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The Bank of Japan upgraded its view on the economy and financial conditions on Thursday, paving the way for a broader debate next month on whether to start phasing out its measures to support corporate funding.
The BOJ also said exports and output were increasing thanks to a recovery in overseas markets, especially in emerging […]

The Obama administration on Friday stepped up its efforts to curb environmental damage from surface coal mining, announcing plans to give 79 permit applications in four states additional scrutiny.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it wants to make certain the proposed mines won’t cause water pollution and violate the Clean Water Act […]

Stocks closed lower Monday after a big drop in Chinese shares heightened concerns that U.S. markets have risen too far, too fast. But August was a good month for Wall Street.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) shed 47 points, or 0.5%, on the last day of the month. The S&P 500 (SPX) index lost […]

President Obama is expected to nominate Ben Bernanke to a second term as head of the Federal Reserve, a senior administration official told CNN Monday night.
The source asked not to be identified because the announcement had not yet been made.
Obama is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday morning at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where […]

Online social networking site Facebook is looking to expand its staff by as much as 50 percent this year, its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told Bloomberg news agency in an interview dated August 20.
Facebook’s website says it has more than 900 employees.
The company, which counts venture capitalist Peter Thiel, Accel Partners, Microsoft Corp and […]

especially those who are medical professionals — to weigh in on who can help solve the problem. Here are some responses:
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FIXING HEALTH CARE

Health reform follies: How to keep up
Free medical school for 40 lucky students
Digital health: Struggle or a pipedream?
Holdouts move forward on health care […]

Tech earnings season kicks off this week, with quarterly reports from industry giants Intel, Google and IBM, and investors will be hungering for signs that a turnaround is imminent.
"The second-quarter numbers, when they come out, are clearly going to be down for nearly every vendor [but] last quarter will be the last of the […]

The federal minimum wage is set to increase later this month as the job market shows signs of further decay.
The federal minimum wage will go to $7.25 an hour on July 24 from its current level of $6.55, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The impact will be felt in 29 states, and many […]

Consumers should discontinue use of Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel and related products because they can can permanently damage users’ sense of smell, the government said Tuesday.
In a press release, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to stop use of three over-the-counter Zicam Cold Remedy products: nasal gel, nasal swabs and the […]

SunTrust Banks Inc, a U.S. Southeast regional bank ordered by federal regulators to raise $2.2 billion of equity capital, on Monday speeded up a previously announced capital-raising plan, hoping to benefit from recent investor demand for banks’ securities.
The Atlanta-based bank said it plans to sell $1.4 billion of common stock, raise $300 million of […]