate against productions with gay characters.

Investors remained reluctant to make significant moves without a clear sense of the recovery?s strength.

German exports fell unexpectedly in January, with analysts saying that the cold weather that month was to blame.

Universities are to be given £10m of National Lottery money to encourage more students to get involved in sport.

Industrial production in the UK fell unexpectedly in January, official data has shown.

This year's Budget will be held on Wednesday 24 March, Chancellor Alistair Darling confirms.

Insurance firm Standard Life reports better-than-expected profits and unveils plans for a further cost-cutting.

AP - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that his government will lay out its budget plans on March 24, paving the way for a national election.

AP - British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia have offered to give away takeoff and landing slots at London and New York airports to soothe European Union antitrust worries, EU regulators said Wednesday.

AP - World stock markets were little changed Wednesday even as surging Chinese exports pointed to a pickup in global trade.

AP - Germany energy company E.On AG said Wednesday that 2009 net income rose sharply to euro8.4 billion ($11.4 billion) partly as a result of the disposal of assets.

AP - Rich countries must strengthen financial market regulation and bring down their oversized government deficits, two of the biggest new challenges to have arisen from the global economic crisis, the OECD said Wednesday.

Reuters - Infosys Technologies, India's No. 2 software services exporter, is seeing a rise in outsourcing deal flows due to a recovery in the global economy, a top official said on Wednesday.

AP - Oil prices drifted down to near $81 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed mixed evidence about U.S. crude demand.

Economists said the data signaled a rebound in consumer demand in the U.S. and other Western markets.

European antitrust regulators took a step toward approving an alliance between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.

The region?s indexes were flat even as surging Chinese exports pointed to a pickup in global trade.

Troubled record company EMI - whose artists include Coldplay - has named former ITV boss Charles Allen as its new chairman.

Oil firm Tullow says profits for 2009 fell by 93% but it is optimistic after major new discoveries in Uganda and Ghana.

Talks aimed at averting strike action by BA cabin crew have resumed at the TUC, after a deadline was extended.

Cardiff City are given eight more weeks by the High Court to settle an outstanding tax bill.

Thousands of top-earning public sector workers, including judges and NHS managers, will have their pay frozen next year.

AP - World stock markets traded in a narrow range Wednesday as investors looked for renewed direction, while the British pound continued to founder following unimpressive industrial output figures.

AP - China's exports rose in February in a new sign of growing global demand that could help persuade officials to let the Chinese currency rise.

AP - Investors are continuing to search for direction Wednesday, after two days of relatively flat trading. Stock futures edged higher.

AP - Greek unions say nationwide strikes will shut down all public services, closing schools, customs and tax offices, halting public transport and grounding flights for 24 hours.

AP - OPEC has raised its projections for oil demand growth this year by 100,000 barrels per day, but stresses that gains could be eroded if the U.S. government scales back on stimulus efforts before the country's economy fully recovers.

With little economic data so far this week, indexes have fallen into a pattern of trading within a narrow range.

Ibaraki Airport, which opens Thursday about 85 kilometers, or 52.7 miles north of Tokyo, aims to be a completely new type of Japanese hub.

Turkey's economy minister said the country no longer needed emergency funds.

British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia offer to give up take off and landing slots in London and New York, say EU watchdogs.

Troubled record company EMI - whose artists include Coldplay - has named former ITV boss Charles Allen as its new chairman.

Cardiff City football club are given eight more weeks by the High Court on Wednesday to settle an outstanding tax bill.

British Gas workers are to vote in a strike ballot over allegations of bullying by management, and on changes to working conditions.

AP - Fertilizer company Terra Industries says it will pursue a bid to be acquired by CF Industries instead of a previous agreement with Norway's Yara.

AP - The Treasury Department has received $15.39 million from the sale of warrants it received from Washington Federal Inc. as part of the support it provided from the government's $700 billion bailout program.

