Japan's exports grew 45% in February compared with the same month a year ago, because of strong demand in Asia.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai begins a visit to China, with trade and investment high on the agenda.

AP - The trial in Shanghai of four employees of mining giant Rio Tinto on charges of taking bribes and stealing commercial secrets ended Wednesday as expected, though no verdict was announced.

AP - Oil prices fell to near $81 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed a larger-than-expected jump in U.S. crude inventories last week.

A verdict is expected within a month in the case involving four employees of the British-Australian mining giant who were charged with bribery and stealing commercial secrets.

China's bribery trial of four executives of mining giant Rio Tinto ends, but no verdict is announced.

UK Chancellor Alistair Darling is to present his pre-election Budget, tipped to pledge investment in the industrial future.

The former boss of Samsung Electronics, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2008, has returned to head the company.

Sales of music fell only marginally during the recession last year, the Entertainment Retailers Association says.

The RMT union threatens a strike ballot unless London Underground withdraws plans to axe 800 staff by Thursday.

High Street supermarket Sainsbury's has reported a 3% rise in sales for the last 12 months.

Independent News & Media reports a pre-tax loss of 31.4m euros for 2009 as talks with Alexander Lebedev continue.

Thousands of customers owed money by failed airline Flyglobespan could receive only 5% of their fares back.

Campaigners launch an online petition against Ethiopia's Gibe III dam, saying it could devastate 500,000 lives.

AP - Asian stocks were up modestly Wednesday as encouraging economic reports and gains in U.S. markets buoyed investor confidence.

Reuters - JPMorgan Chase is closing in on a deal with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) that could result in a tax refund of about $1.4 billion for the bank, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the talks.

Reuters - Carmaker Fiat is seen cutting 5,000 jobs as part of its strategic plan due to be unveiled next month while at the same time increasing Italian production by 50 percent, newspaper la Repubblica reported.

A verdict is expected within a month in the case involving four employees of the mining group who were charged with bribery and stealing commercial secrets.

UK Chancellor Alistair Darling is to present his pre-election Budget, tipped to pledge investment in the industrial future.

Three directors of French transport and infrastructure group Alstom have been arrested in a UK corruption probe, the Serious Fraud Office says.

DP World, the container port business owned by troubled investment group Dubai World, reports a slump in profits of almost a half.

British Airways cabin crew who took part in a three-day strike will lose their travel perks, the company confirms.

Lord Triesman says Ian Watmore's resignation as FA boss will not hit England's 2018 World Cup bidding chances.

West Ham's co-owner David Gold says if West Ham do not move to the Olympic Stadium, it will become a 'white elephant'.

Sales of music fell only marginally during the recession last year, the Entertainment Retailers Association says.

AP - Lennar says its fiscal first-quarter loss narrowed as the homebuilder offered fewer sales incentives and trimmed costs.

AP - Fitch Ratings agency says it has downgraded Portugal's sovereign debt amid growing concerns about the government's ability to service its borrowings.

AP - An Italian newspaper says Fiat will cut 5,000 jobs as part of its new strategic plan.

AP - Britain's Serious Fraud Office says three members of the board of French transport and infrastructure company Alstom have been arrested on suspicion of bribery and other offenses.

AP - Germany's economy minister says his government remains opposed to paying financial aid to Greece, dampening EU officials' hopes that a summit Thursday will agree to a rescue package and suggesting the International Monetary Fund may have to be involved.

AP - Three German retirees who lost $1.4 million in the financial crisis and kidnapped their American investment adviser in an attempt to recoup the money were convicted Tuesday, with their 74-year-old ringleader sentenced to six years in prison.

AFP - Eurozone leaders moved to confront the Greek debt crisis with plans for a summit, only the second such gathering in their history, as divisions over a bailout for Athens shook the bloc's unity.

Reuters - More than 200,000 Ethiopians who rely on fishing and farming could become reliant on aid to survive if the government goes ahead with building Africa's biggest hydropower dam, an advocacy group said.

