IBT Staff Reporter

Japan aims to cut domestic consumption of a heavy rare earth used widely in hybrid cars and electronics by 30 percent over the next two years as China keeps a tight grip on exports of the material, known as dysprosium.

Anja has been scrubbing floors and washing dishes for two euros an hour over the past six years. She is bewildered when she sees newspapers hailing Germany's job miracle.

European air safety officials are preparing to extend checks for Airbus A380 wing cracks to the entire superjumbo fleet, sources close to the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

German exports fell at their fastest rate in nearly three years in December and imports also unexpectedly dropped, suggesting Europe's bulwark economy could have contracted more than forecast in the fourth quarter of 2011.

When it comes to China, Facebook should consider itself forewarned. Cracking the world's biggest Internet population might seem an obvious ambition for the social networking giant as it trumpets its global growth before a $5 billion initial public offering, but the chances it will succeed look slim.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.2 to 0.3 percent.

If both the perma-bears and perma-bulls are wrong in their immovable convictions about the long-term global investment outlook, then 2012 may require a more agile beast and possibly one with both claws and hooves.

The annual average growth of China's minimum wages should be at least 13 percent in the five years to 2015, according to a government job market plan for the period published on Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics Co, the world's top television manufacturer, has seen TV sales firming up so far this year and plans to introduce cheaper TVs, as demand for lower-end models increase, the head of its TV business said on Wednesday.

Renesas Electronics and two other big Japanese chip makers are in talks to combine their struggling system chip operations in a government-backed deal, sources said, as pressure mounts for drastic reforms to confront stiff global competition.

Struggling Finnish phone maker Nokia plans to cut 4,000 more jobs at its plants in Finland, Hungary and Mexico as it seeks to cut costs by moving smartphone assembly work to Asia.

Standard and Poor's cut its long-term debt rating on Sony Corp on Wednesday to BBB+, warning it may drop the consumer electronics giant a further notch within a year unless it shows it can achieve a significant turnaround in profitability.

The euro was at eight-week high and European shares rose on Wednesday on hopes that a deal on a second bailout for Greece was close, shrugging off data illustrating the damage the debt crisis has done to the region's economy.

Asian shares hit their highest level in more than five months on Wednesday and the euro hovered close to an 8-week high as investors kept hopes alive for an agreement on details of a new Greek bailout package despite further delays.

Rick Santorum has won the Colorado caucuses, completing a superbly improbable sweep of the three states that voted Tuesday night. He also won the Minnesota caucuses and a nonbinding Missouri primary.

The continuing decline in earnings has mainly been attributed to currency fluctuations and the rising interest costs. Also, all the major mobile phone service providers in the country are engaged in a bitter tariff war.

Customers of MF Global's broker-dealer unit say at least $120 million in insurance policies for the company's executives should instead go toward filling a massive hole in their accounts.

Taiwan computer maker Acer Inc has sued its former chief executive, Gianfranco Lanci, saying he breached a non-compete clause in an agreement covering his departure from the company in 2011.

Chevron Corp and eight other corporations were sued by shareholders on Tuesday for adopting a bylaw that requires common types of shareholder lawsuits be brought exclusively in Delaware's Chancery Court.

The three to four percent hike marks the first in the country in the last 10 months.

Congress made a mistake when it stripped away most of the Securities and Exchange Commission's authority to police the holding companies of broker-dealers for risks, according to the SEC's newest commissioner.

A federal judge on Tuesday granted CVS Caremark Corp a temporary restraining order allowing it to keep selling controlled prescription drugs at two Florida pharmacies at the center of raids by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

The California State Teachers' Retirement System, the second-largest largest pension fund in the United States, wants Facebook Inc to expand its board of directors and diversify a panel that has no women.

Country singer Randy Travis has switched into sorry mode after being arrested for public intoxication in Texas -- and he blames the incident on his overenthusiasm for Sunday night's big game.

The Voice has signed Christina Aguilera for a third season as NBC considers launching that season in the fall instead of waiting until 2013, TheWrap has learned.

Think that politics already resembles pro wrestling a little too much? Just wait until Dwayne The Rock Johnson gets his way.

Ashton Kutcher turned 34 on Tuesday, and he's asking for fans' help to make his birthday wish come true -- to end child sex trafficking and exploitation.

Walt Disney Co's quarterly revenue fell short of Wall Street's expectations after the movie studio put in a poor showing, as the largest U.S. media corporation searched for new ways to grow its struggling ABC television unit.

Renesas Electronics Corp, Fujitsu Ltd and Panasonic Corp are in talks to merge their chip operations, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.