German Chancellor Angela Merkel won a parliamentary vote on Greek aid after warning German lawmakers that pushing Greece out of the euro would risk &ldquo;incalculable&rdquo; damage, defying a public backlash against more bailout funds.

Merkel wins Greek aid vote after warning lawmakers

Business Standard

Orders for US durable goods fell in January by the most in three years, led by a slowdown in demand for commercial aircraft and business equipment.

US durable goods orders slump most in 3 years

Gold on Tuesday gained for the first time in three days, as a weaker dollar spurred demand for the metal as an alternative investment option.

Gold advances as weaker dollar spurs investor demand 

European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi&rsquo;s success in quelling a bond-market rout across the euro region&rsquo;s periphery masks a failure by the region&rsquo;s banks to bolster their capital.

Draghi's unlimited loans are no panacea

Apple Inc, approaching a $500 billion market capitalisation, will probably start paying a dividend this year, attempting to appease investors who have said the electronics maker is hoarding too much cash.

Apple dividend may return part of $98-bn cash

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S Bernanke said keeping monetary stimulus is warranted even as the unemployment rate falls and rising oil prices may cause inflation to rise temporarily. &quot;With the unemployment rate elevated and the inflation outlook subdued, the committee judges that sustaining a highly accommodative stance for monetary policy is consistent with promoting both objectives&quot; of the Fed for stable prices and maximum employment, Bernanke said on Wednesday in prepared testimony to the House Financial Services Committee in Washington.

'Monetary stance meets Fed goals'

Euro area inflation unexpectedly slowed in January as the economy cooled and governments cut spending across the 17-nation currency region.

Euro inflation slows to 2.6%

Japan and South Korea reported larger-than-forecast industrial production in January amid a strengthening US recovery and signs that Europe&rsquo;s sovereign debt crisis may be contained.

Asian factory production gains add to signs of global resilience

The Central Bank of India&rsquo;s outlook was cut to negative from stable by Moody&rsquo;s Investors Service citing rising bad loans and low capital ratio. Soured loans at the state-run lender rose to 3.7 per cent, a two-year high, of its total loan portfolio, Moody&rsquo;s said on Wednesday.

Moody's cuts Central Bank of India rating

Automobile sales in China, the world&rsquo;s biggest car market, may be having their worst start in seven years as a slowing economy and record gasoline prices keep consumers away from dealerships.

Car sales seen having worst start since 2005 

US authorities charged 29 people with smuggling $325 million in counterfeit consumer goods from China, including phony Nike sneakers and Coach handbags, through a New Jersey port.

US busts 29 for Chinese knock-offs

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said yesterday he thinks he can reach a deal with the opposition to double the five per cent consumption tax in order to shore up the country's social security system.

Japan may double consumption tax: Noda

BBA Aviation Plc, the world&rsquo;s biggest provider of bases for business jets, plans to spend $300 million on US acquisitions this year as demand for private planes in emerging markets remains in its infancy.

Florida beats Asia in private business jet use

BP Plc said it had reached a $7.8-billion settlement with businesses and individuals over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, removing one of three major litigation fronts facing the company over the biggest offshore spill in US history.

BP reaches $7.8-bn deal with victims of oil spill

China's non-manufacturing industries contracted for the first time in three months in February, adding to signs the world's second-biggest economy is weakening.

Non-manufacturing index of China falls

Sister Inmaculada Torano, a 47-year- old Spanish nun, stepped in to negotiate when Bankia (IBEX) SA tried to repossess the home of a student at the school where she works over missed mortgage payments.

'Spain foreclosures stymied by nun make debt investors skittish'

Indians sip only two litres of beer a year, just one-twentieth the amount consumed by Chinese and less than one-fortieth by Americans. SABMiller Plc, Anheuser- Busch InBev and Carlsberg see that as an opportunity.

Kingfisher tops rivals in India's beer market

European banking shares were upgraded by Goldman Sachs Group Inc analysts, who said they anticipate a boost in liquidity and profit from the European Central Bank&rsquo;s (ECB) three-year loans.

European banks upgraded by Goldman analysts

Overseas funds bought a net Rs 651 crore ($133 million) of equities yesterday, taking their total investments in equities this year to Rs 36,220 crore, according to the nation&rsquo;s market regulator.

Foreign investors buy net Rs 651 crore of stocks

A California state senator plans to arrive at a press conference at the Sacramento capitol on Thursday in a Google Inc-modified Toyota Prius that drives itself.

Google's driverless cars get a boost 

BlackRock Inc's Laurence D Fink said savers need to become more aggressive investors as returns on bank accounts and Treasuries shrink and people grow older.

Bloomberg