The proposed expansion would end a moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida.

Mr. Duncan was an oilman known for his philanthropy and global hunting of exotic animals.

The latest batch of data on the housing market and consumer confidence provided some hope, but it also brought steep hurdles into focus. .

The Fed?s decision not to buy mortgage-backed bonds after Wednesday raises hazards for investors thinking of picking up the slack.

UK media regulator Ofcom proposes a cap on the amount Sky charges rivals to show premium sport channels.

Production of Ford's Transit panel vans in the UK is to be extended into 2012, the vehicle maker tells the BBC.

AP - Australia is ending its stock exchange's monopoly and has given approval in principle to a unit of Japanese brokerage Nomura to open a second exchange in a move to spur development of the industry, the financial services minister said Wednesday.

AP - Asian stock markets were mostly lower Wednesday as investors pared bets ahead of a key U.S. jobs report on Friday and the Easter long weekend.

AP - Oil prices hovered above $82 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report gave mixed indications about the strength of U.S. crude demand.

Reuters - Redwood Trust Inc is looking to float at least $200 million worth of securities backed by home mortgage loans, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.

Reuters - OPEC officials on Tuesday appeared undecided on how to respond if oil prices rose definitively above the $70-80 a barrel range they have praised this month, highlighting a looming challenge for the cartel.

Australia's Macarthur Coal has rejected a $3bn (A$3.3bn, £2bn) takeover offer from US coal miner Peabody Energy.

At least 330,000 cars were sold under the UK government's car scrappage scheme, which has come to an end.

Rail and bus operator FirstGroup says the snowy weather during winter hit its operating profits by £16m.

AP - The U.K. broadcasting regulator said Wednesday that British Sky Broadcasting PLC must make its two main sports channels available to other retailers, a preliminary ruling Sky said it would appeal.

AP - Official data show the unemployment rate in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, declined to 8.5 percent in March.

AP - Bank of Ireland on Wednesday reported a loss of euro1.47 billion ($2 billion) for the final nine months of 2009 as it booked impairment charges of just over euro4 billion on bad loans.

AP - Swedish wireless equipment maker L.M. Ericsson AB says it has received a deal worth $1.3 billion from India's largest telecommunications operator, Bharti Airtel Ltd., to expand and upgrade its networks.

Reuters - Top privately run refiner Reliance is expected to raise crude oil imports by about 22 percent this year as it ramps up production at its giant complex, further stamping its mark on world markets.

Macarthur Coal said Wednesday that the offer from the U.S. company did not fully value the Australian coal miner's significant growth prospects.

About 800 job cuts are to be cut at Jarvis by the administrators now running the rail maintenance firm, a union official says.

AP - European Union regulators say they are investigating Irish government help for property lender Anglo Irish Bank, warning that the bank has to draw up a new business plan and 'restructure profoundly.'

AP - Google Inc. says it has found another case of cyberattacks being used to suppress political dissent, this time to silence opponents of a Vietnamese mining project that involves a state-run Chinese company.

AP - Inflation in the 16 countries that use the euro spiked to its highest level in 15 months during March, official figures showed Wednesday.

AP - German public-sector bank BayernLB says it lost nearly euro2.62 billion ($3.5 billion) last year — a performance blamed largely on losses and expenses related to former Austrian unit Hypo Group Alpe Adria.

Google says it has identified cyber attacks aimed at silencing critics of a Chinese-backed bauxite mining project in Vietnam.

Frustration is growing in Hong Kong with the perpetually poor air quality and the commercial implications for a city with big aspirations.

The unemployment rate across the 16-nation eurozone hits 10% for the first time since the single currency was introduced.

US President Barack Obama is set to announce plans to open huge offshore areas on the US coastline to oil and natural gas drilling.

The Irish Republic's largest bank, Bank of Ireland, unveils huge losses and says it needs to raise 2.7bn euros to beat the recession.

Court rulings in Argentina clear the way for controversial plans to use central bank reserves for servicing debt.

