IBT Staff Reporter

G20 finance ministers will discuss next week how to curb excessive bankers' pay but the group of leading nations is not expected to heed a French call to cap and tax bonuses, officials and analysts said.

The immediate crisis may be over but G20 policymakers meeting next week must still find a way to rebalance the global economy if the world is not to be doomed to repeat the past.

Snakes on a cane. Sound familiar?

A surge in demand for aircraft pushed new orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods up at their fastest pace in two years in July, the government said on Wednesday, hinting a modest economic recovery was taking shape.

Russia's top general said on Wednesday the military would search the Arctic Sea merchant ship for a possible secret cargo when it returns to Russia from a maritime odyssey that has made headlines around the world.

Senator Edward M. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, one of the most influential senators in the history of the U.S. died Tuesday night at age 77 after a battle with brain cancer.

Climate change has made history an inaccurate guide for farmers as well as energy investors who must rely on probabilities and scenarios to make decisions, the head of a United Nations agency said on Wednesday.

Red Cross officials from South Korea arrived in the North for three days of talks on Wednesday in a rare meeting between the rivals to discuss the plight of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Edward Kennedy dies at 77; Exit Strategy a Must; Toyota retreats

Pakistani helicopter gunships stepped up attacks on Taliban positions in the South Waziristan region on Wednesday, a day after militants confirmed that their leader was dead and announced his successor.

Stock index futures were mostly lower on Wednesday ahead of durable goods and new home sales data and one day after upbeat consumer and housing indicators helped lift shares to 2009 highs.

Former President Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday trial confessions by moderates accused of fomenting post-election unrest were made under extraordinary conditions and were invalid, an Iranian news agency reported.

U.S. mortgage applications rose for a second straight week, with demand for home refinancing loans rising to its highest level since early June, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

IBM (IBM.N) has been awarded a five-year application services contract by oil and gas firm BP (BP.L), the U.S. technology major said in a statement on Wednesday.

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, a towering figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America's most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died at age 77, his family said.

The Canadian dollar fell to its lowest level of the week versus the U.S. greenback on Wednesday as a warning by a Bank of Canada official about the currency's strength continued to weigh. Meanwhile, stronger-than-expected U.S. durables data boosted the greenback and added pressure on the already-softer Canadian unit.

Wall Street was set to open little changed on Wednesday after data for new orders of long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods recorded their biggest gain in two years in July, but rose less than forecast, excluding transportation.

The lives of Kennedy family members, noted for their extraordinary accomplishments, have also been marked by tragedy, including the assassinations of President John Kennedy and of Senator Robert Kennedy.

An Australian jeans retailer has installed cameras in its dressing rooms to help women answer for themselves that perennial fashion question -- does my bum look big in this?

Senator Edward Kennedy's death comes as a political struggle appears to be chipping away at the Democratic power-broker's vision for what he called the cause of my life, providing affordable healthcare coverage to all Americans.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 rise 0.1 to 0.4 percent, pointing to a firmer start on Wall Street on Wednesday.

Senator Edward Kennedy's death marks the twilight of one of America's most fabled political families, with no heirs to the Kennedy name poised to emerge with the same mix of gravitas, ambition and celebrity.

The German government might drop its opposition to Belgian-based financial investor RHJ International (RHJI.BR) as a buyer for General Motors' GM.UL European unit Opel, Bild newspaper reported on Thursday.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods recorded their biggest gain in two years in July, buoyed by a surge in aircraft orders, a government report showed on Wednesday.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose more than expected in July, posting their biggest gain in two years, according to a government report on Wednesday that offered more evidence a modest economic recovery was probably starting to take shape.

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history and a towering figure in the Democratic Party, died at age 77.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was heartbroken by the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, a longtime pillar of the Democratic Party who was a crucial supporter of his presidential candidacy.

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, a towering figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America's most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died at age 77, his family said.

Nokia Oyj will try again to tackle Apple Inc's iPhone in the top-end of the handset market with a bet on Linux software, several industry sources told Reuters.