IBT Staff Reporter

General Electric Co unveiled two investments in startup clean technology businesses on Wednesday as part of its strategy of focusing on ways for business to generate and use energy more efficiently.

JPMorgan Chase & Co quarterly profit rocketed to a much-higher-than-expected $3.6 billion as bond trading revenue surged, boosting optimism about a rebound in top Wall Street banks.

A combination of the food crisis and the global economic downturn has pushed more than 1 billion people into hunger in 2009, U.N. agencies said on Wednesday, confirming a grim forecast released earlier this year.

Pakistani aircraft bombed Taliban fighters in their South Waziristan bastion on Wednesday as more soldiers and tanks moved in for an expected offensive against the militant hub.

A U.S. congressional committee started nailing down details of a bill to regulate over-the-counter derivatives on Wednesday, seeking to advance a key part of the Obama administration's broad plan to tighten bank and capital markets oversight.

The New Jersey governor's race is virtually tied between Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine and Republican Christopher Christie after months in which the challenger held the lead, a poll released on Wednesday said.

Palestinians will not be pushed into accepting the Mickey Mouse state which Israel has in mind for them as part of a peace deal, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad warned Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrapped up a European tour Wednesday by calling on Russia to uphold human rights and prevent attacks on activists who challenge the Kremlin.

The Dow Jones industrials neared the 10,000 milestone on Wednesday for the first time in a year as robust results from JPMorgan Chase & Co and Intel Corp boosted the outlook for earnings.

Private equity giant Blackstone Group's chief executive said the worst of the industry's problems had passed, with improved capital and equity markets finally providing an opportunity to do deals and sell existing investments through IPOs.

A key U.S. Senate committee endorsed a sweeping healthcare overhaul on Tuesday, gaining the support of an influential Republican and delivering President Barack Obama a victory on his top domestic priority.

Apple may be on the verge of launching a new iPhone and iTouch radio application that will allow users to listen to FM radio, according to rumors that have leaked online.

All of the potentially interested buyers for the collapsed Dutch bank DSB have now withdrawn from any possible deal, the bank's administrators said on Wednesday.

A number of traditional Chinese herbs may help control blood sugar levels in people at high risk of diabetes, a new research review suggests.

Bicycle injuries in the US have become more severe and there has been a marked increase in chest and stomach injuries.

A new study fails to support routine pancreatic cancer screening for people at high genetic risk of the disease -- though, researchers say, at-risk individuals can still talk with their doctors about it.

Abbott Laboratories Inc said on Wednesday that third-quarter profit rose 37 percent on strong demand for its Humira arthritis drug and nutritional products, as well as gains from a settlement with Medtronic Inc .

Shares of Intel Corp rose 4 percent on Wednesday after analysts raised their price targets for the stock following a quarterly earnings report and revenue forecast that blew past expectations, giving investors hope of a tech sector recovery.

A new international pact is needed to ban trafficking in human organs, tissues and cells, protect victims and punish offenders, says a report issued on Tuesday by the United Nations and Council of Europe.

Stocks jumped on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co posted a surge in profit, following stronger numbers from Intel Corp a day earlier in an auspicious start to third-quarter earnings season.

Watching his sons kick around a makeshift ball made from tightly bound plastic bags, Ugandan handyman Jackson Mawa marvels at the way business has improved since he bought a solar-powered mobile phone.

U.S. retail and food services sales fell 1.5 percent in September compared with August due mostly to a sharp decline in motor vehicle and parts sales, the U.S. Commerce Department reported on Wednesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co quarterly profit rocketed to forecast-beating $3.6 billion as bond trading revenue surged, boosting optimism about a strengthening rebound in top Wall Street banks.

The U.S. Treasury Department is pushing American International Group to cut big pay incentives it claims were needed to keep staff, but which have stoked a controversy over pay at taxpayer-supported firms.

The U.S. Treasury Department is pushing American International Group to cut big pay incentives it claims were needed to keep staff, but which have stoked a controversy over pay at taxpayer-supported firms.

Stocks jumped on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co posted a surge in profit, following stronger numbers from Intel Corp a day earlier in an auspicious start to third-quarter earnings season.

Despite some signs that the worst of the U.S. residential housing crisis may be over, many wealthy homeowners are still being squeezed by the combination of weak home prices and the stock market crash.

South African IT company Datatec posted lower first-half headline earnings, in line with its own forecast, and said it was looking to expand given the worst of the downturn was over.

Oil surged for a fifth day on Wednesday to a 2009 high above $75 a barrel, boosted by a weak dollar and optimism about a global economic rebound that will lead to higher energy demand.