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Bernanke touts benefits of Fed easing, no hint of pullback
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus is helping the U.S. economy recover, and the central bank needs to see further signs of traction before taking its foot off the gas, central bank chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.

Witness undermines case against Russian protest leader
KIROV, Russia (Reuters) - A Russian official undermined state prosecutors' case against protest leader Alexei Navalny at his trial on theft charges on Wednesday, saying that he had done no harm.

Existing home sales highest in almost three-and-a-half years
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home resales rose in April to the highest level in nearly 3-1/2 years as surging prices lured sellers back into market, which should support the housing sector and the overall economic recovery.

Oncolytics cancer drug meets mid-stage trial goal, shares rise
(Reuters) - Oncolytics Biotech Inc said preliminary data from a mid-stage trial showed that its cancer drug, Reolysin, met the main goal of reducing the size of tumors in patients with metastatic melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

Swiss billionaires buy Merck Serono HQ for biotech campus
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli has bought back the Geneva headquarters of his former biotech firm Serono, hoping to establish a biotech research campus.

Wall St. opens higher ahead of Bernanke
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks edged higher at the open on Wednesday, ahead of highly anticipated testimony in Congress by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on the economy and monetary policy.

Del Potro pulls out of French Open
PARIS (Reuters) - World number seven Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina has pulled out of next week's French Open tennis after failing to recover from a virus, organizers said on Wednesday.

State-backed UK banks gain approval for capital plans
LONDON (Reuters) - State-backed British lenders Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland have agreed plans to shore up their capital with the financial regulator, removing a barrier to the government offloading its shares.

Germany backs call to put Hezbollah armed wing on EU terror list
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany will throw its weight behind a British drive to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations, German diplomats said on Wednesday.

Clearwire recommends vote for revised Sprint bid
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clearwire Corp said on Wednesday its special committee and its board of directors approved majority shareholder Sprint Nextel Corp's revised offer to take over the company and advised investors to vote for the deal.

Syria rebels call for reinforcements as war spreads abroad
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebels fighting for control of the Syrian town of Qusair called for reinforcements on Wednesday to repel forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war which is spreading violence through an already volatile region.

Mugabe signs constitution into law, paving way for vote
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe signed a new constitution into law on Wednesday, replacing a 33-year-old document forged in the dying days of British colonial rule and paving the way for an election later this year.

Talks over Vimpelcom's Djezzy at delicate stage: source
MOSCOW/CAIRO (Reuters) - Russia-focused telecoms firm Vimpelcom's talks to sell a controlling stake in its Algerian mobile business Djezzy to Algeria are at a delicate stage but have not failed, a source with knowledge of the discussions said on Wednesday.

Pearson agrees $75 million settlement in U.S. eBook pricing case
LONDON (Reuters) - Publisher Pearson said on Wednesday it would pay $75 million in consumer damages plus cost and fees as part of a deal with the United States to settle anti-trust claims relating to eBook pricing for its Penguin division.

A Minute With: Pitbull on music, Jennifer Lopez and 'Epic'
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rapper Pitbull has taken his blend of American pop music fused with Latin beats from the clubs of Miami to international pop charts, but he now is crossing into film with his first acting role as an animated character in the upcoming movie, "Epic."

Somali lawmakers withdraw confidence vote against PM
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali members of parliament shelved a vote of confidence against the prime minister on Wednesday, but warned the government it would face further parliamentary rebellions if it did not do more to improve the economy and security.

When it comes to deadly viruses, what's in a name?
LONDON (Reuters) - For a pathogen with such a short history, the mysterious new virus killing people in the Middle East and Europe has already had an amazing array of names.

Del Potro pulls out of French Open - reports
PARIS (Reuters) - World number seven Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina has pulled out of next week's French Open tennis after failing to recover from a virus, Argentine media reported on Wednesday.

Garcia's fried chicken jibe 'hurtful' - Woods
LONDON (Reuters) - The feud between world number one Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia deepened when Woods described the Spaniard's "fried chicken" jibe as "wrong, hurtful and inappropriate" on Wednesday.

Boeing plans to return 80 percent of free cash to shareholders
(Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Wednesday that it plans to return about 80 percent of its free cash flow to shareholders through dividends and share buy-backs.