3xwy Blog

Reuters – U.S. mortgage applications fell last week despite the lowest loan rates in four months, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday, in another sign that housing will likely recover slowly from its three-year plunge.

California Senator Barbara Boxer unveils a bill to reduce green house gas emissions by 20% to help slow climate change. The plan uses a cap and trade system and would rework the entire energy economy of the country.

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are pushing to strengthen investment ties between the two countries. But doing business in Russia remains complicated and risky: Corruption is still common, and getting information about a prospective partner can be difficult.

Al-Qaida’s presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s stability are the principal security concerns of the U.S., says Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He says, however, a request for additional troops should be reviewed carefully because poor Afghan governance is undermining the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy.

In a meeting with President Obama, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the war is “not America’s responsibility or burden alone. It is a team effort.”

Bacteria that cause a common form of pneumonia can make swine flu infections more dangerous.

The Swiss Federal Criminal Court expects to decide on Roman Polanski’s motion “within the next weeks.” That means the director isn’t likely to be freed anytime soon from prison, as he would stay incarcerated through the verdict and through any appeals.

Reuters – European planemaker Airbus confirmed on Tuesday it had cut its 2009 delivery target for A380s by one aircraft to 13 planes and said it was maintaining its delivery forecast for 2010.

Reuters – BNP Paribas , France’s biggest bank by market capitalization, on Tuesday joined a recent European rush to pay back the government for its financial support during the credit crisis.

Reuters – UBS chief executive Oswald Gruebel said Paine Webber, the bank’s U.S. wealth management unit, is “non-core” but the bank will not sell at present, the Financial Times quoted him as saying.