UNITED STATES

Citigroup Inc , the bank bailed out with $45 billion by the U.S. government, plans to cut down its U.S. branch network to six big metropolitan areas, the Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday on its website, citing people familiar with the situation.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc reported a second-quarter profit that rose more than analysts expected as cost cuts helped offset weak demand for home furnishings.

Jay-Z led the U.S. pop chart for a second week on Wednesday, while Whitney Houston's recent chart-topper rebounded one place to No. 2 after receiving a big sales boost from her Oprah Winfrey Show appearance.

U.S. electronics retailer Best Buy Co plans to sell an iRex Technologies e-reader that links to the Barnes & Noble digital bookstore, the companies said on Wednesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed on Wednesday that serious additional sanctions must be considered if Iran does not respond to proposals to end a nuclear standoff.

Former Alaska governor and US vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin delivered her first speech outside North America on Wednesday.

The OECD signaled on Wednesday that Switzerland would soon be taken off a list of financial centers judged to fall short of international standards of cooperation in tax evasion inquiries due to bank secrecy rules.

Automakers backed calls to ban drivers on U.S. roads from text messaging with cell phones and other hand-held devices, an issue gaining attention from the Obama administration and Congress.

Chinese solar wafer manufacturer ReneSola said on Wednesday that it will buy Dynamic Green Energy Ltd for about $88.5 million, mostly in stock, expanding the parts company into the market for solar panels, the final product sold to produce energy.

U2 is performing tonight at the Giants Stadium in New Jersey for its 360° Tour which critics have called one of the best stadium shows of the last decade, according to Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot.

Julius Baer's U.S. asset management arm Artio Global Investors Inc is set to price its U.S. initial public offering after Wall Street closes on Wednesday in what is likely to be a test of investors' appetite for new financial issues.

China offered some support on Wednesday to U.S. plans to build a more balanced global economy, as world leaders seek to agree ways to nurture a tentative recovery and prevent future crises.

Chinese President Hu Jintao urged U.S. President Barack Obama not to slap duties on more Chinese goods after a dispute over tires but stressed hopes for steady economic ties ahead of a Group of 20 leaders' summit.

ObamaVision -- the term coined by the media to sum up President Barack Obama's pledge to bring hope and change to America -- was on Wednesday deemed the most influential English word from television in 2009.

Google Inc expects to buy one small company a month as it rekindles its acquisition engine and moves beyond the worst phase of the global recession, Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said in an interview on Wednesday.

G20 countries must sign up to a new agreement setting clear objectives on how they can contribute to more balanced global economic growth, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday.

Bank of America is underwriting a $239 million Lone Star subprime securitization backed by loans originated by troubled U.S. lender CIT Group, market sources said on Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday upgraded its assessment of the U.S. economy, saying growth had returned after a deep recession, while reiterating its promise to hold interest rates very low for a long time.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Sam's Club chain said on Wednesday that its U.S. warehouse clubs are now offering free technical support for consumer electronics, but it is toughening up its return policy for such items.

John Travolta frantically tried to save his son by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the actor told a Bahamian court on Wednesday in the trial of two people accused of attempting to extort $25 million from him.

Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems Inc has a history of losses, is uncertain about its ability to generate positive cash flow -- and is the most talked-about company going public this week.