Higher rates slow job growth in Midwest
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Job growth in the nine-state Mid-America region remained slow in December because of higher interest rates, a monthly survey of supply managers and business leaders indicated.

Fed’s rate stance jump-starts Wall Street
NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street had a bullish start to the new year yesterday, with the Dow Jones industrials surging nearly 130 points after the Federal Reserve signaled a willingness to stop its campaign of interest rate hikes in the near future.

Gas clash ends with price deal
MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian and Ukrainian natural gas companies agreed today on a plan to resume gas shipments to Ukraine that allowed both sides to claim victory after a commercial and political dispute that had raised fears of gas shortages in Europe.

Mining disasters on decline in U.S.
The Associated Press
Dark and dank and dangerous, coal mines have long been the stuff of nightmares. Collapses and explosions - like the one that left 13 miners trapped underground in West Virginia - have been recurring dramas going back to the 1800s.

System glitch mars debut of mega-bank
TOKYO (AP) - The debut of the world’s biggest bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, was marred today by a minor system glitch that halted some online remittance services on the newly created bank’s first day of business.

Fed signals end to rate hikes
WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Reserve policymakers differed last month on how much higher interest rates would need to rise to keep the economy and inflation on an even keel, but most believed the end of the nearly two-year rate-hike campaign probably wasn’t far off.

Computer snafu delays United Airlines flights
CHICAGO (AP) - About 200 United Airlines flights worldwide were delayed up to 90 minutes last night because of a computer glitch.

Factory orders post 2.5 percent rise
WASHINGTON (AP) - Orders to U.S. factories posted the biggest gain in three months in November but the strength was concentrated in a surge in demand for commercial aircraft.

Phone company to pay $1 million penalty
KANSAS CITY (AP) - A rural Missouri telephone company whose former president was convicted of a scheme that involved a New York crime family has agreed to pay a $1 million penalty.