IBT Staff Reporter

President Barack Obama is set to deliver remarks in prime time at a memorial in Arizona on Wednesday for the victims of a shooting which left six people dead and 14 injured, including critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after a healthy bond sale in Portugal helped ease concern over the latest sovereign debt crisis to crop up in Europe and signs of strength in the U.S. banking sector.

Campbell Soup Co said it would form a joint venture with Swire Pacific Ltd <0019.HK> to expand the reach of its business in China.

Even as the rest of the world's efforts to push consumer spending and economic growth are floundering, Brazil reported a more-than-expected rise in retail sales during November.

U.S. import prices jumped in December as energy costs surged, a sign that while inflation may be tame domestically there are plenty of price pressures coming from overseas.

Private equity funds in China are nervously eyeing a push by the country's top securities regulator to gain oversight of the fast-growing sector, fearing increased scrutiny and tougher new rules.

Debutant Chris Woakes kept his cool to steer England to a one wicket victory against Australia in the last ball of the day while chasing 158 in the first T20 match of the series at the Adelaide Oval.

Nasdaq-listed software services company Cognizant Technology Solutions has announced plans to expand its delivery centre in Phoenix, US by hiring another 500 employees to have more than a 1,000-seater facility.

If European Banks pay a one-time tax of 50 billion euros, it could help restore some stability to the EU, Reuters said, citing documents from the European Commission obtained by them.

Talking to people in the Chinese market over the weekend, writes Jeff Toshima, Tokyo director of the World Gold Council, in today's Nikkei Money, I was amazed to discover the number of gold saving accounts at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has grown above 1,000,000 within a year of ICBC launching the service.

Gold holdings rose because of purchase by the central bank of Estonia to cover its contribution to the ECB's foreign reserve assets, the ECB said.

Gold prices rose in Europe on Wednesday, as a retreat in the dollar, rising oil prices and caution ahead of a sale of Portuguese bonds later in the day all boosted interest in the precious metal.

After Google’s Android 2.3 as Gingerbread, now the search engine is all set to launch its latest version Android 2.4 with the name Ice Cream in this summer, said a report by Pocket-lint.

U.S. stock indexes were set to rise at the open on Wednesday after a healthy bond sale in Portugal and signs of strength in the U.S. banking sector.

Airbus basked in the world's biggest commercial plane order on Wednesday, with shares in parent EADS lifted by news of its $15.6 billion 180 aircraft deal with Indian airline IndiGo.

U.S. import prices jumped in December as energy costs surged, a sign that while inflation may be tame domestically there are plenty of price pressures coming from overseas.

The risk that parlous government finances will trigger sovereign debt defaults remains one of the biggest threats facing the world in 2011, according to the World Economic Forum.

European stocks and the euro both rose on Wednesday on hopes Portugal will get through a key bond auction unscathed and policymakers will boost a rescue fund that debt-scarred euro zone countries may need to tap.

Half a million students studying at Washington State's 34 two-year colleges will now be accessing online study material compiled by experts.

Tennis ace Roger Federer, who is in Melbourne, Australia, preparing for the Australian open, is expected to organize a charity exhibition match on Sunday, while other sports stars donated in their own ways.

A week-long referendum in Sudan that will determine if the country divides has seen a high voter turnout, even as reported clashes are said to have killed dozens of people along the country's north-south border in a region not participating in the referendum, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

One in six Britons failed to receive at least one product ordered online in the run-up to Christmas, dampening some enthusiasm for Internet shopping, according to a survey published Wednesday.

The head of European aerospace and defense group EADS said on Wednesday he expects profit to recover from 2012 after being held back by hedging, programme costs and government spending restraint.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc likely has the most to lose among global investment banks from a new regulation that limits proprietary trading, analysts at J.P. Morgan Securities said, and downgraded the stock to neutral.

U.S. stock index futures rose sharply on Wednesday after a healthy bond sale in Portugal and signs of strength in the U.S. banking sector.

Australian students from University of New South Wales have designed what they claim to be the world’s fastest solar car Sunswift Ivy by clocking a speed of 88 kilometers per hour after smashing a previous Guinness World Record of 79 kilometers per hour speed.

The European Union's top economic official called on Wednesday for a stronger European financial safety net as Portugal, seen as the next candidate for a bailout, comfortably sold its first debt of the year.

U.S. stock index futures rose sharply on Wednesday, tracking global stocks, after a healthy bond sale in Portugal eased worries about Lisbon's ability to finance itself.

The European Union's top economics official called on Wednesday for a strengthening of Europe's financial safety net as Portugal, widely seen as the next candidate for a bailout, returned to the market for funds.