UNITED STATES

Stock index futures edged up on Wednesday after European banks absorbed more than half a trillion euros as part of an effort to stabilize the euro zone's financial system.

Automakers will report nearly 1.09 million new cars in February on Thursday, according to two industry forecasts, continuing the ongoing revival of the industry as sales jumped nearly 6 percent from February 2011 and an eye-popping 20 percent from January. That would equal a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) above 14 million units -- the highest level since early 2008.

Stock index futures edged up on Wednesday after European banks absorbed more than half a trillion euros as part of an effort to stabilize the euro zone's financial system.

French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen's alliance talks with General Motors may yet fail as the U.S. automaker hesitates over criticism from investors, a source with knowledge of the discussions said.

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012 marks Leap Day, the day added every four years to the Gregorian calendar to adjust for shifts in the seasonal year. The added day makes the year a Leap Year with 366 days rather than a common one with 365. Take a look at the scientific explanation, the history, the traditions and strange Leap Day facts. Why does Leap Day exist?

The founder of the online file-sharing site Megaupload.com has asked a New Zealand court to free nearly a quarter of a million dollars in frozen assets to pay for living expenses, including nannies and bodyguards, as a bid by the United States to put him back behind bars was thrown out of court on Wednesday.

Mitt Romney scored victories in both of Tuesday's Republican primarie in Michigan -- his native state -- and Arizona. The wins reposition the former Massachusetts governor as his party's front-runner and could prompt a rethink of rival Rick Santorum's candidacy

France's data protection regulator will launch an official investigation into Google's new privacy policy and said that its preliminary view was that it did not conform with European laws on protecting individuals' privacy.

Some Chinese Internet users have this week been able to access blocked websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, relishing the newfound freedom although the reason for the breach in China's Great Firewall of censorship was a mystery.

Some Chinese Internet users have this week been able to access blocked websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, relishing the newfound freedom although the reason for the breach in China's Great Firewall of censorship was a mystery.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a firmer open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones futures and Nasdaq 100 futures rising 0.1-0.2 percent at 4:58 a.m. ET.

While the international community and the U.N. nuclear watchdog allege that Iran is operating a clandestine nuclear weapons program, the latter has gone a step further in denial to condemn the production of atomic weapons as a great sin.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could be classified as a war criminal, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said as the United Nations announced more than 7,500 civilians had been killed by his forces since the start of the revolt.

A senior Muslim Brotherhood member and the head of the foreign affairs committee in the Egyptian parliament said on Monday that the popular political uprising that swept across the Middle East last year, overthrowing many dictatorial regimes including that of Egypt, is headed to Iran.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the icon of peace and non-violence and the Father of Indian nation, was baptized by proxy by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) on March 1997, according to information from an independent researcher. The revelation by the researcher Helen Radkey of Salt Lake City has raised sharp reactions from Gandhi's grandsons and Hindu activists worldwide.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wins home turf and Arizona in campaign bounceback.

Mitt Romney scored victories in both of Tuesday's Republican primarie in Michigan -- his native state -- and Arizona. The wins reposition the former Massachusetts governor as his party's front-runner and could prompt a rethink of rival Rick Santorum's candidacy.

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has fired more than 1,000 workers in North America this week, according to an advocacy group for the company’s employees.

Investment banker Felix Rohatyn, who helped rescue New York City from its mid-1970s financial crisis, has agreed to sit on the board of New York State's $25 billion infrastructure bank, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.

Oracle Corp and SAP AG are scheduled to kick off a retrial on June 18, 2012, over copyright infringement allegations against a SAP unit, a U.S. judge ordered on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were virtually tied at about 40 percent each with 10 percent of the vote counted in the Republican presidential primary in Michigan on Tuesday, according to early vote counts broadcast on television networks.