UNITED STATES

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher had a message for Wall Street on Wednesday: don't expect more from the U.S. central bank.

Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum for later this month on a new constitution that would allow political parties other than his ruling Baath Party as part of promised reforms, The Associated Press said.

Hedge fund manager and long-time gold bull John Paulson cut his gold ETF bullion holdings by about $600 million in the fourth quarter, a second straight reduction that was likely driven by client redemption needs as he remained upbeat on the metal.

Working conditions at Chinese manufacturing plants where Apple Inc's iPads and iPhones are made are far better than those at garment factories or other facilities elsewhere in the country, according to the head of a non-profit agency investigating the plants.

Egypt's largest political party has sided with the ruling regime in a dispute over American workers facing criminal charges for their work with non-governmental organizations.

President Barack Obama's proposed 2013 budget for NASA boosts spending at the Kennedy Space Center, which bore the brunt of job layoffs at the end of the space shuttle program last year, the center director said on Tuesday.

When 22 bird flu experts meet at the World Health Organization this week, they will be tasked with deciding just how far scientists should go in creating lethal mutant viruses in the name of research.

Industrial output was unexpectedly flat in January, but the second straight month of gains in manufacturing pointed to underlying strength in the economy.

News Corp., the vehicle of controversial publisher Rupert Murdoch, could be probed by British authorities “for sustained criminality over a sustained period of time” for many activities.

A debt-laden Chinese technology firm seeking to ban all shipments of Apple's popular iPad tablet into and out of the country has been told that China's customs authorities are unlikely to intervene in the trademark battle.

A spokesman for Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs announced this week that ExxonMobil would be barred from the country's fourth round of oil and natural gas auction.

Roche Holding AG, the Swiss drugmaker, warned that a counterfeit version of the widely used anti-cancer drug Avastin may have been purchased and used in a number of medical facilities in the U.S, potentially putting patients at risk.

Unemployment in Britain stayed relatively flat at the end of 2011, rising its smallest amount in nearly a year between the months of November and December. Compared to the rest of Europe, the UK is right in the middle.

An important leading indicator on the state of national manufacturing revealed a high level of optimism in that economic category, suggesting the recovery underway in that sector could become a rolling trend.

The owner of the New Jersey city's Steel Pier says he's dropping a plan to bring back the Diving Horse, a controversial attraction featuring a horse and rider plunging into a 12-foot-deep water tank from a platform 40 feet up. Activists who have been protesting the move for weeks consider the elimination of the Diving Horse attraction a historic victory against animal cruelty, but the pier's president denies they were a factor in his decision.

President Obama is expected to appoint a replacement soon for out-going World Bank President Robert Zoellick, who is leaving after the administration decided not to reappoint him to a second five-year term.

U.S. mortgage applications decreased by one percent in the week ending Feb. 10, compared to the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Comcast Corp posted a better-than-expected rise in quarterly profit driven by strong subscriber additions, though it was tempered by weak performances at its NBC Universal broadcast and movie units.

The S&P 500 index hit a fresh 7-month high before giving up some gains on Wednesday after mixed data on the U.S. economy and news of a possible delay in Greece's bailout.

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show took place this week in New York. A Pekingese named Ch Palacegarden Malachy was named the winner of Best in Show late Tuesday. Find a full list of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show results of the Groups and Best in Show here.

The cuts were announced as it emerged the Italian economy shrank by 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, following a contraction of 0.2 percent in the third quarter.