TWICE AS NICE: Europe's two main central banks are preparing to redouble their emergency measures aimed at softening the downturn and blunting the effects of the government debt crisis.
NEW YORK Interest in U.S. energy companies spiked in 2011 as buyers clamored for more access to oil-rich layers of North American shale, a consulting and accounting firm said Wednesday.
The CEO of Boeing said the latest problem with its new 787 will not slow production.
CHICAGO Toyota says it will expand its factory in Princeton, Ind., and add 400 jobs so it can build more Highlander SUVs.
ROME A U.S. lawyer for compensation-seeking survivors of the Costa Concordia capsizing said Wednesday he will push for changes in maritime laws and technology to make the cruise ship industry safer.
SOFIA, Bulgaria At least four Balkan nations suspended shipping on the Danube River because of severe frost and the vast amount of ice blocking the heavily traveled waterway.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.
THE RESULTS: CVS Caremark Corp.'s fourth-quarter net income climbed nearly 4 percent. The company earned $1.06 billion, or 81 cents per share. Adjusted earnings were 89 cents per share, in line with the average analyst forecast.
FINALLY OVER: A decadelong patent infringement battle over blood thinner Plavix ends with generic drugmaker Apotex Corp. paying about $445 million to Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi. They jointly sell the world's second-best-selling drug.
NEW YORK Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term issuer credit rating on futures exchange company CME Group Inc., saying it was concerned the company might expand its obligations to guarantee customer accounts from losses.
RISING ABOVE: Nissan's quarterly profit rose 3.2 percent on healthier sales that offset production damage from flooding in Thailand and a battering from the strong yen.
CLAYMONT, Del. Delaware environmental officials have issued a permit to a New Castle County steel mill for installation of pollution control equipment to collect dust and reduce other air emissions.
NEW YORK The euro is rising against the dollar after Greek leaders agreed on a cost-cutting plan that should prevent the country from defaulting on its debt.
GROUNDED: Air France canceled up to 40 percent of its long-distance flights Wednesday because of a strike by pilots and other personnel over their right to hold unannounced walkouts.
NEW YORK The mad dash to cobble together college funding will soon be under way.
WING AND A PRAYER? Europe's air safety authority ordered checks on the entire global fleet of 68 Airbus A380 superjumbo jets for cracks on parts inside the wings - extending a previous order to inspect nearly a third of the planes.
WASHINGTON A panel of cancer experts voted against a new use for Amgen's Xgeva in prostate cancer on Wednesday, saying the drug's ability to slow the spread of the disease did not translate into meaningful benefits for patients.
This may sound like a heartless thought, but Valentine's Day is tough on the wallet.
GEISMAR, La. An engineering firm with an office in Baton Rouge says it has received a contract from Methanex Corp., a major producer of methanol, to provide services if Methanex decides to move one of its idle plants from Chile to Louisiana.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. The U.S. Labor Department has recommended fining Wal-Mart Stores Inc. $365,500 after inspectors say they found 24 workplace safety violations at an upstate New York store.
CINCINNATI An Ohio structure containing remnants of a two-story building where the Wright brothers rented space for their first bicycle shop has been declared a public nuisance and may eventually be demolished despite residents' efforts to preserve it.
NEW YORK The nation's crude oil supplies rose last week, the government said Wednesday.
IPHONE IMPACT: Sprint started selling the iPhone in October, joining Verizon and AT&T. It's an expensive project for a company already losing money.
NEW YORK The maker of Post-Its and Scotch Tape has named a new chief executive.
NEW YORK Hotels in New York City have agreed to equip their employees with panic alarms that would summon help in case of an emergency.
TRENTON, N.J. Just three months before the world's second-best-selling drug gets U.S. generic competition, a generic company has paid nearly $445 million to finally end a decadelong, twist-filled patent infringement battle with two heavyweight drugmakers over blood thinner Plavix.
BOSTON People aren't quite done piling on New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker for a dropped fourth-quarter pass that helped the New York Giants win the Super Bowl.
WASHINGTON The United States and five European nations are pledging to crack down on global tax evaders.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. A request by reality television star Richard Hatch to give the Internal Revenue Service a reduced payment of $25 for January in his tax evasion case has been denied by a Rhode Island judge.
LONDON Britain would struggle to mount another operation on the scale of its intervention in Libya because of deep defense cuts, a report from lawmakers warned Wednesday.
