UNITED STATES

Norwegian electric car maker Think Global said it plans to build vehicles in the United States in 2011 and has picked a site in Indiana for its U.S. manufacturing facility.

Job Losses Lowest in Two Years; Concerns about Moral Hazzard for Mortgage Finance

Japan's prime minister chose his deputy, Naoto Kan, as finance minister on Wednesday after the elderly holder of the post resigned amid worries about whether the government could rein in spending in the face of a frail economy and ballooning debt.

Yemen has stepped up a campaign to root out al Qaeda militants after the group's Yemen-based wing said it was behind a December 25 attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner.

Yemeni forces surrounded a suspected al Qaeda regional leader in a house near the capital after earlier arresting three militants wounded in a raid, security sources said, as the country cracked down on militancy.

Stocks stayed little changed on Wednesday after data showed the services sector expanded marginally in December following a surprise contraction in November.

Stocks open little changed on Wednesday after a private report showed a smaller-than-expected slowdown in job losses in December.

The rate of job losses at U.S. private employers slowed in December, while planned layoffs at companies fell to the lowest in two years during the month, according to two reports released on Wednesday.

Oil eased on Wednesday after U.S. data showed weak mortgage demand in the world's top energy consumer, halting a nine-day rally that has lifted crude futures by 14 percent due to cold weather and geopolitical jitters.

Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in December to their lowest level in two years as economic activity began picking up steam, capping off the worst year for corporate job cuts since 2002, a report on Wednesday showed.

Global financial regulation has changed little since the 2008 banking crisis, but that won't be the case much longer.

Stock index futures suggested a flat open on Wednesday after a private report showed a slowdown in job losses, one day after the S&P 500 closed at a 15-month high.

Demand for U.S. mortgages held last week near six-month lows as the highest long-term borrowing costs since August stifled refinancing, a Mortgage Bankers Association survey showed on Wednesday.

As Congress moves to reform U.S. financial regulation, key senators are nearing bipartisan agreement on stripping the Federal Reserve of its authority to supervise banks, two people familiar with the matter said.

The rate of job losses at U.S. private employers slowed in December, while planned layoffs at companies fell to the lowest in two years during the month, according to two reports released on Wednesday.

U.S. researchers have identified 10 locations in California that have double the rates of autism found in surrounding areas, and these clusters were located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday she was sure Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate would produce a final healthcare reform plan that would hold insurers accountable and make medical coverage affordable.

More US kids are fully immunized against common childhood illnesses, and disparities in vaccine coverage among socioeconomic groups are shrinking, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

Stock index futures held to losses on Wednesday after a report showed the U.S. private sector shed slightly more jobs than forecast in December.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday, a day after the S&P 500 closed at a 15-month high, as investors braced for a private report on jobs that is a precursor to the closely watched government non-farm payrolls report due Friday

Shares of Japan Airlines fell nearly 7 percent on Wednesday after a newspaper said the carrier's main creditor and the finance ministry support bankruptcy as a way to restructure the heavily indebted airline.