It's official: The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday on giving states the power to force online retailers to collect state sales taxes.

Netherlands-based Stork Technical Services HOLDCO BV has decided not to proceed with its planned 315 million euros ($386.7 million), seven-year, high yield bond, said one of the banks on the deal Wednesday.

An unexpected drop in U.K. unemployment boosted the stock market Wednesday, while U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's statements suggested the central bank was prepared for more stimulus measures if needed.

During an investor conference last month, Scott Bok, the chief executive of Greenhill & Co. (GHL), put it bluntly: "There's no denying that we are in a very challenging business environment." Greenhill is one of the independent firms that are pure vendors of ideas and advice, selling corporate

The risk of another wave of global food price inflation is growing fast, Barclays PLC (BCS) said Wednesday, as U.S. grains and soybeans prices trade within touching distance of all-time highs, due to the nation's worst drought in 56 years, which is massively reducing harvest expectations.

BP PLC's (BP.LN) Russian partners in the TNK-BP (TNBP.RS) joint venture said Wednesday they have notified the U.K. oil giant of their intention to begin formal negotiations to increase their shareholding by buying a portion of BP's stake.

A preliminary hearing for the disgraced chief executive of Peregrine Financial Group Inc. has been postponed until late next week to give his public defender time to prepare, according to a court document filed Wednesday.

BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) has paid a $5.2 million fine for submitting false or misleading reports on energy production on Colorado tribal lands, the Interior Department said Wednesday.

Two Catholic priests who are leading talks in a dispute over Newmont Mining Corp.'s (NEM) Minas Conga copper and gold project arrived in the northern region of Cajamarca Wednesday where they plan to visit the Alpine lakes that are at the center of the conflict.

U.S. crude inventories posted a smaller decline than analysts' expectations last week, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Energy.