The deadly attacks in Paris earlier this month could have a lasting impact on tourism if anti-France protests that have swept the Muslim world lead wealthy Arabs to shun the city.

Union and oil company negotiators began talks on Wednesday for a new nationwide contract covering hourly workers at 63 U.S. refineries that account for 64 percent of national refining capacity, according to a union spokeswoman.

Worldwide child deaths will be halved over the next 15 years, polio, guinea worm and river blindness will be eradicated, and there will be a single-dose cure for malaria.

New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a $142 billion state budget on Wednesday that keeps spending growth below 2 percent and promises more money for big-ticket infrastructure projects while cutting property taxes.

Microsoft Corp surprised the tech world on Wednesday with a prototype hologram visor that can bring the Minecraft video game, Skype calls and even the landscape of Mars to three-dimensional life.

EBay Inc's plans to break up into three different companies could accommodate would-be suitors, signaling a potential merger fight after the breakup.

American Express Co will cut more than 4,000 jobs this year, an executive said, after the credit card company also reported higher quarterly expenses and provisions for bad loans.

Asian shares held near eight-week highs on Thursday as investors bet on the likely size and scope of a bond-buying program the European Central Bank is poised to unveil later in the day in an attempt to revive the flagging euro zone economy.

The European Central Bank is poised to announce a plan on Thursday to buy government bonds, resorting to its last big policy tool for breathing life into the flagging euro zone economy and fending off deflation.

Oil prices edged up on Wednesday in a further sign of support around current levels, but analysts said the outlook for the next six months remained bleak due to oversupply.

The Swiss currency shock has raised an awkward question many investors have been fearful of asking - what if central banks become as unpredictable and fallible as they are powerful?

French newspaper "Le Monde" said its twitter account and publishing tool were hacked by a group called the "Syrian Electronic Army", an amorphous hacker collective that supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

After four years of economic sacrifices, Greece bet it could agree an early end to its international bailout. Instead a stand off with creditors in a Paris townhouse led to new political uncertainty and another euro zone storm.

Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd, backed by Li Ka-shing, Asia's richest man, has bought Britain's Eversholt Rail for an enterprise value of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.8 billion), the latest in a string of Asian buyers targeting European assets.

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the United States and not China must write trade rules for Asia and called on Congress to give the White House a freer hand to close trade deals.

The Bank of Japan cut next fiscal year's inflation forecast on Wednesday and expanded a loan scheme aimed at boosting lending, acting to deflect criticism that it is sitting idly as slumping oil prices keep inflation well short of its target.

RWE is exploring the sale of power plants, its chief operating officer told Reuters on Tuesday, frustrated with profit erosion and lack of political support for its struggling generation units.

Online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc (OWW.N) is exploring a sale and has drawn interest from private equity firms and other internet companies, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd SXLP.O, a maker of bowel drugs, is working with investment bank Centerview Partners Holdings LP to explore its options, including a potential sale to a larger drugmaker, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), founded by Elon Musk, said it has raised about $1 billion in a financing round with two new investors, Google Inc and Fidelity.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) has launched a service allowing customers to pick up tax refunds in cash at stores across the United States.

United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N) said on Tuesday it is considering whether to exchange aircraft orders it has placed with Boeing Co (BA.N) for larger 777-300ER jetliners, also made by the Chicago-based planemaker.

Asian shares held firm and the euro stayed under pressure on Wednesday as investors counted on the European Central Bank to unveil a stimulus drive, while the yen was subdued ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy announcement later in the Asian day.

Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley said it would pay a smaller portion of revenue in bonuses to its bankers and traders this year even in a better revenue environment.

"The Interview," the Sony Pictures comedy believed to have triggered a cyber attack on the studio, has racked up over $40 million in sales from 5.8 million digital downloads, the studio said on Tuesday.

International Business Machines Corp posted a new 2015 profit target and quarterly revenue that both missed analysts' estimates, as the one-time world technology leader continues to grapple with its journey from low-margin hardware maker to the new world of cloud computing.Shares of IBM, which is still the world's largest technology services company, but no longer regarded as a leader in innovation, fell 1.6 percent to $154.48 in extended trading.

Oil services giant Schlumberger plans to buy a 45.65 percent stake in Eurasia Drilling for about $1.7 billion, potentially paving the way for it to become the sole owner of Russia's most active oilfield services company.

Myanmar, Haiti and Mali were ranked the least open and transparent countries in a global index of government data released on Tuesday, which found that most governments do not make official data openly available to the public.

Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd (CKI), backed by Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing, plans to raise up to $521 million in a Hong Kong share offering to fund its investment in Britain's Eversholt Rail, IFR reported late on Tuesday, citing a term sheet of the transaction.

Shares rose on Tuesday and the dollar gained 1 percent against the yen after China said its economy had not slowed as much as many in markets had feared.