IBT Staff Reporter

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday a weak job market and tame inflation warrant low interest rates for an extended period, dampening speculation a policy tightening might be nearing.

Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc agreed to take steps to help inconvenienced owners of more than 500,000 recalled vehicles in New York.

Euro zone industrial new orders unexpectedly rose in December against November, data showed, helped in large part by a car-scrappage scheme in France designed to encourage vehicle purchasing.

Nintendo Co Ltd will bring its latest dual-screen handheld video game system to the United States at the end of March, the company said on Wednesday.

Cellphones and the Internet are muscling in on more traditional media as ways to see the Olympic Games, and the trend will only deepen, organizers said on Tuesday.

Reports that French oil giant Total is ready to invest $20 billion in Nigerian oil and gas development spread through energy markets in an unlikely bit of positive news for the beleaguered African producer. Total, Europe's third-largest oil company and largest refiner, has its hands full trying to resolve a strike that has paralyzed its refining capacity in France and dampened global oil prices.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reaffirmed his commitment to keep interest rates low for an extended period to sustain the still-fragile recovery.

The Greek crisis has likely delayed euro adoption for the biggest emerging European economies by at least a year, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday.

The U.S. dollar fell versus the euro and yen on Wednesday after comments by U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke dampened speculation monetary policy tightening might be nearing. An unexpected plunge in new U.S. home sales last month further dampened investor sentiment and reinforced the low rates outlook. Analysts said the housing figures, combined with a drop in a consumer confidence reading on Tuesday, underscore the fragility of economic recovery.

Switzerland will ask parliament to turn a deal with Washington that got bank UBS off the hook in a tax evasion case into binding law, plugging a legal hole that is stopping Berne from honoring the agreement.

A new San Francisco based startup unveiled a portable fuel cell on Wednesday, hoping to usher in a new era renewable green energy.

The top U.S. transport official labeled recalled Toyota Motor Corp vehicles not safe as the Japanese automaker's president waited to be grilled by lawmakers about recent safety lapses.

Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette jumped to the third position Tuesday night behind Japan's Mao Asada and South Korean Kim Yuna who stands at the first position.

More than three-quarters of scientists in China use the search engine Google as a primary research tool and say their work would be significantly hampered if they were to lose it, a survey showed on Wednesday.

The recent stock market rally continues on Wednesday as Fed Chairman Bernanke reiterates his promise to keep the fed funds rate low.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood said Wednesday that his department would conduct a 'complete review' electronics on Toyota vehicles in response to customer and lawmaker complaints of unintended acceleration.

Bloom Energy, the San Francisco based energy startup which has been drawing a lot of attention this week, officially unveiled its Bloom Box at a highly publicized media event on Wednesday.

U.S. stocks advanced on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reaffirmed his commitment to keep interest rates low for an extended period to sustain the still fragile recovery.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday a weak job market and tame inflation warrant low interest rates for an extended period, dampening speculation a policy tightening might be nearing.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday repeated his call for Congress to pass financial reform legislation that curbs risk-taking by big financial firms and ensures they can absorb their own losses.

New detailed images of Saturn's icy moon released this week provide the latest evidence that the surface may be hospitable to life.

Sales of newly built single-family homes unexpectedly fell to a record low in January, according to government data on Wednesday that hinted at potential trouble for the fragile housing market recovery.

In his semi-annual testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke described the myriad of tools in the Fed's arsenal to withdraw liquidity.

Toyota Motor Corp's president pledged to cooperate fully with U.S. government officials investigating safety problems on Wednesday as he prepared to tell a congressional panel that the automaker had let standards slip in its rise to the top.

Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP will cut the $20 billion debt load of its hotel chain, Hilton Worldwide Inc, by almost $4 billion in a restructuring, according to court documents.

U.S. stocks advanced on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reaffirmed his commitment to keep interest rates low for an extended period.

U.S. stocks extended gains on Wednesday, with the Dow and Nasdaq up more than 1 percent, as technology and financial shares advanced after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke vowed to keep interest rates low to foster an economic recovery.

In his semi-annual testimony to the House Committee on Financial Services, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke attributes poor credit conditions as a major factor in hindering key areas of the economy from recovery.

Toyota Motor Corp. will decentralize its Japan-centric recall power, giving its global regions more responsibility in an effort to boost customer safety following recent quality problems which have tarnished the car maker's reputation.