Reuters - General Motors Wednesday unveiled a new concept car that it hopes will solidify its position in electric vehicles, not least in China, the world's biggest auto market.

The fresh spending and a move to scale back a privatization add to Tokyo?s already burgeoning public debt.

European stocks and the euro fell after Portugal?s debt was downgraded by Fitch Ratings, turning up pressure on government leaders to come up with a solution to the euro area?s financial woes.

Lee Kun-hee, a tycoon convicted of corruption last July but pardoned by President Lee Myung-bak five months later, returned to the helm of Samsung Electronics.

The recall involves a million Infantino ?SlingRider? and ?Wendy Bellissimo? slings in the United States and 15,000 in Canada.

BG Group said that it will supply China National Offshore Oil Corp. liquefied natural gas for the next 20 years, while selling the state-run company a small stake in BG?s Australian coal bed gas assets.

The specialist insurance market said earnings were aided by relatively light damage from Atlantic hurricanes.

The euro weakens after Portugal's credit rating is downgraded by leading credit rating agency Fitch.

China National Offshore Oil Corporation signs a multi-billion dollar gas deal with Australia's BG Group.

UK Chancellor Alistair Darling is to present his pre-election Budget, tipped to pledge investment in the industrial future.

More than 1m baby slings made by Infantino are recalled in the US and Canada after reports of three infant deaths.

British Airways cabin crew who took part in a three-day strike will lose their travel perks, the company confirms.

The founder of a nursery retail company who urges her staff not to take a 'jobsworth' approach to work wins a top award.

Child labour in the chocolate trade

Sales of music fell only marginally during the recession last year, the UK's Entertainment Retailers Association says.

AP - The European Union's top economic official says there are 'concerns over financial stability' in Europe's currency union and EU leaders should decide now on a bailout plan to stem Greek's debt crisis.

AP - Stock futures fell Wednesday on renewed concerns about European debt problems after a major ratings agency slashed its view on Portugal.

BusinessWeek - The word on Wall Street is that investors are becoming increasingly hungry for riskier assets as the U.S. economy's prospects improve and the credit environment continues to ease. You wouldn't expect relatively low-yielding municipal bonds -- particularly shorter-dated maturities of one to five years -- to do well in this kind of environment, but they are. ...

AP - The maker of Cheerios cereal and Yoplait yogurt posted a 15 percent higher profit for its fiscal third quarter on lower commodity costs and rising sales boosted by a sharp increase in marketing spending.

AP - Marine terminal operator DP World said Wednesday its 2009 profits fell by 46 percent amid fallout from the financial meltdown, but also indicated there were signs of a recovery even as global trade patterns remain unpredictable.

AP - Fraud detectives arrested Anglo Irish Bank's former finance director Wednesday on suspicion of aiding the cover-up of massive losses at the debt-crippled Dublin lender.

BusinessWeek - Across the U.S., millions are agonizing about their inability to buy and sell a home. Most feel powerless, unable to control their financial destinies. They are buffeted by low housing prices, resetting mortgage payments, stagnant salaries, and elusive financing. They are waiting for the market to stabilize, for the economy to rebound, for consumer confidence to revive. But this sort of relief doesn't just happen. It takes time, planning, and lots and lots of money. It also takes the right people in the right jobs. The real estate industry is vast, interlocking, and disorderly. ...

AFP - The euro fell on Wednesday under 1.34 dollars for the first time in more than 10 months, hit by talk of an IMF-led aid deal for Greece and a downgrade to Portugal's long-term debt rating, analysts said.

AFP - Oil prices slid on Wednesday as the dollar jumped against the euro on heightened fears about a debt crisis engulfing Greece and Portugal, traders said.

AP - It's not quite as foldable as the space vehicle that cartoon figure George Jetson pops into his briefcase as he bops into the office.

