AP - Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has vowed to "take any necessary measures" to reduce Greece's deficit.

AP - The U.S. trade deficit surged to a larger-than-expected $40.18 billion in December, the biggest imbalance in 12 months. The wider deficit reflected a rebounding economy that is pushing up demand for imports.

Reuters - Highway funding and tax breaks for hiring workers figure prominently in a jobs-creation bill that Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate hope will attract rare joint support in an election year, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

AP - Stock futures rose but were down from their highs Wednesday while investors waited for details about a potential rescue package for Greece.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets mostly fell on Tuesday amid lingering debt concerns and as data showed that China overtook Germany last year to become the world's biggest exporting nation.

AP - Molson Coors Brewing Co. sold fewer beers around the world in the fourth quarter, but its profit more than doubled as the company held onto price hikes it made during the recession and benefited from a one-time drop in its tax rate.

AP - The New York Times Co. said Wednesday its fourth-quarter earnings climbed more than threefold, helped by cost cutting, an improving ad market and a one-time gain from lower pension costs.

Reuters - Euro zone countries were holding intensive talks on Wednesday about a possible financial rescue for debt-stricken Greece as civil servants staged the first major strike against Athens' crisis-driven austerity plan.

AFP - Greece's government on Tuesday unveiled a hike in the average retirement age and called on striking civil servants to accept bonus cuts to pull the country out of an unprecedented financial crisis.

AP - Americans backed off from holiday spending in January, but retail sales rose for a third month in a row compared with a year earlier, largely because of gas price hikes, according to figures released Wednesday by a key data service.

Reuters - Oil dipped below $74 in choppy trade on Wednesday after OPEC trimmed its 2010 global demand growth forecast.

Reuters - Honda Motor Co said it would recall another 440,000 cars around the world for faulty airbags as rival Toyota Motor Corp faced further probes over its largest-ever safety crisis.