IBT Staff Reporter

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.

Chinese solar-cell maker Canadian Solar Inc's said it had agreed to supply 60 megawatts of photovoltaic modules to Spain's Fire Energy Group in 2010.

In the study, overweight or obese individuals who went on a low-carb diet lost about the same amount of weight as those who cut down on their fat intake and took the weight-loss aid orlistat (sold as Xenical or Alli). However, the low-carb diet produced more favorable effects on blood pressure.

Small and medium-sized British businesses could cut their energy costs by up to 30 percent a year but are unaware of the true potential for savings, a survey by the Carbon Trust shows.

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.

Boeing Co , the world's second-largest plane maker, on Wednesday reported a quarterly profit that beat expectations on a 42 percent revenue increase and lower-than-expected costs, sending its shares higher.

Technology distributors, often seen as a barometer of IT spending, should meet or surpass Wall Street projections when they report quarterly results, fueling hopes of a broader recovery in the sector.

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.

Dutch luxury sportscar maker Spyker may be the unlikely buyer of Saab but it is set to struggle with the real challenge: converting two loss-making companies into a profitable one.

The Dow industrials and the S&P 500 added to earlier losses and the Nasdaq turned negative on Wednesday after data showed sales of new homes fell unexpectedly in December, indicating the housing recovery might be losing some steam.

India plans to launch its first manned space mission in 2016, moving to become the fourth nation to put a man in space.

The earthquake that shattered Haiti has unleashed fears that child-eating spirits, mythological figures entrenched in Haitian culture, are prowling homeless camps in search of young prey.

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.

Goldman Sachs denied a media report it had been mooting the sale of equity in National Bank of Greece to Chinese banks as debt-ridden Greece struggles to fix its public finances.

Caterpillar Inc , the world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment, reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday and said it was seeing encouraging signs that economies around the world were rebounding.

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.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa won re-election on Wednesday in an historic post-war vote but his chief rival called for the results to be nullified after soldiers surrounded him in a luxury hotel.

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.