The 0.5 percent rise in February was the third consecutive monthly increase, but it was slightly lower than the 0.7 percent gain that had been expected.

Markets in Europe and on Wall Street, however, were mixed after Portugal?s debt was downgraded by Fitch Ratings.

Starbucks said that the dividend was its first paid in cash and that future payments would will need the approval of its directors.

The homebuilder offered fewer sales incentives and trimmed costs and said the housing market is stabilizing.

China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation says it will build its new Roewe 350 hatchback in the UK.

The former boss of Samsung Electronics, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2008, has returned to head the company.

Alistair Darling cuts stamp duty below £250,000 for first-time buyers but raises the rate for £1m homes in his pre-poll Budget.

AP - Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods rose for a third consecutive month in February, bolstered by strong demand for commercial aircraft and machinery. The hope is that continued strength in manufacturing will help sustain the economic recovery.

AP - Stocks fell Wednesday on renewed concerns about European debt problems and weakness in the housing market.

AP - The euro slid to a ten-month low Wednesday amid mounting concerns that the International Monetary Fund will play a pivotal role in any bailout of Greece. The news that Portugal's debt has been downgraded by one of the world's leading credit rating agencies fueled investor concerns about the government debt woes afflicting Europe and its shared currency.

AP - European leaders negotiated frantically as the sliding euro and a downgrade of Portugal's debt put pressure on them to come up with a bailout plan for Greece's debt crisis, with agreement elusive ahead of a Thursday summit.

AP - The British government cut its deficit forecasts and announced a 2.5 billion pound ($3.7 billion) one-off growth package for the economy as the centerpiece of its annual budget on Wednesday — its last before an anticipated tough national election.

AFP - EU efforts to head off the Greek debt crisis moved on Wednesday towards an aid agreement involving the IMF as leaders considered German demands for budget miscreants to face automatic penalties.

U.S. News & World Report - After falling sharply in previous months, sales of existing homes stabilized in February as the market prepared for the much-anticipated spring home-buying season. Existing-home sales in February declined by less than 1 percent from January, roughly in line with economists' expectations. February's reading was significantly better than January's 7 percent monthly slide and December's 16 percent plunge. And last month's sales were 7 percent above year-earlier levels. 'We think sales are now close to bottom,' Ian Shepherdson, the chief U.S. ...

AP - Oil prices fell below $81 a barrel Wednesday after a report pointed to a larger-than-expected jump in U.S. crude inventories last week.

AP - A top executive at Chrysler Group LLC said Wednesday sales at the automaker are up 51 percent this month compared with February.

Genzyme, the drug maker, is facing enforcement action, including a fine, for problems at its plant in Boston.

The chancellor of the Exchequer promised to halve the deficit in four years but defended the spending that has pushed Britain?s deficit to a historic highs.

The food company posted a 15 percent higher profit for its third quarter on lower commodity costs and rising sales lifted by a sharp increase in marketing spending.

Coming off a record year for profits, the chief executive of Lloyd's of London said Wednesday that the storied insurance group is participating in a study looking at creating a similar market in New York.

Sales of new homes in the US fell to their lowest level on record in February, figures show.

Swedish-based producer of home appliances group Electrolux is one of two preferred bidders for Daewoo Electronics.

Manchester United confirms it is freezing ticket prices for the 2010/11 football season.

The presidents of Afghanistan and China sign agreements on trade and economic co-operation at talks in Beijing.

AP - Sales of new homes fell unexpectedly to their lowest point on record in February, in part because stormy winter weather kept buyers away. The results pointed to the housing industry's struggle to rebound from the worst slump in decades.

AP - Oil prices fell on Wednesday, briefly dipping below $80, just after the government reported a larger-than-expected jump in U.S. crude inventories last week.

AP - The Massachusetts attorney general's office has announced a $3 billion settlement with mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp.

AFP - New-home sales in the United States hit a record low for the second consecutive month in February, according to government figures released Wednesday.

