LONDON

Bruno Iksil, the trader behind the $2-billion-and-counting loss at New York-based banking giant JPMorgan Chase and Co. (NYSE: JPM) that has been the talk of New York and Washington for the past few days, will be leaving the bank within the year, the New York Times' Dealbook blog reported Wednesday.

Greece continued to weigh heavily on confidence Wednesday as bank customers there began sending cash out of the country or hiding it under their beds -- this despite hints from German Chancellor Angela Merkel that a stimulus would be forthcoming if the country stuck to its austerity commitments.

The growing possibilities of an imminent Greek exit from the single currency bloc could drive up the value of safe-haven currencies such as the U.S. dollar and the British pound, while hurting a number of emerging Asian currencies that are sensitive to investors' risk appetite.

If the Sir Richard Branson ice cubes aren't enough, Virgin Atlantic is giving travelers another reason to choose their airline - cell phone use has been cleared for takeoff by the company. The downfall? It will cost you.

A coalition of companies has joined Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell in an unprecedented, landmark joint-venture to exploit natural gas resources in Western Canada.

The surge in people killing themselves can be directly linked to ?increased insecurity and uncertainty for the future.?

Germany's benchmark 10-year bond yield approached Wednesday the record euro-era low it struck on Monday, as investors reduced risk exposure as Greece seemed to be edging closer to leaving the currency bloc. The yield fell to 1.44 percent, just over the 1.43 it struck just two days ago, before rebounding to 1.5 in afternoon trading.

The euro fell to its lowest levels since January following the news Greece would have to hold a new round of elections, making the prospect of the dissolution of the euro zone economic union significantly more compelling.

London Olympics 2012 organizers have announced David Beckham as the torchbearer who will bring the Olympic flame back from Greece as it begins an 8,000 mile tour across Britain. Beckham, who is a star soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy, will join officials at a handover ceremony in Athens on Thursday, May 17.

Malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Africa and India are becoming resistant to insecticides, putting millions of lives at greater risk and threatening eradication efforts, health experts said on Tuesday.

Signs that a Greek departure from the euro zone has become inevitable proliferated worldwide Wednesday with Hong Kong's main stock index plunging more than 3 percent, bank runs in Athens and Britain's central bank finalizing contingency plans for a euro zone breakup.

Boost Mobile and Guerilla Union have announced the full lineup, list of dates and venues that will welcome the Rock the Bells 2012 Festival, featuring the likes of hip-hop artists like Kid Cudi, J Cole, Wiz Khalifa and Atmosphere, who will headline the festival.

The fertility level in western Turkey (the most economically advanced part of the country) is now about 1.5 -- roughly the same as in western Europe.

Carlos Fuentes, one of Latin America's most eloquent and widely read authors and a fierce critic of governments, has died after a literary career spanning more than five decades. He was 83.

A look at the latest news involving Arsenal's activity in the transfer market this summer.

Here are some pictures of Shawn Johnson.

Australian Olympic shooter Russell Mark will have to wear a lime-green 'mankini' -made famous by the 2006 'Borat' film - to the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony after losing a bet with his friends over Australian football.

Chinese officials summed a UK ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday in an official complaint against British Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. The two dignitaries spoke with the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, on May 14.

It?s big, red, and shiny, and it?s meant to add a touch of modernity to the London skyline, but many see Anish Kapoor?s Orbit Tower as an Olympic-sized eyesore.

Arsenal?s Dutch skipper Robin van Persie is keen to stay back in London for another season.

The euro zone just avoided recession in early 2012, but the region's debt crisis sapped the life out of the French and Italian economies and widened a split with paymaster Germany.