IBT Staff Reporter

Japan unveiled plans on Wednesday for greenhouse gas cuts over the coming decade only marginally deeper than its current U.N. commitments, a step green groups say threatens to deal a blow to global climate talks.

Emails from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and others indicate pressure on Bank of America to withhold information from the public about the bank's worries about Merrill's financial condition, according to a document written by U.S. House Republicans.

A woman in Tel Aviv, Israel, threw away a mattress without knowing it had nearly $1 million padded inside that her mother had saved over the years.

Shares of CB Richard Ellis Group rose more than 15 percent on Wednesday after the real estate investment trust announced a $550 million plan to reduce its debt, which currently stands at $2.4 billion.

Palm, Inc. on Wednesday announced the appointment of Jon Rubinstein as the company’s Chairman and CEO.

Venture capitalists expect investment in the clean technologies sector to increase over the next three years, according to a survey by Deloitte Research and the National Venture Capital Association.

Automaker Daimler AG and Finnish oil firm Neste Oil found carbon dioxide emissions reductions of more than 60 percent during a one year test of 14 Mercedes Benz trucks powered with renewable diesel in Germany.

Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke called Bank of America’s threat to pull out of a deal to acquire Merrill Lynch a “bargaining chip,” according to e-mail message exchanges in December, Dow Jones newswires reported citing newly discovered Congressional documents.

Fiat SpA closed its acquisition of Chrysler's strongest assets on Wednesday, a key step in the Italian carmaker's ambitious plan to create a global player to ride out the worldwide auto sales downturn.

Investors sent a clear signal to the U.S. government on Wednesday. Pay up.

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, has officially lost her crown after the beauty queen continued to breach her contract agreement.

Failure to get a full night's sleep can lead to weight gain or compromise the beneficial effects of a reduced calorie diet on total body fat, according to presentations at SLEEP 2009, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, underway this week in Seattle.

NASA announced on Wednesday it will grant about $8 million to fund educational projects about global climate change.

If you are paying attention to such trivial things, you’ll eventually hear of many cities that have a nickname claiming they are the “Venice of” something.

In the six week period ending in May, economic conditions remained weak or deteriorated further but there were signs that the economy was improving, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank.

Controversial pageant queen Carrie Prejean is being stripped of her California 2009 title, not because of her racy photos or personal beliefs, but due to breach of contract, according to a statement from the Miss California USA organization.

BOSTON Microsoft Corp is getting ready to unveil a long-anticipated free anti-virus service for personal computers that will compete with products sold by Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc.

Liz Claiborne Inc is not expecting a return to the days of freewheeling consumer spending to lift its business, but is instead revamping operations to perform well in a cautious environment its chief executive says is the new normal.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday on worries that rising interest rates could put a damper on consumer and business spending, but stocks pared losses late in the session to finish off the day's lows.

Lower interest rates might not help the euro zone economy despite the impact of further pain for the financial sector, European Central Bank Governing Council member Yves Mersch was quoted on Wednesday as saying.

European Union leaders will call at a summit next week for rapid progress on agreeing and implementing new financial regulations to prevent another global economic crisis, a draft summit declaration showed on Wednesday.

U.S. economic conditions were weak or got worse through May, but some areas of the country saw signs the contraction was moderating, a Federal Reserve report said on Wednesday.

The Obama administration on Wednesday named Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the government's compensation fund for victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, as its pay czar to police compensation of top earners at companies receiving exceptional government aid.

The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting of experts on Thursday to discuss the spreading H1N1 flu outbreak, in a sign the U.N. agency may be poised to declare a pandemic.

Bigger-breasted chickens fattened artificially. New strains of deadly E. coli bacteria. A food supply controlled by a handful of corporations.

A Royal Dutch Shell Plc gas station in Canada became the first in the world on Wednesday to fill tanks with gasoline containing biofuel made from wheat straw, Shell said.

Forzani Group Ltd's shareholders overwhelmingly approved the company's slate of directors on Wednesday, defeating a bid by a major shareholder to install its own members on the board of Canada's biggest sporting goods retailer.

Microsoft Corp will soon enter the anti-virus market as it plans to release its long-anticipated free anti-virus service for PCs that will compete with products sold by Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc.

J.C. Penney Co Inc is more optimistic about its fourth quarter than the rest of its fiscal year, hoping new styles and affordable prices will help it win more sales than it did in the dismal 2008 holiday season.