Egyptians Vote
In Historic Election

Iran Given New Nuclear Demands

Global powers presented Iran with a new package of demands and inducements aimed at limiting the country's nuclear program, according to Western officials.

• Timeline, Nuclear Sites, Major Players

Informal Trade Talks Yield Scaled-Back Progress

More than 20 countries made progress in informal trade talks in Paris, as ministers try to salvage some parts of the stalled Doha round of trade negotiations.

Aid Workers Kidnapped in Afghanistan

Five workers from a Swiss aid organization, including two female foreign medics, were kidnapped in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, Afghan officials said on Wednesday.

Philippines Says China
Fans Sea Tensions

Manila expressed "grave concern" to Beijing, saying that dozens of Chinese vessels had been deployed in a disputed portion of the South China Sea despite a fishing ban.

India, Pakistan Sign Gas-Pipeline Pact

India and Pakistan signed agreements with Turkmenistan for a project to pipe natural gas from the central Asian country through Afghanistan, marking a milestone in regional relations.

Canadian Pacific Workers Strike

Some 4,800 Canadian Pacific Railway engineers, conductors and rail-traffic controllers walked off the job after talks failed to reach a new labor deal.

Brazil Tries Stimulus Against Economic Woes

President Dilma Rousseff has ordered up more stimulus as concerns mount that global economic troubles could further drag down growth at home.

India to Hold Talks With Iran on Wheat Exports

India plans to aggressively push wheat exports to Iran by offering lower prices than rival Pakistan and will hold talks with Tehran early next month to resolve objections over traces of a fungal disease found in grain exports.

BOE Saw Fine Balance in QE Vote

Several members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee came close to voting for an expansion of its bond-buying stimulus program at their May meeting.

• The Source: More Bad News for U.K.

Japan Is Jolted By Cut in Rating

Fitch Ratings downgraded Japan's sovereign rating, citing the country's "leisurely" efforts to remedy its dire fiscal situation.

• Trade Deficit Widened in April
• Yen Lower After Downgrade
• Video: Japan Downgraded on Spiraling Debt
• JRT: Economic Policy: Aiming for Least Ugly

India's Singh Aims to Boost Investment

India's government needs to make tough decisions on spending and tax generation to boost foreign and local investment, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday.

Unrest Over Syria Hits Beirut

Reports of the abduction of Lebanese Shiite pilgrims by rebels in Syria sparked new unrest in Beirut, the capital, threatening to further inflame Lebanon over the uprising across the border.

Small Businesses in China Get a Boost

China's two stock exchanges moved to allow small firms to sell bonds via private placement, opening another fundraising avenue for the country's cash-strapped small-business sector.

Dutch Consumer Confidence Slumps

The mood among consumers in the Netherlands deteriorated again in May as confidence about their personal finances sank to an historic low in the face of falling house prices.

Argentina Police Find Bomb Ahead of Uribe Visit

A small explosive device was found in a Buenos Aires theater a day before Colombia's former president Álvaro Uribe was scheduled to speak at the venue.

South Korea Supports Its Won

South Korea's finance minister said Seoul was "very nervous" about recent volatility in local financial markets.

• Video: South Korea Ready for Euro Crisis

Ireland's Bad Bank Expert Urges Spain to Follow Suit

The failure of Spanish banks to recognize the extent of their bad loans is preventing them from escaping from their current troubles, according to the economist who set up Ireland's "bad bank" to stabilize the Irish banking sector after the property crash.

Tech Firm Amesys Faces French Probe

French authorities have launched an investigation into technology firm Amesys, a unit of Bull SA, for alleged complicity in acts of torture in Libya, according to two human-rights groups that said the investigating magistrate's office had informed them of the probe.

U.K. Urged to Take More Growth Steps

The U.K. should resume printing money and possibly cut the country's already low interest rate if economic growth remains elusive, the IMF said.

• Video: IMF Call for U.K. Rate Cut

Syrian Violence Hits Capital

A bomb that apparently struck a restaurant in the Syrian capital Damascus killed at least five people, the state-run news agency said Tuesday, as activists reported intense clashes between army defectors and soldiers in the restive north.