UNITED STATES

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday is expected to leave interest rates near zero and restate its vow to keep them low for an extended period.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday after data showed new home sales dropped unexpectedly in December, as investors remained wary ahead of the U.S. president's State of the Union speech and the end of the Federal Reserve policy meeting.

Global business leaders warned Western governments Wednesday that a populist crackdown on the financial industry could crimp a fragile recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s.

Sales of newly built U.S. single-family homes fell unexpectedly in December, data showed on Wednesday, the latest indication that the government-led housing recovery might be losing some steam.

Carbon offset retailers and brokers have seen increased interest in and demand for voluntary carbon credits this month, particularly from the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will press China's foreign minister on the issue of Internet freedom, a growing irritant in ties between the two powers, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

The Swiss government is to talk to the U.S. authorities in a bid to resolve a legal impasse that has threatened to derail a key tax deal over UBS client data, it said on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.35 percent, the S&P 500 Index has fallen 0.27 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite Index slipped by 0.17 percent at 10:54 a.m. in New York as investors wait for answers from Washington.

Toyota Motor shares were down 7 percent on the New York Stock Exchange in morning trading, following the company's unprecedented decision to discontinue eight of its most popular models in the U.S. following reported problems with the accelerators.

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc surged on Wednesday after Standard & Poor's said it will add the company run by billionaire Warren Buffett to its S&P 500 stock index .

The scientists also found that people suffering from type 2 diabetes who used insulin to get blood sugar levels down to near normal were 50 percent more likely to die during the study period as those who used a combination of oral drugs, such as metformin and sulphonylurea.

A son of Osama bin Laden says he is working with Saudi Arabia and Iran to end his separation from a group of brothers and sisters that dates back to the chaos in Afghanistan following the al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11 2001.

Sales of newly built U.S. single-family homes fell unexpectedly in December, data showed on Wednesday, the latest indication that the government-led housing recovery might be losing some steam.

Iranian media reported on Wednesday that two German diplomats were detained last month due to involvement in anti-government protests, but Berlin said it was unaware any of its staff in Iran had been arrested.

This finding is potentially concerning, researchers say, given that data on the safety of herbal use during pregnancy is lacking. Furthermore, the prevalence of exposure was highest in the first 3 months of pregnancy, a critical period of development.

Yemen's government recognizes the urgent need for economic and political reforms to help root out al Qaeda militancy which risks threatening regional stability, according to a draft document at an international conference.

The two Koreas exchanged artillery shots on Wednesday in a brief firefight that resulted in no damage but stoked tension on the peninsula.

North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire near their disputed sea border on Wednesday, highlighting instability along a heavily armed frontier for the second time in three months.

After his worst political setback since he took office a year ago, President Barack Obama will vow to revive job growth and tame skyrocketing budget deficits in a crucial State of the Union speech on Wednesday.

Health insurer WellPoint Inc said quarterly profit, excluding huge gains from a sale, fell on lower enrollment and higher medical costs, but the results topped Wall Street estimates.

China sought to head off concerns about curbs on Google phone technology on Wednesday, as U.S. business groups urged Washington to tackle alarming measures against foreign high-tech companies in China.