IBT Staff Reporter

Demand for U.S. home loans fell for a third straight week last week although mortgage rates fell to or near record lows, an industry group said on Wednesday.

An activist shareholder in Research In Motion said on Tuesday it wants the struggling BlackBerry maker to consider selling itself or spinning off its patent portfolio, sending RIM's share price higher.

Germany's highest court said on Wednesday that parliament must have a bigger say in euro zone rescue packages, in a landmark ruling that may make it more difficult for Europe to respond swiftly in delivering aid to crisis-hit member states.

Former BP boss Tony Hayward has returned to the oil business with an agreement to acquire Turkish explorer Genel Energy via a reverse takeover to create a Kurdistan-focused group worth $4 billion.

AT&T Inc can lower the price it pays for T-Mobile USA Inc if the remedies requested by regulators become too expensive, a Bloomberg report said, citing three people with direct knowledge of the merger contract.

World stocks rose from a two-week low on Wednesday and the euro rebounded across the board after Germany's top court rejected lawsuits aimed at blocking Germany's participation in bailout packages for Greece and other euro zone countries.

Germany's highest court said on Wednesday that parliament must have a bigger say in euro zone rescue packages, in a landmark ruling that may make it more difficult for Europe to respond swiftly in delivering aid to crisis-hit member states.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 1 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.79 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.97 percent at 0900 GMT (5 a.m. ET).

The Bank of Japan kept its policy settings unchanged on Wednesday, saving up its scant ammunition for later, while the yen stabilized in the wake of Switzerland's radical action to curb its soaring currency.

A study by Symantec Corp, the maker of Norton computer security software, estimates the cost of global cybercrimes at $114 billion annually.

The Bank of Japan kept its policy settings unchanged on Wednesday, saving up its scant ammunition for later, while the yen stabilized in the wake of Switzerland's radical action to curb its soaring currency.

World champions Spain booked their place in the European Championship next summer, with a 6-0 mauling of Liechtenstein in Logrono.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow responds to how she inadvertently saved a woman's life on 9/11

Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock fired CEO Carol Bartz over the phone on Tuesday, ending a tumultuous tenure marked by stagnation and a rift with Chinese partner Alibaba.

England trudged to a 1-0 win against Wales at Wembley, leaving them within a point of qualifying for the European Championships 2012.

The euro zone's most indebted nations were scrambling on Wednesday to convince investors and the rest of Europe of their commitment to tackle their debt problems, even as the bloc's main paymaster Germany battles increasing opposition to further aid.

The euro zone's most indebted nations were scrambling on Wednesday to convince investors and the rest of Europe of their commitment to tackle their debt problems, even as the bloc's main paymaster Germany battles increasing opposition to further aid.

European stocks were poised to follow Asian shares higher on Wednesday as investors hunted for bargains, while the euro edged up against the dollar as traders covered some bets against the common currency following a sharp overnight fall.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Eddie Murphy will host the Academy Awards next year which will be telecast on Feb. 26 on ABC.

New York prosecutors are widening their investigation into the manner in which Goldman Sachs marketed certain mortgage-linked securities before the financial crisis, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Comedian Eddie Murphy, whose movies range from Beverly Hills Cop to voicing the smart-mouthed donkey in Shrek, has been picked to host the Academy Awards in February for the first time in his career.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina signed a series of agreements in Dhaka on Tuesday, but failed to resolve their main disputes, over transit rights for India and the sharing of river waters, officials said.

Starbucks Corp plans to triple the number of coffee outlets it runs in China over the next four years, the Associated Press reported.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's officials privately met with large bond investors weeks before the firm's U.S. debt downgrade, leaving some believing the chance of a rating downgrade was higher than they had previously thought, the Wall Street Journal said.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's officials privately met with large bond investors weeks before the firm's U.S. debt downgrade, leaving some believing the chance of a rating downgrade was higher than they had previously thought, the Wall Street Journal said.

Yahoo Inc said on Tuesday it has removed CEO Carol Bartz and replaced her on an interim basis with Chief Financial Officer Tim Morse, ending a rocky two-year run marked by stagnating growth and a bitter rift with Chinese partner Alibaba.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites. The pictures show the tacks and debris left by astronauts and their lunar rovers on the moon's surface in the 1960's and 1970's.

Mexico has breached an international human rights charter by bringing terror charges against two social media users who wrongly reported an armed attack on a local school, a lawyer for the accused said.

VeriFone Systems Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly results and raised its full-year outlook as it ropes in more customers for mobile payment technologies.