IBT Staff Reporter

Senior Southeast Asian officials are meeting in Jakarta to debate whether to call on Myanmar to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Indonesia said on Wednesday.

North Korea said on Wednesday leader Kim Jong-il had sent condolences on the death of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, the latest sign of a possible defrosting of relations between the rival Koreas.

As he continues to work on his own boxed set retrospective, Stephen Stills has mined past recordings for a pair of fall archival releases.

The hijackers of a cargo ship that disappeared off the coast of France threatened to blow it up if their ransom demands were not met, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will on Wednesday nominate a relative novice as oil minister and seek to bring women into the cabinet for the first time -- but he may face a hard fight to win approval from the conservative parliament.

U.S. President Barack Obama has started reaching out to some of Pakistan's most fervent Islamist and anti-American parties, including one that helped give rise to the Taliban, trying to improve Washington's image in the nuclear-armed state.

Deere & Co said on Wednesday its earnings in the latest quarter fell 27 percent as ongoing weakness in its construction and forestry equipment business offset strength in demand for its tractors and harvesters, especially in North America.

A series of explosions killed at least 75 people and wounded more than 300 in central Baghdad on Wednesday, the deadliest day in the Iraqi capital since U.S. troops withdrew from urban centers in June.

Hurricane Bill, the first of the 2009 Atlantic season, gathered strength and grew into a dangerous Category 4 storm with sustained winds of up to 135 mph on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Stock index futures pointed to a fall of about 1 percent on Wednesday as a drop in Chinese shares prompted renewed selling in global equity markets on fears stock prices have outpaced the economic recovery.

Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday it filed a motion to stay an injunction imposed by a federal court last week which threatened to halt sales of some versions of its popular Word application.

Stock index futures dropped about 1 percent on Wednesday as a fall in Chinese shares prompted renewed selling in global equity markets on fears stock prices have a run too far ahead of the economic reality.

Oil fell below $69 a barrel on Wednesday after a near 5 percent slump in Chinese shares sent doubts rippling through global markets about the strength of the world economic recovery.

U.S. securities regulators warned investors on Tuesday that leveraged exchange-traded funds could lead to big losses even if the market index or benchmark they track shows a gain.

Asian electronics makers are forecasting a turnaround in the second half of this year, citing a pick-up in global demand.

The dollar and yen rose on Wednesday after Chinese shares extended losses, prompting investors to pull back from riskier assets.

British American Tobacco, the world's second-biggest cigarette maker, has recruited Richard Burrows, the former chairman of Bank of Ireland , to be its new chairman.

Details of a deal to settle a U.S. tax case against Swiss bank UBS AG could come as soon as Wednesday and could have far-reaching implications for other wealth managers.

Macquarie Group Ltd , Australia's top investment bank, agreed to buy U.S. asset manager Delaware Investments for $428 million in cash from Lincoln National Corp , continuing a trend of consolidation in the fund management business.

Microsoft Corp's Bing search engine continued to make small gains on rivals Google Inc and Yahoo Inc in the U.S. Internet search market in July, according to the latest data from research firm ComScore.

Three detained Chinese employees of Australian miner Rio Tinto appeared healthy and calm, their defense lawyers said on Wednesday after visiting their clients for the first time early this week.

Wealthy U.S. citizens using a government tax-evasion amnesty program have identified almost 10 European banks where they have accounts, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, tracking a sell-off in Chinese shares on renewed worries the buoyant market had gone too far ahead of the economic recovery, and as oil prices dipped.

Oil fell toward $69 on Wednesday, after surging more than 3 percent in the previous session on data that showed a surprise fall in U.S. crude stocks, boosting hopes of demand recovery in the world's top energy user.

Citigroup Inc was under direct pressure from U.S. regulators to replace former chief financial officer Ned Kelly, the Financial Times said, citing parts of a confidential agreement it viewed.

Asian stocks edged up on Wednesday but hovered near three-week lows hit the previous day, with investors cautious ahead of Chinese bank results and wary that profit taking will continue to stall a six-month rally.

Oil extended gains toward $70 on Wednesday, after surging more than 3 percent in the previous session on data that showed a surprise fall in U.S. crude stocks, boosting hopes of demand recovery in the world's top energy user.

Japan's Nikkei average dipped 0.2 percent in choppy trade on Wednesday, weighed down by investor caution after disappointing U.S. housing data, but blue-chip stocks such as Canon Inc and carmakers jumped after brokerage upgrades.