In a string of projects that has so far provoked only token opposition from environmentalists, some companies are putting power lines under water.

Chinese firms selling ad space on Google?s search pages warned the company that they may seek compensation if Google shuts its Chinese portal.

In a Hollywood-style heist, thieves cut a hole in the roof of a warehouse, rappelled inside and scored one of the biggest hauls of its kind ? about $75 million in antidepressants and other prescription drugs.

The bank eased monetary policy further on Wednesday, but the split vote suggests the board may have had difficulty justifying the move.

A federal judge said that the economic impact would be too great if the sugar beet crop were to be destroyed.

London 2012 organisers are urged to be up front about how many tickets will be available and how much they will cost.

AP - Asian stock markets pushed higher Wednesday after the U.S. central bank again pledged to hold interest rates low and gave a mildly optimistic assessment of the world's largest economy.

AP - Oil prices rose above $82 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed U.S. crude inventories grew less than expected last week.

Japan's central bank increases a stimulus measure aimed at encouraging financial institutions to lend more.

The World Bank raises its economic growth forecast for China in 2010 to 9.5% from 9%.

Benefit claimants owe £1.85bn in overpaid money but the government is recovering less than £300m a year, MPs say.

AP - Asian stock markets pushed higher Wednesday as U.S. and Japanese central banks promised to maintain loose monetary policies, buoying hopes for recovery in the world's two largest economies.

AP - Months of heavy rains throughout the South are forcing International Paper Co. to look beyond its usual suppliers for wood for its central South Carolina mill and turn to places that are known to have tree-destroying gypsy moths.

AP - German retailer Metro AG says its 2009 net income fell 7 percent to euro519 million ($716 million) as the economic downturn cut into sales at most divisions, including its Kaufhof department stores and Cash & Carry wholesale outlets.

AP - Berlin police says a 21-year-old man suspected of taking part in the storming of a poker tournament in which armed robbers made off with euro240,000 ($329,350) in jackpot money has surrendered to authorities.

The UK unemployment and claimant count totals both fall, but the number of long-term unemployed rises.

Japan's central bank increases a stimulus measure aimed at encouraging financial institutions to lend more.

The World Bank raises its forecast for economic growth in China during 2010 to 9.5% from an earlier estimate of 9%.

Firms in China that sell advertising on Google demand clarity about the internet company's plans in the region.

China has set a trial date for four Rio Tinto employees on charges including bribery, the Australian government says.

Black cab maker Manganese Bronze says the panels and chassis of its TX4 vehicles will now be made in China.

AP - The Saudi oil minister says OPEC will keep output levels unchanged later today because the market is enjoying 'good demand, reliable supply, beautiful prices.'

AP - A Shanghai court will Monday begin hearing China's case against four employees of mining giant Rio Tinto, including one Australian, on charges of stealing commercial secrets and bribe-taking.

AP - A dip in sales and costs from its failed attempt to take over Volkswagen pushed sports car maker Porsche's six-month net profit down by 83 percent.

Reuters - Pakistan has signed a deal with Iran paving the way for the construction of a much-delayed pipeline pumping Iranian natural gas to the energy-starved South Asian country, officials said on Wednesday.

The move sets the world?s second-largest economy on a divergent path from other industrialized nations.

The bank also recommended higher interest rates and a stronger currency for China, where rapid growth has led to rising inflation expectations.

In his first blog entry in two months, Akio Toyoda offered another apology for his company?s recalls and announced that he would not participate in an endurance auto race in Germany.

The European Union criticises the UK and other European nations for having 'optimistic' growth assumptions and bloated deficits.

Inditex, the parent of the Zara fashion chain, says profits rose 5% in 2009, helped by the opening of hundreds of new stores.

Debt-ridden Portsmouth are docked nine points by the Premier League for going into administration.

Bank of England minutes show its Monetary Policy Committee all agreed to keep interest rates on hold at its last meeting.

Sheffield Forgemasters gets £80m government loan to manufacture parts for the nuclear power industry.

Energy firm Npower signs a three-year deal worth £21m to become the new sponsor of the Football League.

Fuel poverty levels could rise to a new high unless more is done to improve the energy efficiency of homes, charities say.

AP - Unemployment in Britain dropped to 7.8 percent in the three months through January from the previous quarter's 7.9 percent, the first such decline since May 2008 as the economy emerged from recession, official statistics showed Wednesday.