AP - German publisher Axel Springer AG said Wednesday that net income fell 45 percent in 2009 to euro314 million ($427 million), with a drop in demand for newspapers and magazines mitigated only partially by new Internet revenues.

AP - Turkey says it and the International Monetary Fund have mutually agreed to call off talks for a loan.

AP - Financially troubled Portugal raised euro990 million ($1.34 billion) Wednesday in a key bond auction that had more bids than bonds available, suggesting the government's austerity plan is easing market concerns about the country's ability to pay off its high debts.

BusinessWeek - It's no secret that small businesses in the U.S. face difficulties accessing credit. According to a survey of a random sample of 751 small businesses conducted by Gallup at the end of 2009 for the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation, 44% of small businesses seeking credit in 2009 received only some or none of the money they sought. This level of credit access compares poorly with mid-2000, when nine of every 10 companies seeking credit received it. While there is broad agreement that a small business credit problem exists, there is less consensus about its causes. ...

With little economic data so far this week, indexes have fallen into a pattern of trading within a narrow range.

Wholesale inventories declined 0.2 percent in the first month of the year, as businesses remained cautious about restocking their depleted shelves.

Terra Industries said on Wednesday that it has deemed a new $4.7 billion takeover offer by CF Industries Holdings is superior to a $4.1 billion deal it had already signed with Yara International of Norway.

A week after announcing its austerity plan, Portugal sold more bonds than initially planned Wednesday, and at a lower borrowing cost.

Talks aimed at averting strike action by BA cabin crew are continuing at the TUC, after a deadline was extended.

Economic challenge for new president in quake-hit Chile .

The UK economy grew by 0.3% in the December to February period, says the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

AP - Businesses trimmed inventories at the wholesale level again in January even though sales rose for a 10th consecutive month. The dip in inventories underscored that businesses remain cautious about restocking their depleted shelves.

AP - Stocks edged higher Wednesday after the government said businesses trimmed their inventories again in January.

AP - Fertilizer company Terra Industries said Wednesday its board favors a bid to be acquired by CF Industries instead of a previous agreement with Norway's Yara.

AP - Digital printing products maker Presstek Inc. posted a larger fourth-quarter loss Wednesday as revenues sank, though it said its overall financial position has grown stronger.

AFP - Turkey will not sign a loan stand-by deal with the IMF as it does not need emergency funds, the premier said Wednesday, ending nearly two years of talks dogged by disagreement on key issues.

AP - Crude inventories rose less than expected last week, while gasoline supplies dropped, the government said Wednesday.

AFP - US investigators launched a probe Tuesday into a runaway Toyota Prius in California, a high-profile case that threatens to undermine the Japanese automaker's effort to repair its battered image.

A Shanghai company denies it used sweatshop labour to produce World Cup mascots, as Fifa suspends its manufacturing contract.

Small firms may be exempted from having to draw up and lodge annual accounts, after MEPs approve changes to European Union rules.

China is to lend Sri Lanka just under $200m to build a second international airport in the south of the island.

Administrators at Portsmouth FC start to make employees redundant, with 85 people losing their jobs.

10 years on from the burst Nasdaq bubble

Further stress-testing of UK banks will take place to ensure they can survive a 'double-dip' recession, regulators say.

Northern Rock says that it made 'good progress' in 2009, after reporting a sharp fall in its annual losses.

Bank accounts which charge fees for extra benefits may be being mis-sold, the Financial Services Authority has warned.

Fraudsters are continuing their switch from traditional card fraud to raiding online bank accounts, research suggests.

AP - The House has passed a bill that would allow taxpayers to write off charitable donations to Chile earthquake relief efforts when they file their 2009 taxes this spring.

AP - Connecticut's attorney general sued Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's over ratings the pair issued on risky investments.

AP - Specialty metal and plastic products company A.M. Castle & Co. said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter loss shrank, helped by lower material costs and the effect of one-time charges.

AFP - The euro staged a modest turnaround against the dollar Wednesday in featureless trading as dealers looked for signals on prospects for the world economy and a proposed European monetary fund.