Reuters - The European Union has yielded to Canadian demands it remove possible trade barriers to polluting oil sands to avoid further damage to ties, according to sources and leaked documents.

AP - Fiat dismissed as 'premature' a report Wednesday by an Italian newspaper saying the automaker will cut 5,000 jobs, slash the number of car models and increase production in a business plan to be unveiled next month.

The overhaul appeared to be gaining momentum, as two crucial Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee said they expected a bill to pass.

A study found that social networks have become valuable sources of information and camaraderie for people with chronic diseases or disabilities.

The recall involves a million Infantino ?SlingRider? and ?Wendy Bellissimo? slings in the United States and 15,000 in Canada.

The four employees of the British-Australian mining giant face five to 15 years in prison in a ruling that is being closely watched by foreign companies operating in China.

Alistair Darling sets the stage for the election with a Budget appeal for voters to stick with Labour.

Portsmouth get permission from the Premier League to sell players outside the transfer window to ease their financial crisis.

The non-performing parts of the two former mortgage banks Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley will be joined together.

AP - Stocks fell from their 2010 highs Wednesday on renewed concerns about European debt problems and weakness in the housing market.

AP - Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government used its last budget Wednesday before a looming national election to take from the rich and give to the poor, raising accusations it is invoking a class war as it attempts to win over recession-weary voters.

AFP - The team of Ukraine's new President Viktor Yanukovych pledged Wednesday to revive cooperation with the International Monetary Fund as it met with an IMF mission in Kiev.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) plans to reorganize domestic manufacturing operations across group companies to consolidate production of similar vehicles regardless of brand, the Nikkei business daily said.

If there?s one thing the financial industry dislikes more than a consumer protection agency, it?s the thought that Elizabeth Warren, head of Congressional oversight for TARP, might lead it.

Markets in Europe and on Wall Street, however, were mixed after Portugal?s debt was downgraded by Fitch Ratings.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday granted a motion by hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam to stay the turnover of wiretap recordings to the Securities and Exchange Commission, pending an appeal.

A Google director said that censorship had become more than a human rights issue and was hurting profit.

Jeremy Stoppelman, a Yelp co-founder and its chief executive, denies that sales representatives from the company pressure businesses to advertise.

Britain is showing little appetite to take a knife to a welfare state that by some measures has also become the largest in Europe.

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a motion by Citigroup to dismiss a lawsuit by the private equity firm Terra Firma over the takeover of British music label EMI. The bank had argued that the legal battle belonged in England, not the United States.

Line2 takes a big step toward a future when cellphone users won?t need to rely on a cellphone carrier?s service.

Budget 2010 tightens pressure with universal banking pledge and new lending targets.

AP - As Gov. Chris Christie considers whether to sign a bill preventing voters from having a say on projects funded by state stimulus money, opponents of a $300 million tax break for a casino under construction are calling upon the governor to reject the incentive.

AFP - European nations wrangled on Wednesday on the eve of a key EU summit over a financial aid package for Greece that could include an unprecedented intervention by the IMF in eurozone affairs.

AP - The consumer lending arm of Citigroup Inc. will pay $1.25 million for failing to report to federal regulators on more than 90,000 mortgage loans that it made.

Reuters - Under pressure from Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, Bank of America Corp. on Wednesday said it would offer about $3 billion in loan forgiveness to about 45,000 troubled homeowners.

AP - Oil prices settled below $81 on Wednesday after the government reported a larger-than-expected jump in U.S. crude inventories last week.

Bank of America said that it would begin forgiving some mortgage debt of borrowers in danger of losing their homes.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive at a European Union summit meeting ready to play an unfamiliar role: the bloc?s naysayer.

The executives have been questioned on suspicion of bribery, corruption, money laundering and false accounting, officials said.

Swedish-based home appliances group Electrolux is a preferred bidder for Daewoo Electronics.