AP - World stock markets rose Wednesday after the U.S. and Japanese central banks indicated they were in no hurry to start raising borrowing costs and concerns about the Greek debt crisis subsided.

AP - The World Bank raised its China growth forecast this year to 9.5 percent from 9 percent on Wednesday but said Beijing needs to cool inflation and possible bubbles in real estate prices.

AP - A delegation member at an OPEC oil ministers' meeting says the gathering has agreed to keep output targets unchanged.

AP - Japan's central bank is escalating the fight against deflation by offering more cheap loans to banks.

AP - The European Union on Wednesday warned Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands that they are relying too much on a strong economic recovery to meet debt reduction targets.

BusinessWeek - The government keeps promoting programs designed to help existing homeowners refinance their mortgages at a lower rate, as well as get perspective buyers into homes. In other words, Uncle Sam says he's here to help. 'Phooey,' say homeowners and prospective homeowners, who keep complaining that it is ridiculously hard to get a mortgageor refinance one. Can both sides be right? Unfortunately, yes. But if you are willing to do a bit more work than in the past, it is possible to lower your mortgage rate to 5% or arrange to buy your first home. It is clear that there is pent-up demand to do both. ...

Reuters - The BSE Sensex rose 0.6 percent to its best close in two months, joining the global markets cheer as the U.S. Federal Reserve maintained its pledge to keep interest rates near zero, and pointed to increased momentum in the recovery of the world's largest economy.

BusinessWeek - After the housing bubble nightmare, does it still make sense to invest in real estate?

AFP - OPEC was set Wednesday to formally announce a freeze in the cartel's oil output ceiling in the face of recovering crude prices and uncertain economic recovery, member countries said.

BusinessWeek - Over the last several months, I've written a lot about the current state of residential real estate, and the opportunities made available by the combination of lower housing prices and falling interest rates. As we approach the end of this year's residential real estate buying-and-selling season, this is a good time to start thinking about what might lie ahead.

Wholesale prices fell 0.6 percent in February as a big drop in energy prices offset higher food costs.

Members are anticipating that a pickup in demand later in the year will mop up extra barrels of oil already being pumped.

Central banks in Japan and Washington indicated that they were in no hurry to start raising borrowing costs anytime soon.

The European Union warned Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands that they are relying too much on forecasts for a strong economic recovery to meet debt reduction targets.

Oil prices extend gains above $80 a barrel after the Opec oil cartel sticks with its existing output targets.

Pakistan and Iran sign a $7.6bn deal to build a long-delayed pipeline to transport Iranian natural gas to Pakistan.

Germany's Chancellor Merkel says the eurozone should find a mechanism to exclude one of its members if necessary.

Firms in China that sell advertising on Google demand clarity about the internet company's plans in the region.

Italy's largest bank, Unicredit, announces a cash dividend amid a dispute with some of its shareholders.

Shares in transport group Arriva climb by almost 20% after it confirms it has received its second takeover approach in as many months.

AP - Stocks rose Wednesday after U.S. and Japanese central banks reaffirmed plans to keep interest rates low to revive economic growth.

AP - Russia must defend its claims to mineral riches of the Arctic in increasing competition with other powers, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.

AP - OPEC oil ministers have agreed to keep their output targets unchanged.

AFP - Spain's Inditex, Europe's biggest clothing retailer, on Wednesday posted a rise in fourth-quarter net profit as strong sales abroad, especially in Asia, offset sluggish domestic demand.

AP - Nations risk losing a window of opportunity to fix the global financial system in the wake of the credit crisis if they do not push reforms through soon, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday.

Reuters - Thrifts did not engage in regulatory arbitrage, nor were they a cause of the financial crisis, the top U.S. thrift regulator said on Wednesday.

AFP - Pakistan and Iran signed agreements Tuesday paving the way for a seriously-delayed 7.5 billion-dollar gas pipeline.

Reuters - General Motors Co , which emerged from bankruptcy last year, has a 'reasonable chance' to show a profit in 2010 and could possibly make an initial public offering, though it has no hard timetable for an IPO, the automaker's chief financial officer said on Wednesday.

Democrats hope the measure, approved on a bipartisan vote of 68 to 29, will be the first in a series of bills spurring employment by providing hiring incentives to businesses.

Central banks in Japan and Washington indicated that they were in no hurry to start raising borrowing costs anytime soon.

A letter demanding that Google compensate advertising agents if it withdraws from China probably is not genuine.

The Italian brand Hogan, which is part of the Tod's footwear empire, confirmed on Wednesday that it has signed Karl Lagerfeld for a special one-time-only collection.

