UNITED STATES

Five states have asked U.S. Senate leaders to let them impose stricter limits on greenhouse gas emissions than what would be permitted under the climate legislation working its way though Congress, saying both levels of regulation are necessary to fight global warming.

The Venice film festival opens on Wednesday with Italian movie

Job losses in the U.S. private sector fell to their lowest monthly level in nearly a year, a report by a private employment service showed on Wednesday, signaling stabilization in the labor sector.

Stock index futures added to losses on Wednesday after a private employment report showed U.S. firms cut more jobs than expected in August.

Summer box office sales narrowly hit a new record in North America -- with a little help from an angry memo written by Transformers director Michael Bay.

U.S. private employers cut 298,000 jobs in August, fewer than a revised 360,000 jobs lost in July, a report by a private employment service said on Wednesday.

Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in August, suggesting less stress on the labor market and improvements in consumer spending and the broader economy in the coming months, a report released on Wednesday showed.

U.S. mortgage applications slid last week even as mortgage rates edged lower, with requests for loans to buy homes declining for the first time since early July, an industry group said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Mortgage Bankers Association will call on Congress to transform U.S. government-controlled mortgage lenders Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac into several smaller privately held companies that would issue mortgage securities with a government guarantee, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Stock index futures were flat on Wednesday ahead of private labor market data seen as a precursor to a key government monthly jobs report later in the week, which investors will keenly await after a three-day slide in stocks.

The level of U.S. commercial real estate deals seen in the boom years of 2005 through 2007 may take a generation to return, according to a report by real estate services company Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

Japan's Nikkei stock average slid 2.5 percent on Wednesday, dragged down by exporters hit by a stronger yen amid renewed worry about the health of the U.S. financial system.

Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in August, suggesting less stress on the labor market and improvements in consumer spending and the broader economy in the coming months, a report released on Wednesday showed.

Oil rose above $68 a barrel on Wednesday, after a 3 percent drop in the previous session, as data showing a fall in U.S. crude stocks raised expectations of demand growth in the world's biggest energy consumer.

Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in August, suggesting less stress on the labor market and improvements in consumer spending and the broader economy in the coming months, a report released on Wednesday showed.

At least 20 top hedge funds boosted their positions in financial institutions in the latest quarter in a sign that Wall Street is ready to bet on more risky sectors in the hope of longer-term rewards.

World stocks fell close to 1 percent on Wednesday after an overnight sell off on Wall Street, with both Asia and Europe rattled by concerns over the sustainability of this year's equity rally.

Asian shares pulled back on Wednesday after revived worries about the health of U.S. banks slammed Wall Street, even as upbeat Australian growth figures reassured investors on the economic recovery's staying power.

Reports that Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) is in talks with the U.S. Treasury to repay $20 billion of its federal bailout was met by the market with joy -- and a little skepticism.

Oil edged above $68 a barrel on Wednesday, reversing part of the previous day's slide of 3 percent, after industry data showed a sharp fall in U.S. crude stocks, boosting hopes of a demand rebound in the world's top energy user.

The biggest U.S. Internet service providers urged regulators to adopt a conservative definition of broadband, arguing for minimum speeds that were substantially below many other nations.