IBT Staff Reporter

The result of a planned private sector Greek debt swap remains uncertain, French bank BNP Paribas' Greek debt negotiator told Le Monde newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.

Facebook Inc, the world's biggest social networking site, said its service was unavailable in some European countries on Wednesday morning because of technical problems.

Apple Inc is betting a 4G-equipped iPad will tempt more U.S. consumers to pay extra to watch high-quality video on the go, and in turn, give Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc a revenue boost.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday, a day after Wall Street suffered its worst selloff in three months and ahead of a private employment report expected to show the U.S. economy added jobs in February.

German sportswear group Adidas stuck to forecasts for a slowdown in sales growth in 2012, disappointing investors who had hoped for more in a banner year for sports events with the Olympics and European soccer championships.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday, a day after Wall Street suffered its worst selloff in three months and ahead of a private employment report expected to show the U.S. economy added jobs in February.

A U.S. trade bill targeting Chinese imports goes against international rules and Beijing will not adjust the value of its currency to try to bridge a trade deficit that is Washington's problem to fix, China's commerce minister said on Wednesday.

Tokyo prosecutors on Wednesday charged Olympus Corp and six key figures in the $1.7 billion accounting fraud at the camera and endoscope maker, tightening their case in the investigation of one of Japan's biggest corporate scandals.

The European Commission may on Wednesday tell Hungary it still has concerns over disputed laws, potentially further delaying new talks on an aid deal needed to keep the country solvent.

Greece's tortuous debt restructuring and threat of retroactive laws to compel reluctant creditors heaps regulatory risk onto investors but may make voluntary sovereign debt revamps more attractive and likely for other cash-strapped euro sovereigns and their creditors.

Some foreign companies in China exploit their workers by forcing them to do overtime or underpaying them, the labor minister said on Wednesday, as controversy swirls over working conditions at a plant that makes Apple Inc's iPhones and iPads.

Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates' privately held Corbis, which provides photos and film video for advertisers, is expanding further into entertainment by launching an online music service with songs from the four largest publishers.

Greece's tortuous debt restructuring and threat of retroactive laws to compel reluctant creditors heaps regulatory risk onto investors but may make voluntary sovereign debt revamps more attractive and likely for other cash-strapped euro sovereigns and their creditors.

Samsung Electronics Co said on Wednesday it has filed another lawsuit against Apple Inc in South Korea, claiming the iPhone 4S and iPad2 infringed on three of its patents.

Sim City is going back to its roots. The classic city building game that first came out in 1989, is returning next year in a new version that has a modern-day look and feel but is being built by those who worked on the original.

One of the world's most-wanted hackers secretly became an FBI informant last year, providing evidence that led to charges on Tuesday against five other suspected leaders of the Anonymous international hacking group.

If you expect the Federal Reserve to launch another round of bond buying to stimulate growth at its meeting next week, you're almost certain to be disappointed.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a cut in fees on many government-backed mortgages that he said could help millions of homeowners refinance, part of an election-year push to boost the shaky housing market.

The United States welcomes the Swiss parliament's backing of a proposal to help U.S. authorities crack down on wealthy Americans who evade taxes and will not put any further pressure on Switzerland at present, the U.S. ambassador to that country said on Tuesday.

Hasbro Inc is cutting about 170 jobs as the second-largest U.S. toy company tries to recover from sluggish sales during the holiday season.

Allen Stanford was convicted on Tuesday of running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, a verdict that caps a riches-to-rags trajectory for the former Texas financier and Caribbean playboy.

Molson Coors Brewing Co said on Tuesday it will launch Coors Light Iced Tea and other new products, as the beer company fights to win a greater share of the struggling beer market.

One of the world's most-wanted cyber hackers secretly became an FBI informant last year and helped bring in five other suspected leaders of the loose-knit international Anonymous group who were charged with computer crimes on Tuesday.

Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings has quietly met with some of the largest U.S. cable companies in recent weeks to discuss adding the online movie streaming service to their cable offerings, according to sources familiar with matter.

The Dow dropped more than 200 points on Tuesday, handing Wall Street its worst day in three months on renewed fears of a disorderly default in Greece and concerns that China's slowdown would hit global growth.

Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings has quietly met with some of the largest U.S. cable companies in recent weeks to discuss adding the online movie streaming service to their cable offerings, according to sources familiar with matter.

The economy likely recorded a third month of solid job gains in February, which could further reduce the chances of additional monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

Big payouts to victims of phone-hacking by Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World paper are set to drive up the damages awarded in privacy cases in Britain, according to a recent judgment and experts in media law.

The Dow dropped more than 200 points on Tuesday, handing Wall Street its worst day in almost three months on renewed fears of a disorderly default in Greece and concerns that China's slowdown would hit global growth.