Four major banks have been ordered to stand trial in Italy in a fraud case related to derivatives trading.

Prices paid by US farms and factories fell by more than expected giving authorities room to hold official interest rates at current low levels.

AP - If the economy cooperates and auto sales recover a bit, General Motors Co. has a reasonable chance of turning a full-year profit in 2010, its new chief financial officer said Wednesday.

AP - The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission says the agency is investigating several companies' actions in the run-up to the financial crisis of 2008.

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.

AFP - Spain's Inditex, Europe's biggest clothing retailer and the company behind Zara, posted Wednesday a rise in profit as strong sales abroad, especially in Asia, offset sluggish domestic demand.

AP - Greece could seek IMF funding to help overcome its debt crisis if its EU partners do not provide 'clear support' next week, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

AP - Oil prices topped $82 a barrel Wednesday after crude inventories grew less than expected last week, and the stock market rose on the Fed's promise to keep interest rates at record lows.

Christopher P. Liddell also said that a public offering for G.M. was possible this year, but that the company would first need to make a profit.

Petrol within Iran is heavily subsidised but the ration is being cut - is there a link between that and the threat of petrol sanctions linked to its nuclear programme?

Alexander Lebedev moved closer to control of the Independent newspapers after the deal was allowed by the Office of Fair Trading.

British Airways says it will increase the number of flights during the forthcoming strike as more staff volunteer to work.

AP - YRC Worldwide Inc., one of the country's largest trucking companies, said Wednesday that shipping volume is improving this month after two months of severe winter storms.

AP - Wells Fargo & Co. has become the second bank to sign up for a government program to modify second mortgages.

AP - The federal bank bailout watchdog is planning to scrutinize the formula used by mortgage companies to evaluate borrowers for the Obama administration $75 billion mortgage relief program.

AFP - General Motors could be ready for an initial public stock offering as early as the second half of this year, the automaker's new chief financial officer said Wednesday.

Authorities in Europe and the U.S. are turning to ?stealth taxes? to avoid drawing attention to the tightening fiscal noose.

The prosecutor alleges that JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, UBS and a banking unit of Hypo Real Estate Holding made illicit gains by misleading the city of Milan about the costs of the swaps.

The stock market continued its advance of the past month after the Fed said it would keep interest rates low to revive the economy.

Owners of small businesses who do not form a succession plan create a time bomb that can tear apart their companies and their families.

Movie studios spend money to get a bigger chunk of revenue selling through the cable box.

Ben S. Bernanke argued that information gleaned from the banking oversight process helps the central bank guide the economy.

Russia?s state oil company reportedly warned its trading partners that a British court could seize assets under a Yukos lawsuit.

The growth of illegal file-sharing could cost European countries 1.2m jobs and 240bn euros by 2015, an industry report says.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urged Congress Wednesday to let the Fed keep all of its banking oversight, arguing that information gleaned from that process helps the central bank guide the economy.

AP - Lawmakers' efforts to overhaul the state's complex system of tax credits falls short of the money-saving goals set by Gov. Chet Culver, according to a new report from a liberal think tank.

AP - As Greece wins at least temporary respite from its debt troubles, will Italy be the next to face a crisis?

AP - Last year, the message was clear. Now it is murky.

AFP - The European Union Wednesday accused its major powers of running away from bulging government deficits, as Greece said it could still seek IMF help if European backing did not ease its debt crisis.

Reuters - A U.S. federal judge dismissed a shareholder lawsuit accusing Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and four executives, including Chief Executive Gerald McCaughey, of misleading investors about the bank's exposure to subprime mortgages.

AFP - Oil prices climbed sharply Wednesday after OPEC, the cartel that produces 40 percent of world crude, held current output quotas unchanged despite a recent runup in prices.

AP - For 25 years, Juan Carrera has worked at a sprawling auto plant on the edge of Silicon Valley helping produce Toyota cars and trucks. His son works there too. So does his son-in-law.

A platform called Google TV will bring the Web into the living room through televisions and set-top boxes.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a Johnson & Johnson unit, laid out the actions it would take after the Food and Drug Administration criticized its quality control program.

A prosecutor alleges that the banks misled the city of Milan about the costs of the swaps.

The administrator of Ethel Austin and its sister chain Au Naturale has confirmed that a further 81 stores will close.

AP - The union representing British Airways' cabin crews is gathering international support for a walkout due to begin this weekend, threatening to severely disrupt what remains of the airline's already depleted flight schedule.

