IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. stocks kept close to the break-even point on Wednesday after weak reports on the labor market and regional manufacturing were offset by strength in the energy sector.

European industry bodies urged European Union regulators on Wednesday to prevent unfair competition and excessive pricing of iron ore, saying it could hamper economic recovery in Europe.

(Corrects paragraph 17 to read February factory orders)

The yen continues to weaken against its major counterparts, nearing its lowest levels against the US dollar in 2010. The 2010-high for the USD/JPY was made on January 8, when the pair reached 93.76. In trading today, the pair reached a high of 93.63, but has since fallen to the 93.40 level.

Physicists at CERN, buoyed by their ground-breaking success in creating mini-Big Bangs, giving them a glimpse of the dawn of time, have set their sights on pushing closer to the very birth of the universe.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday as weaker jobs and regional manufacturing data dented hopes of improvements in the economy, and a rating downgrade of five Greek banks heightened worries about the euro zone economies.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday as weaker jobs and regional manufacturing data dented hopes of improvements in the economy, and a rating downgrade of five Greek banks heightened worries about the euro zone economies.

Struggling music major EMI has failed to clinch a licensing deal for its North American rights, sources said, making a covenant breach inevitable and pushing its owner Terra Firma back to investors for more cash.

Bank of Ireland will raise from private sources much of the 2.7 billion euros ($3.6 billion) it needs, potentially becoming the only member of Ireland's bad bank scheme to escape a fresh bailout.

Talks to license the North American rights for Terra Firma's EMI Music unit to either Universal Music Group or Sony have ended without agreement, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Ford Motor Co and Microsoft Corp on Wednesday announced an online application designed to help owners of Ford plug-in electric vehicles manage home electricity use while the vehicles recharge.

Boeing Co on Wednesday said it would take an income tax charge of about $150 million, or 20 cents per share, against first-quarter results due to recently enacted U.S. healthcare reform.

The Dow and the S&P 500 cut losses on Wednesday, led by gains in the energy sector, and the Nasdaq briefly turned positive.

Oshkosh Corp won dismissal of an investor class-action lawsuit alleging the maker of heavy trucks inflated its stock price by failing to write down a troubled Dutch acquisition fast enough.

Wall Street briefly cut losses on Wednesday after government data showed new orders received by U.S. factories rose for a sixth straight month in February.

European Union regulators gave Ireland provisional approval on Wednesday to provide an emergency recapitalization worth up to 10.44 billion euros ($14 billion) to Anglo Irish Bank .

Rite Aid Corp posted a worse-than-expected quarterly loss on weak sales from a mild winter cold and flu season, and lower profits on generic drugs and reimbursement rates. It was the drugstore chain's 11th straight quarterly loss.

(Reuters) - Chinese officials have sought to contain public outrage after workers at a hospital dumped 21 dead fetuses and infants' bodies near a river bank.

Doctors to receive bonuses under the Rudd Government's health reform plan

The double-whammy of rising Treasury yields and the end of the Federal Reserve's $1.25 trillion mortgage-buying program could prove to be a buying opportunity for the biggest bond investors.

Physicists at CERN, buoyed by their ground-breaking success in creating mini-Big Bangs giving them a glimpse of the dawn of time, began Wednesday to push closer toward the very birth of the universe.

Goodbye, Federal Reserve. Hello Fannie and Freddie.

Bank of Ireland will raise from private sources much of the 2.7 billion euros ($3.6 billion) it needs, potentially becoming the only member of Ireland's bad bank scheme to escape a fresh bailout.

Wall Street was poised for a lower open on Wednesday after a report on private-sector employment in March dented hopes of a stronger economic recovery in the United States, and a rating downgrade of Greek banks heightened concerns about the debt-laden country.

Weight loss companies should now start on a tougher study and analysis on new products that will put a stop on the obesity crisis faced by Australians.

U.S. mortgage applications rose in the latest week for the first time in three weeks as demand for home purchase loans reached the highest level since October, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Wednesday he expected markets to reward Greece for its fiscal consolidation measures.

Patients with slow-growing patients who chose active surveillance tends to be less anxious and distressed about the disease.