High Street bank Santander is phasing out cheque guarantee cards for its customers, although they can still write cheques.

Medical professionals face prosecution in serious cases if they fail to confess about past unpaid tax on Wednesday.

AP - Stock futures are falling slightly Wednesday as investors avoid making any big moves on the last day of the quarter and ahead of Friday's key jobs report.

AP - Drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp. says it cut its fourth-quarter loss compared to a year ago, when it took a $1.81 billion write-down.

AP - U.S. coal giant Peabody Energy Corp. made a $3 billion takeover bid for Australia's Macarthur Coal Ltd., but the Australian company said Wednesday the offer was too low.

AP - British Sky Broadcasting PLC was ordered Wednesday to make its premium sports channels available to rival broadcasters at reduced wholesale prices, foreshadowing a major shakeup of the sector.

AP - CNOOC Ltd., the smallest of China's three major state-owned oil companies, said Wednesday its profit sank 34 percent in 2009 on sharply lower oil prices as the company pushed its overseas expansion.

AP - Russia's finance minister says the country is likely to go ahead with a eurobond issue in late April, the first time it will have borrowed from capital markets since 1998.

AP - Oil prices edged up to near $83 a barrel Wednesday as the dollar weakened and the market awaited a key government report about the strength of U.S. crude demand.

A weaker-than-expected ADP report provided a sobering reminder that the jobs market in the United States continued to struggle.

The jobless rate in the 16-nation euro area inched up to double digits in February, while inflation accelerated by more than economists had forecast.

While the survey results point to the prospect of bumper crops, the acreage figures were slightly below trade expectations for both corn and soybeans.

Nationalised lender Anglo Irish Bank announces what is believed to be the largest corporate loss in the history of the Republic of Ireland.

Nordic unions representing airport services staff say they may take industrial action in sympathy with striking BA cabin crews.

An electric car is launched in Ethiopia despite the country's electricity shortages.

Lenders are told by the OFT they must not mislead borrowers and must assess if customers can afford to repay loans.

About 1,100 jobs are to be cut at Jarvis by the administrators who are now running the rail maintenance firm.

AP - Stock fell Wednesday after a payroll company's report provided a surprising reminder that the job market remains weak.

AP - The Transportation Department is proposing a ban on text messaging at the wheel by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers.

AP - Rio Tinto PLC says it has received an offer from Sun European Partners LLP to acquire its Alcan Beauty Packaging business.

AFP - US aerospace giant Boeing said Wednesday it expected to take an income-tax charge of about 150 million dollars in the 2010 first quarter as a result of sweeping health-care reform.

AP - Drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp. said Wednesday it may post larger losses in its current fiscal year as many shoppers remain out of work and it ramps up spending on new programs.

AP - Moody's credit ratings agency downgraded five Greek banks on Wednesday, saying the effects of the country's public debt crisis — including painful austerity measures and a long recession — will weaken their finances.

AP - A Baird analyst cut her investment rating on Associated Estates Realty Corp. after a recent rise in its shares.

AP - General Motors Co.'s Opel and Vauxhall units plan to add staff and shifts in the coming months to meet demand for new launches and develop new models.

President Obama said on Wednesday that the plan would balance the need to produce more domestic energy while protecting natural resources.

Under the plan, drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds who text message while driving could face civil or criminal penalties.

While the survey results point to the prospect of bumper crops, the acreage figures were slightly below trade expectations for both corn and soybeans.

US President Obama proposes to expand offshore oil and gas exploration in a bid to cut foreign energy dependency.

EMI abandons talks to license out the rights to its records in the US and Canada, a deal it hoped would raise vitally needed funds.

The German government has approved plans to make banks pay into a fund to cover the costs of future financial bail-outs

Nationalised lender Anglo Irish Bank announces what is reported to be the largest corporate loss in the history of the Republic of Ireland.

Will time run out for troubled music company EMI?