AFP - France and Germany agree that idea of a European-style IMF is not aimed at helping Greece now but is a medium-term project, France's prime minister said Wednesday after talks in Berlin.

AFP - World oil prices surged Wednesday after news that fuel stockpiles in the United States slumped last week, indicating strengthening demand in the world's top energy consumer.

Investors bought shares of firms bailed out by the government amid speculation that their balance sheets would substantially improve.

The chief executive of a troubled recorded music division is stepping down.

More than a dozen state troopers and detectives arrived with a search warrant at the offices of Lehr Construction at 7 a.m.

Unemployment rose in 30 states in January, the Labor Department said, which was somewhat better than December, when 43 states reported higher jobless rates.

Talks between British Airways and Unite aimed at averting strike action by cabin crew break down without agreement.

AP - The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year.

AP - Talks between British Airways and a cabin crew union aimed at averting a strike have broken down with no agreement, the airline said Wednesday, again raising the possibility of a walkout by thousands of employees.

AP - Rockwell Medical Technologies Inc., which makes products used in the treatment of kidney disease and anemia, reported a smaller fourth-quarter loss Wednesday as its sales grew and expenses came down.

AP - Calling himself a realist, Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday scaled back his proposal to raise income taxes, shifting to a call for an increase of just one percentage point to be used solely for preventing deep cuts to education.

AFP - WTO chief Pascal Lamy was in Washington Wednesday for talks with US officials and lawmakers amid an uphill effort to wrap up the long-running Doha Round of global trade talks by this year.

Reuters - General Motors Co will pay back roughly $8 billion in debt to the United States and Canada before June, its chief executive said on Wednesday, more quickly than the automaker had promised.

The question is whether the U.S. is prepared to lead or whether protectionist pressures will make it impossible to engage fully with trading partners.

The announcements by Ingersoll-Rand and Royal Dutch Shell come as the U.S. is pressing for new sanctions.

The ban, announced by House Democratic leaders, wipes out one of the most lucrative and controversial means of awarding no-bid contracts to private firms.

Ex-Goldman Sachs employees are sharing their ideas about what their old firm can do to help small businesses.

Smartphone and laptop batteries may seem like cruel masters when they threaten to lose power, but you have more control than you may think.

Investors bought shares of firms bailed out by the government amid speculation that their balance sheets would substantially improve.

The former chief investment officer of the state pension fund, David J. Loglisci, pleaded guilty to fraud Wednesday, the latest domino to fall in the lengthy investigation that claimed his former boss, Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi.

Finger gestures used on the iPhone can now be used on laptops and full-size computer screens, but the tactile experience isn?t quite the same.

AP - Scant buying lifted stocks for a second day Wednesday after the government reported a drop in companies' inventories.

AFP - The US Senate on Wednesday adopted a 140-billion-dollar raft of measures aimed at shoring up unemployment benefits and setting out tax breaks to spur job creation.

AP - Craft and fabric retailer Jo-Ann Stores Inc. on Wednesday posted an 82 percent surge in fourth-quarter profit, buoyed by cost-cutting and higher sales across its product lines.

AFP - The United States is unhappy with the current framework of the Doha Round of negotiations to forge a global trade accord, a key lawmaker said Wednesday after talks with WTO chief Pascal Lamy.

AP - Retailer Hibbett Sports Inc. said Chairman and CEO Mickey Newsome will give up the CEO's job and be replaced by the sporting goods chain's chief operating officer next Monday.

AP - Oil tanker operator Tidewater Inc. said Wednesday that Jeffrey M. Platt, its executive vice president, has been promoted to chief operations officer.

AP - Chrysler Group LLC said Wednesday that it has named a new executive to head the reintroduction of the Fiat brand to the North American market.

A virtual futures exchange is being assembled to allow people to bet money on a film?s box office success.

Ex-Goldman Sachs employees are sharing their ideas about what their old firm can do to help small businesses.

The Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu has taken the top spot in the Forbes annual ranking of the richest billionaires in the world, pushing aside the two perennial leaders, Bill Gates and Warren E. Buffett, even though all three men added greatly to their wealth last year.

Mexican Carlos Slim overtakes Bill Gates as the world's richest man, according to the Forbes 'rich list', with a fortune of $53.5bn.

The US government records a budget deficit of $221bn (£147.6bn) in February - the largest monthly deficit in its history.

Insurers paid out £650m from 335,000 claims made as a result of damage caused by the wintry weather in the UK.

Brazil exploits potential as web use spreads

Why intellectual property is not a luxury

The Independent could be free under a new owner

The extra ordinary life of the man from the Pru

AP - Government debt is growing, as is the deficit. The economy is struggling to get out of recession and there is talk of spending cuts or higher taxes. The unions are on edge. And the currency is plummeting.

AP - Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. said Wednesday its loss narrowed on lower operating expenses as the company concluded several studies.

AP - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, spent nearly $1.78 million lobbying in the fourth quarter on a wide range of issues from health care reform to organized crime and food safety issues, according to a recent disclosure report.

AP - The number of rigs piercing North Dakota's oil patch has topped 100 for the first time in nearly three decades, the state Department of Mineral Resources said Wednesday.

Lawmakers are trying to get drivers to stop texting and talking on the phone, but police officers and paramedics are required to use an array of dashboard gadgets.

The main purpose of the agency, sometimes referred to as the National Institute of Finance, would be to flag problems in the industry before they spread and threaten the wider economy.

The question is whether the U.S. is prepared to lead or whether protectionist pressures will make it impossible to engage fully with trading partners.

Passengers will board from the tarmac at a new no-frills airport north of Tokyo that intends to attract more low-cost airlines to Japan.

Investors bought shares of firms bailed out by the government amid speculation that their balance sheets would substantially improve.

AP - China's inflation spiked higher in February, raising the chances that Beijing might need to cool the recovery in the world's third-largest economy.

AP - Construction consultant Hill International Inc. said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled as revenue from its project management and construction claims units rose and selling, general and administrative expenses fell.

Reuters - General Motors Co will pay back roughly $8 billion in debt to the United States and Canada before June and could go public in a way that would allow taxpayers to make a profit on the bailout, Chief Executive Ed Whitacre said on Wednesday.

Gary Gensler, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is the leading contender to oversee the instruments that played a key role in the financial crisis.

Boeing will now have some welcome certainty about its future as a major builder of military aircraft.

The ban, announced by House Democratic leaders, wipes out one of the most lucrative and controversial means of awarding no-bid contracts to private firms.

The Mexican businessman beat Bill Gates and Warren E. Buffett for the top spot in the 2010 list.

To appease regulators, British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia will cede takeoff and landing spots at airports serving New York and London.

Charles Allen was named executive chairman of EMI Music. He replaces Elio Leoni-Sceti, who is leaving the company.

Companies like American Greetings are moving beyond texting by offering services that send video messages to cellphones.

Some economists suggested the robust growth could increase pressure on China to let its currency appreciate against the dollar.

The announcement raised the possibility that Beijing might need to hike interest rates and slow the country?s economic recovery.

China Mobile will invest $5.8 billion in Shanghai Pudong Bank and work with it to offer wireless services like mobile bank cards.

A retailer that specializes in clothes for teenagers posted a higher quarterly profit on Wednesday and announced it would close its Martin & Osa locations.

Falling demand for commercial trucks in the United States helped profit fall 93 percent to $17 million from $234 million a year earlier.

AP - Asian markets inched higher early Thursday amid mixed economic news and after U.S. stocks closed with small gains following a report that companies cut their inventories.

AP - The Treasury Department sank billions into auto finance giant GMAC Inc. without an exit strategy or proof the company was viable — a decision that could cost taxpayers $6.3 billion, a new watchdog report says.