IBT Staff Reporter

The foreign ministers of Britain and France urged Sri Lanka on Wednesday to implement a humanitarian ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels in order to allow tens of thousands of trapped civilians to escape the battle zone.

United Nations peacekeepers are supporting a Congolese army offensive in which a warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is playing a prominent role, Congolese army documents showed on Wednesday.

Germany confirmed its first three cases of swine flu on Wednesday, marking the arrival of the virus in the heart of continental Europe.

U.S. President Barack Obama was elected on a campaign pledge of sweeping change in U.S. policies at home and abroad. Following is a rundown of major promises and how he has fared on each in his first 100 days.

Barely 100 days in office, President Barack Obama is facing his first domestic emergency with the outbreak of swine flu and is seeing yet again how fresh challenges can erupt from the unlikeliest of places.

Pakistani troops took the main town in strategically important Buner Valley on Wednesday after dropping by helicopter behind Taliban lines, killing over 50 militants in two days of fighting, the military said.

China must swiftly decouple its rapid economic growth from rising carbon dioxide emissions for global greenhouse gas levels to stay manageable, the authors of a new study said, urging sweeping support to help that transition.

A 23-month-old child in Texas has died from the new H1N1 swine flu, becoming the first U.S. death from the virus, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said on Wednesday.

The U.S. economy contracted at a surprisingly sharp 6.1 percent rate in the first quarter as exports and business inventories plummeted.

Wall Street was poised for a higher open on Wednesday, even as data showed the U.S. economy shrank at a steeper pace than expected.

The economy shrank 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009, a higher than expected decline mainly due to sharp cutbacks by businesses and the biggest drop in U.S. exports in 40 years.

Nine soldiers were killed in southeast Turkey in the worst attack in months and police detained two suspected suicide bombers in the capital on Wednesday in an escalation of tensions.

North Korea on Wednesday threatened a new nuclear test unless the U.N. Security Council apologizes for tightening sanctions, confirming some analysts' fears that Pyongyang was determined to build an atomic arsenal.

The Obama administration's plan to impose a cap-and-trade system to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions would result in 1.9 million job losses and cost the average household $1,400 a year by 2020, according to a new study released on Tuesday.

U.S. drugmaker Wyeth reported higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings due to cost-cutting, but revenue fell short of forecasts as the stronger dollar hurt overseas sales.

A baby in Texas has died of the H1N1 flu strain, the first confirmed death outside Mexico from the virus, which health officials fear could cause a pandemic as it spread to two more countries.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that the first U.S. death from a new strain of swine flu showed it was time to take utmost precautions against its possible spread.

Barack Obama on Wednesday will mark the 100th day of his presidency after a whirlwind start in which he has signaled a new approach on policies from the economy to climate change to U.S. relations with Iran.

Oil prices climbed above $50 per barrel on Wednesday, supported by rising stock markets and expectations that the U.S. economic slowdown may be less brutal than initially thought.

Health insurer Aetna Inc reported a slight rise in net income on Wednesday as membership increased, but it cited higher-than-projected medical costs in its commercial business that serves employers.

Time Warner Inc posted a flat quarterly profit but its revenue decline was smaller than expected, as a rise in cable networks revenue offset declines in advertising sales at AOL and Time Inc.

Stock futures were set to open about 1 percent higher on Wednesday as investors were hopeful a reading on gross domestic product would fuel more optimism that the recession is subsiding.

Bank of America Corp's embattled CEO, Kenneth Lewis, may have to give up the post of chairman as shareholders hold a referendum on his eight-year tenure as head of the largest U.S. bank.

Daniel Bouton, the chairman of Societe Generale whose reputation was hit by a trading scandal at the bank, resigned and blamed relentless verbal attacks on his performance for his decision to quit.

Media conglomerate Time Warner Inc , posted a flat first quarter profit on Wednesday, weighed down by a drop in advertising sales at its AOL Internet and Time Inc publishing units.

Daniel Bouton, the chairman of Societe Generale whose reputation was hit by a trading scandal at the bank, said on Wednesday he would resign in the wake of repeated criticism over his performance.

The head of the $700 billion rescue fund created to restore the U.S. financial system will likely make Friday his last day on the job, The Washington Post reported.

Stock futures pointed to a higher start for Wall Street on Wednesday, ahead of GDP data. At 4:02 a.m. EDT, futures for the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up between 0.6 and 0.7 percent. * The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.5 percent at 805.38 points, with Banco Santander and Siemens among shares to rise after company re...