Reuters

A 72-hour Gaza truce held through its second day on Wednesday and Israel said it was ready to extend the deal as Egyptian mediators pursued talks with Israelis and Palestinians on an enduring end to a war that devastated the Hamas-ruled enclave.

President Barack Obama will travel to a military facility outside Washington on Thursday to sign a $16.3 billion plan to ease health care delays at Veterans Affairs facilities as he seeks to restore confidence in an agency tarnished by the problem.

Lebanon's army surrounded a border town occupied by Islamist militants as mediators reported progress in negotiations to end to the most serious spillover of Syria's civil war yet onto Lebanese soil.

The attack 25 miles southwest of Arbil came after the Sunni militants inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Kurds on Sunday with a rapid advance through three towns.

The African hair care business has become a multibillion-dollar industry.

The bank has eased its lending standards on mortgages it acquires from other banks.

The threat of a direct intervention by Russia's military in Ukraine is feared to have risen over the last couple of days.

Last week, the SAIC had raided four of the software firm's offices in China.

Although no final decision had been taken, the unit's management, lead by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pavlos Stellakis, were negotiation terms that would allow the buyout business to remain London-based after the deal was inked, the sources told Bloomberg.

The 30-second television spot, which began airing early this week, features Nicole Hockley, whose son Dylan was one of 20 children and six adults shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.

Disney's quarterly profit beat Wall Street expectations, helped by strong results from its movie studio, theme parks and consumer products.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said there was "clear evidence" of war crimes by Israel during its offensive in Gaza as he met International Criminal Court prosecutors on Tuesday to push for an investigation.

When the United States stops funding power generation inAfghanistan's southern city of Kandahar next year, the lights are set to go out and factories will fall idle, playing into the hands of Taliban insurgents active in the area.

In July Samsung suspended business with Dongguan Shinyang Electronics after China Labor Watch found child workers at one of its plants.

BMW also faces strong competition from arch rivals Audi, part of the Volkswagen group and Mercedes-Benz, owned by Daimler.

For the year to March 2015, Toyota stuck with its full-year operating profit forecast of 2.3 trillion yen.

The announcement will occur at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum, part of a three-day Africa summit in Washington.

The maneuvers include missile-firing practice and will assist "coordination between aviation and anti-missile defense."

U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa said last week Argentina must continue negotiations with mediator Daniel Pollack to reach a deal with holdouts.

The U.S. is investigating GM's auto financing arm over subprime auto loans it made and securitized since 2007, the company disclosed Monday.

The company's shares were up about 3 percent in extended trade.

HSBC called on international regulators to clarify expectations and also flagged heightened geopolitical tension as a concern.

China's SAIC said last week that it was formally investigating Microsoft for breach of anti-trust rules.

Under the plan, Banco Espirito Santo, or BES, will be split into a "good bank", renamed Novo Banco, and a "bad bank."

Modi is on a two-day visit to Kathmandu to fast-track negotiations on a power trade pact.

Erdogan likens Israeli actions to those of Hitler.

Consortium wins bid for Suez hub that will include development of 29,000 square miles around the canal.

Kurds suffer first major defeat at hands of Islamic State militants.

At least six have died in weekend fighting.