AP - Clarcor Inc. said Wednesday its first-quarter earnings rose 69 percent as sales improved, especially in emerging markets like China, but the results missed Wall Street's estimates.

Reuters - Steam-driven projects to extract crude from Canada's oil sands, often held up as more environmentally friendly than mining, have major drawbacks of their own that require more stringent regulation to fix, an environmental think tank said on Wednesday.

AP - Shares of Ford Motor Co. surged to a five-year high Wednesday after a ratings agency upgraded the automaker's debt and said Ford has the potential to improve its finances even further.

Authorities in Europe and the U.S. are turning to ?stealth taxes? to avoid drawing attention to the tightening fiscal noose.

A new phone earpiece strives to be smaller and more stylish than its predecessors. Does it succeed?.

Nissan is expected to announce imminently that it plans to build a new electric car at its Sunderland plant.

A damning verdict on the UK's £24bn second-hand car market is published by the fair trading watchdog.

McLaren boss launches new road car company

Who are Unite's transatlantic union allies?

Horse racing industry runs to secure its future

'I'm never going back to the job centre'

As China develops a high-tech economy, American companies like Applied Materials are building research labs there to capitalize on subsidies and cheap labor.

For tax officials, indirect levies are stable, less prone to be avoided and easy to collect.

Democrats hope the measure, approved on a bipartisan vote of 68 to 29, will be the first in a series of bills spurring employment by providing hiring incentives to businesses.

Four European financial institutions will stand trial for their handling of interest rate swaps acquired by the city of Milan.

With the country in a grim mood about corporate America, Hyatt is adding some humor to its marketing in an effort to get companies to hold meetings again.

The unit of Wells Fargo will pay $160 million to settle accusations that it laundered Mexican drug money.

In its quarterly assessment of China, the organization forecast 9.5 percent growth for 2010 and 8.7 percent for next year.

Some argue that severe cuts in public spending to whittle down euro-zone deficits could send unemployment rates surging and bring down governments.

Two men were accused of developing the computer programs used in the fraudulent investment-advisory business.

The museum collaborated with an auction Web site to mount a major show with the intention of selling its contents to the highest bidders.

As DVD sales sink, an advertising campaign aims to push consumers to rent more movies through their cable boxes.

There are several iPhone apps that allow users to follow Major League baseball games in excruciating detail.

Rosneft, Russia?s state-owned oil company, is said to be concerned that a British court might seize assets to pay a $380 million award to Yukos Oil.

The designer Karl Lagerfeld has signed on to aid in the development of the mid-level Italian clothing company.

It?s possible, though not dead simple, to put your Gmail into storage in a new free account and wipe the slate clean at your original account.

The German Chancellor adopted a harsh tone toward Greece Wednesday also saying that Europe needed better rules to police its members.

HGTV is getting its building buzz back, gingerly, with a slate of post-housing bubble series that focus on modest middle-class home sales and improvement projects.

The online payment company PayPal would continue to grow if its parent, eBay, let it leave the nest.

Nissan is to build its new electric car, the Leaf, at its Sunderland plant, the Japanese company announces.

AP - Kraft Foods Inc. said Wednesday that it will cut the salt in its products that are sold in North America by an average of 10 percent over the next two years to appeal to health-conscious consumers.

AP - Two former employees accused of helping fraudulent Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff (MAY'-dawf) program an old computer to generate false records have been indicted.

As Apple builds its electronic bookstore, Amazon is trying to use its clout to hold on to its early lead in the market.

After Jane magazine folded, Brandon Holley, its editor in chief, took her work online.

The state would lose billions of dollars in future revenue under a bill to share oil royalties equally among Brazil?s states.

Susan Merrill, an overseer of the brokerage industry, did not announce when she would leave.

Competition from Netflix and the DVD vending machines operated by Coinstar have eroded Blockbuster?s revenue.

AP - Toyota's training of workers to maintain quality control failed to keep up with the company's rapid growth, its president Akio Toyoda said in an interview with a major Japanese business daily.

AP - Australia expressed disappointment Thursday that charges of stealing business secrets against one of its citizens would be tried in a closed court in China, and some lawmakers doubted the mining executive involved would get a fair hearing.

AFP - General Motors' Australian subsidiary GM Holden on Thursday recalled 9,000 Cruze sedans over a faulty fuel hose, after a raft of damaging glitches hit Japan's Toyota and Honda.