Business and Finance news

Construction giant URS Corp. is acquiring the Canadian oil and gas contractor Flint Energy Services Ltd. for $1.25 billion in cash.
URS, based in San Francisco, said Monday that the deal will significantly expand its presence in the oil and gas industry. It will add to URS’ earnings this year and boost oil and gas revenue […]

The stock market struggled for direction Friday as developments on Greek debt talks idled and U.S. inflation came in at expected levels.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose as much as 49 points in early trading before giving up some of those gains. It was up 28 points to 12,932 at 11:30 a.m.
It was a quiet […]

In his first 100 days as European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi has taken unprecedented action to tackle the sovereign debt crisis. Greece may push him even further into unknown territory.
Draghi will today face questions on the ECB

Iran’s state TV is reporting the country has produced laser-guided artillery shells, capable of hitting moving targets with high accuracy.
The Monday report quoting Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi also says that the shell was an “intelligent” munition with the capability to identify its own targets.
The report was accompanied by footage showing an artillery piece firing […]

Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo reiterated a pledge to make extra budget cuts amid slower economic growth while calling on the European Union to step up efforts to bolster the region

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner

A day after taking over the job as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray defended his role and says he’ll work to win Congress over.
"The appointment is valid, I’m now the director of the bureau," said Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general. "The important thing for us is that […]

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron pledged more action to deal with

The U.K. is home to this year

Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid new signs of pressure on Europe’s banking system and a downturn on Wall Street.
Benchmark oil lingered above $99 per barrel while the dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.7 percent to 8,367.73. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was 0.9 […]