The income gap for people in different nations of the UK has narrowed over a decade, official figures show.

The threat of a strike by British Gas engineers is withdrawn after 'positive discussions' between the firm and unions.

AP - Stocks traded mixed Wednesday after a payroll company's report provided a surprising reminder that the job market remains weak.

AP - European steel makers on Wednesday demanded an EU antitrust probe to check for monopoly abuse and cartel-type behavior by the three major iron ore suppliers Vale, BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto after price increases of more than 80 percent.

AP - Moody's credit rating agency downgraded five Greek banks on Wednesday, saying their finances will suffer from the effects of the country's public debt crisis — including painful austerity measures and a long recession.

AP - Oil prices rose above $83 a barrel Wednesday as the dollar weakened and oil traders shrugged off weak job news and a bigger-than-expected build in crude inventories.

AP - Toyota sales surged 40 percent in March compared with last year after the automaker offered some of its deepest discounts ever to cope with the fallout of millions of recalls.

Latvia's jobless queue up, or they leave the country

AP - Google Inc. didn't stop wrangling with censorship when the company moved its search engine out of mainland China to shed its restraints on what can be shown on the Internet.

AP - Rock-bottom interest rates are still needed to aid the economic recovery, but there's a chance that the Federal Reserve may have to start raising rates before the nation's unemployment rate drops significantly, a Federal Reserve official said Wednesday.

Reuters - Charles Schwab Corp violated federal law when it failed to get approval from shareholders of its YieldPlus mutual fund before putting roughly half the fund's assets into uninsured mortgage-backed securities, a federal judge ruled.

Reuters - India is ready to launch a formal dispute against the European Union at the World Trade Organisation over EU seizures of Indian generic drugs, the Indian Trade Secretary said on Wednesday.

AP - But don't expect gasoline pump prices to fall anytime soon because of the new drilling.

AP - A union trust fund that pays the health care bills for retired Ford factory workers raised $1.78 billion by selling warrants to buy the automaker's stock.

Wall Street indexes turned lower as worries about the jobs market overshadowed an upturn in energy shares.

President Obama?s proposal to open vast expanses of U.S. coastlines to drilling was criticized by both environmentalists and Republicans on Wednesday.

The drug company said it paid about $20 million to 4,500 doctors and other professionals for consulting and speaking on its behalf.

The move is a shift by the Swiss government, which is eager to resolve a simmering feud with the I.R.S.

Business registration should be regarded as more than just another bureaucratic task.

Emissions data for Europe is expected to show that a trading system for carbon isn?t living up to its promise.

The European Central Bank chief put a brave face on the country?s financial prospects, even as Moody?s downgraded five Greek banks.

Germany agreed to impose a tax on banks to help finance future bailouts but left details of the plan to be worked out in forthcoming legislation.

Under the plan, drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds who text message while driving could face civil or criminal penalties.

Though the 0.6 percent increase in new orders topped expectations, it was the smallest rise since August 2009.

AP - Stocks fell on the final day of the first quarter after a payroll company's report gave investors a surprising reminder that the job market remains weak.

AP - With April 15 not far off, many small business owners will get six-month extensions of the deadline to file their income tax returns. This year, the procrastinators have company as the economy makes tax issues more complicated for everyone.

AFP - The US economy shed 23,000 private-sector jobs in March, a payrolls firm said Wednesday in a report that was dramatically worse than market expectations.

AP - Lindsay Corp., which makes agricultural irrigation systems and construction safety equipment, said Wednesday that its fiscal second-quarter profit jumped sharply as revenue increased.

AP - Oil prices rose near $84 a barrel Wednesday as the dollar weakened and oil traders shrugged off weak job news and a bigger-than-expected build in crude inventories.

A woman?s right insole will be affixed to ads in several women?s magazines after a successful test last June.

Research In Motion?s BlackBerry subscriber base grew and smart phone shipments increased.

Rescuers had searched a Moroccan hillside lake for four days after he crashed his glider on Friday.

