Thailand's newly appointed Cabinet ministers overseeing the economy have approved a supplementary budget of 100 billion baht ($2.87 billion) to help extend economic stimulus measures that were to expire on Jan. 31. Deputy Prime Minister Kobsak Sabhavasu said...

A defense lawyer for Bernard Madoff is expected to submit written arguments Wednesday to a judge who is probing whether the disgraced Wall Street financier should be jailed before trial. The judge said he wants to know whether the ability to commit economic...

Taiwan's central bank cut the island's key lending rate by half a percentage point Wednesday, its sixth rate cut in three and half months, to support the export-dependent economy. The bank reduced the rate from 2.375 percent to 1.875 percent. The move came in...

To a public wary of government spending, President-elect Barack Obama is offering a salve with his massive economic stimulus package: the promise of long-term fiscal discipline. Budget-conscious lawmakers are pressing Obama to embrace deficit-reduction goals...

French president says Israel, Palestinian Authority accept an Egyptian-French plan for...

British bank Barclays PLC said Wednesday it was cutting more than 400 technology jobs after a review of its operations. The bank said the job cuts were designed to eliminate obsolete or duplicated roles and affected 158 permanent IT staff and 250 contractors...

A Rhode Island couple whose son is accused of illegally sharing songs online should not be forced to surrender their home computer for inspection because it would violate their right to privacy, their lawyer argued at a federal court hearing Tuesday. Joel...

Constellation Brands, which markets Mondavi wine, Corona beer and Svedka vodka, says its fiscal third-quarter profit fell 30 percent due to restructuring costs and weaker sales, and trimmed the top end of its 2009 forecast due to the slowing global economy....

The cost of three-month loans between banks fell further Wednesday ahead of key interest rate decisions and some signs that confidence was returning, albeit slowly, to markets. The interbank lending rate on three-month loans in dollars _ known as the London...

British retail industry stalwart Marks & Spencer Group PLC said Wednesday it will cut 1,230 jobs and close 27 of its stores in a drive to reduce costs as the retail sector continues to struggle. Chairman Stuart Rose said in a statement the company _ Britain's...

Wall Street headed for a lower open Wednesday, sobered by aluminum producer Alcoa Inc.'s decision to slash jobs and production to navigate through the global downturn. The announcement was a harsh reminder that the economy both domestically and abroad remains...

The chairman of India's Satyam Computer Services Ltd. quit Wednesday after admitting the company's profits had been doctored for several years, shaking faith in the country's corporate giants as shares of the software services provider plunged nearly 80...

The euro recovered some of its strength against the U.S. dollar Wednesday, rebounding from a three-week low and crossing $1.36 in early afternoon European trading. The 16-nation currency rose as high as $1.3629 before settling back slightly to $1.3616, above...

Russia has shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine _ the latest move in a pricing dispute that has reduced or halted fuel deliveries to a dozen countries during a winter cold snap. Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom, which had sharply limited...

Israel's military says it has paused Gaza operations for three hours to allow in...

Oil prices dipped to near $48 a barrel Wednesday as investors weighed tensions in the Middle East and more bad U.S. economic news suggesting slowing crude demand. By midday in Europe, light, sweet crude for February delivery was down 20 cents to $48.38 a...

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it is cutting work hours at its Czech Republic plant because of falling European car demand. The company said it is shortening its normal five-day work week by one day at its first production facility in...

China assigned third-generation mobile phone licenses Wednesday to three carriers in a long-awaited step that is expected to prompt $41 billion in spending on new equipment. Licenses were granted to China Mobile Ltd., China Unicom Ltd. and China Telecom...

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as Japan's key index rose for a seventh day but Indian shares tumbled after the chairman of major outsourcing company Satyam Computer admitted to falsely inflating profits for years. European markets opened lower. India's...

The surging Washington Capitals and their fans finally stood up to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals edged the Flyers 2-1 in a shootout on Tuesday night for their seventh straight win. The victory helped avenge the only loss they've had in a month and...