The euro weakens after Portugal's credit rating is downgraded by leading credit rating agency Fitch.

AP - The recovery in the housing market is at risk of collapsing.

AP - THE PLAN: Beginning in May, some Bank of America customers' total mortgage balance could be reduced up to 30 percent.

AP - Investors eager to put their money to work in the stock market sent shares of two technology companies and a bank soaring on their first day of trading.

AP - Lowe's Cos. CEO Robert A. Niblock received compensation valued at $11.7 million in 2009 from the nation's No. 2 home-improvement retailer, up 3 percent from 2008.

AP - Increased crude oil production last year in the Gulf of Mexico and North Dakota more than offset declines elsewhere to result in the first annual increase in U.S. oil production since 1991.

AP - Former FBI Director Louis Freeh will monitor the cleanup of German automaker Daimler AG, which has paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes through subsidiaries to officials of at least 22 foreign governments, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

A Catholic charity is still seeking answers after Sprint discontinued a fund-raising effort by text for Haiti.

An overhaul appeared to be gaining momentum as two key Republican senators said they expected a bill to pass.

Entering a person?s known details into a range of search engines can make the task of finding them relatively simple and free.

Britain is showing little appetite to take a knife to a welfare state that by some measures has also become the largest in Europe.

AFP - The British government vowed Wednesday to hike taxes on the rich to help the poor hit by the global downturn and cut borrowing targets in a budget unveiled weeks before a knife-edge election.

AP - Pennsylvania's high court sided Wednesday with the natural gas industry in a dispute with landowners who had sought to invalidate the leases they signed before the Marcellus Shale rush intensified and drove up land values.

AFP - Daimler escaped criminal charges in a longstanding US probe into the German automaker's habitual bribing of foreign officials, in a deal presented to a judge Wednesday.

The system is expected to pay out more in benefits this year than it receives in payroll taxes, a tipping point toward insolvency.

Bank of America said that it would begin forgiving some mortgage debt of borrowers who could lose their homes.

The euro fell to an 11-month low after Fitch reduced its debt ratings for Portugal.

Getting ready for the April 3 iPad introduction, advertisers are buying space on publishers? applications.

Government outlays eat up half the nation?s economic output, but voters are having second thoughts about the Tories? call to shrink the budget.

The government also moved to address the country?s postal banking system, a significant player in the economy.

Investor's Business Daily - New home sales unexpectedly fell to another record low last month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, as foul weather discouraged buyers.

Labor groups have a complicated relationship with Wall Street: they capitalize on populist anger against banks, and yet the unions represent a huge bloc of shareholders.

Steve Jobs, the secretive head of Apple, has been busy sending replies to e-mail messages from customers.

The country?s deputy commerce chief argued that the renminbi was fairly valued and that adjusting the exchange rate would hurt emerging economies.

In Philadelphia, so-called flash mobs have become part bullying, part running of the bulls as teenagers sprint through the streets, sometimes brawling and vandalizing.

The New York Times Company has settled a claim by leaders of Singapore?s government that they were smeared by an Op-Ed piece in The International Herald Tribune.

With the news that Patrick McCarthy was out after a long run as the overseer of W and WWD, designers wonder if his departure marks the end of an era.

Dr. Timothy R. Kuklo, who was accused of lying about bone-growth research, would have to be called back to active duty to face such a trial.

Consumers are less inclined to stay home for meals, and rivals are cutting prices.

British officials said they believed that financial professionals passed inside information to traders, who made significant profits as a result.

German business sentiment surged in March to its highest level since June 2008, and activity in the broader euro zone's manufacturing and services sectors accelerated sharply.

Lee Kun-hee, whose father founded Samsung in 1938, headed the company for more than two decades until he stepped down in April 2008 amid scandal.

First Interstate BancSystem raised $130 million in an initial public stock offering and may use it to acquire failed rivals.

AP - Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday as worries about debt-saddled European countries and disappointing company earnings undermined sentiment.