The Pentagon says it will extend the bidding deadline for a new fleet of US air refuelling tankers, if EADS makes a formal request.

Research In Motion, the maker of Blackberry mobile phones, reports a 37% rise in quarterly profit thanks to higher sales.

The unemployment rate across the 16-nation eurozone hits 10% for the first time since the single currency was introduced.

AP - Book seller Borders Group Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit rose as it cut costs and enjoyed a tax benefit, even though its sales plunged, the company said Wednesday.

AP - The stock market is taking some ages-old advice to heart: everything in moderation.

AP - BETTER RESULTS: Research In Motion says fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 37 percent from a year earlier and revenue jumped 18 percent.

The Motley Fool - It looks like Taco Bell is off to a flying start in India. According to The Wall Street Journal, business is booming at India's first Taco Bell, located in Bangalore. The restaurant is averaging crowds of more than 2,000 customers a day, based in part on the novelty of Mexican food. That's great news for Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM - News), which also operates Pizza Hut and KFC.

AP - Department store operator Stage Stores Inc. said Wednesday has named retail industry veteran Cheryl N. Turpin to its board of directors.

AP - Freddie Mac moved to buoy the battered Florida condo market, waiving lending rules that made it harder to buy and sell units in many condo buildings.

AP - Toyota's sales surged 40 percent in March, a top company executive said Wednesday, as the automaker offered its biggest incentives ever to cope with the fallout of millions of recalls.

Toyota?s display at the New York Auto Show was a vision of normalcy as the automaker was back to its business-as-usual approach.

The move is a shift by the Swiss government, which is eager to resolve a simmering feud with the I.R.S.

Research In Motion?s BlackBerry subscriber base grew and smart phone shipments increased.

Under the plan, drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds who text message while driving could face civil or criminal penalties.

Why Finland's exports are not just phones and wood

AFP - The plan to expand oil drilling off US coasts unveiled Wednesday by President Barack Obama was part of 'good moves' aimed at meeting world energy demand, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi said here.

In proposing oil and gas development, President Obama set out to attract bipartisan support while increasing oil production. It is not clear that the plan will do either.

Hulu has brought television watching on the Web into the mainstream, but it is coming under increasing pressure from the companies that supply its content.

A woman?s right insole will be affixed to ads in several women?s magazines after a successful test last June.

Apple?s iPad (coming soon) seems to be hated by technical types and loved by everyone else. Here are separate reviews for the two audiences.

AP - Book seller Borders Group Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit rose sharply as it cut costs and enjoyed a tax benefit, even though its sales plunged.

AP - Micron Technology Inc. reported its second-consecutive quarterly profit, further rebounding after more than three years of losses.

AP - Energy ministers gathered at an international forum Wednesday estimated the world will have to invest $25 trillion over the next two decades to satisfy energy demand.

The recovery of big banks did not benefit just the bankers. It also created huge paydays for hedge fund managers.

Producing new drugs and adjusting to the changing health care system are two of the tests facing the drug giant.

The National Labor Relations Board will soon have three Democrats and one Republican, and businesses are bracing for a wave of pro-union rulings.

The $1.25 trillion Federal Reserve program has been credited with keeping interest rates low and slowing the fall in home prices that threatened to send the economy into an extended slump.

New figures are expected to confirm that carbon trading isn?t putting the hoped-for financial pressure on major European polluters.

Business leaders worry that Hong Kong?s air pollution ? three times dirtier than in New York ? will diminish its reputation as the financial center of Asia.

The strains that appeared in January with the revelation that Greece had been hiding its true deficit continued to show Wednesday.

France?s economy minister gave the proposal, which would raise more than $1.3 billion a year, a cautious thumbs-up.

The decision is aimed at encouraging competition in the contract for refueling jets that critics say unfairly favors Boeing.

AP - Citigroup says the initial public stock offering of its Primerica life insurance business has raised $320.4 million.