WSJ.com: What's News US


    Obama Unveils Infrastructure Plan
    Obama unveiled a new $50 billion proposal to improve the nation's highways, airports and railways ? the latest attempt by the administration to jump-start the sputtering economy.




    Oil Tycoon: PWC Caved to Kremlin
    Defense lawyers for jailed Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky are turning their legal guns on one of their client's former allies: auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers.




    Estée Lauder Touches Up Makeup Push
    To lure shoppers to its department-store counters, Estée Lauder CEO Fabrizio Freda is tossing aside old traditions like hidden price tags, nagging consultants and glass cases that keep makeup out of reach.




    Stress Tests Missed Debt at EU Lenders
    Europe's recent "stress tests" of the strength of major banks understated some lenders' holdings of potentially risky government debt, Wall Street Journal analysis shows.




    Barclays to Name Diamond CEO
    Barclays is expected to name investment-banking chief Bob Diamond as chief executive, replacing current boss John Varley.




    Hon Hai Looks to China's Interior
    Hon Hai is investing in China's hinterland, as the electronics titan bets that the country can retain its role as the world's factory floor for decades.




    Where's the Appetite for Risk?
    From stocks to bonds to commodities, the question is when investors will want to take on more risk. Was last week's run-up, the Dow Industrials' best pre-Labor Day week in two decades, the start of a fall rally or just another surge to be followed by an equivalent decline?




    Hyundai Bidding War Looms
    The sale of Hyundai Engineering will pit two former sister companies against each other. A deal could fetch $3 billion for the construction firm's creditors.




    Air Products Raises Airgas Bid
    Air Products & Chemicals raised its cash offer for smaller rival Airgas to $65.50 a share, or $5.48 billion, in its hostile takeover bid.




    Larger Bounties Spur Surge in Fraud Tips
    New awards for informants who help the SEC uncover fraud are already prompting a surge in tips.




    Challenges Cloud German Reactor Plan
    Germany's government and energy utilities ended months of wrangling and agreed to extend the life of the country's nuclear-power plants, but popular resistance and possible legal challenges cloud the fate of the deal.




    Reliance Steps Up Infrastructure Bet
    Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group plans to make an ambitious move into financing infrastructure projects in an effort to alleviate one of the main bottlenecks to improving India's creaky roads and electrical grid.




    SJM Covets Sands's Land
    Casino operator SJM Holdings has asked the Macau government for permission to take over a strategically located piece of land into which a unit of Las Vegas Sands has already poured more than $100 million.




    Medical Journal Urges U.K. to Pull Avandia
    The British Medical Journal said diabetes drug Avandia should be withdrawn from sale. But GlaxoSmithKline said it has extensive documentation of the drug's benefits.




    EU Seeks Consensus on Bank Levy
    Ways to protect taxpayers from bearing the cost of any future banking crisis will top the agenda at a meeting Tuesday of European Union finance ministers.




    BIS Questions Growth Tradeoff
    The Bank for International Settlements said sustained debt reduction need not be a cause of weaker growth in the aftermath of a crisis, as long as policy makers fix the problems that caused the turmoil in the first place.




    Samsung Flags Expansion
    South Korea's Samsung Electronics is considering investing a record $25.55 billion next year to bolster its existing operations and expand into new business segments.




    Abu Dhabi Fund Hires GM Economist
    Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Middle East's largest sovereign wealth fund, hired Ted Chu as chief economist to help bolster its investment decisions.




    German Banks Warn of Basel III Costs
    Germany's 10 largest banks may need as much as $135.4 billion in extra capital under new international regulatory standards, the Federal Association of German Banks said.




    Euro, Sterling Weaken
    The euro gave up early gains as optimism over last week's better-than-expected U.S. nonfarm payrolls faded and investors eyed a packed calendar of central-bank meetings.




    European Markets Rise in Light Trade
    European stocks closed higher. The Stoxx Europe 600 posted its fourth gain in five sessions as RWE and E.ON each gained 1.8%.




    Mark Hurd in Talks With Oracle
    Mark Hurd, who resigned as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard last month, is in talks to join Oracle as a top executive.




    'The American' Tops Box Office
    George Clooney's "The American" shot past rivals at the box office over the Labor Day holiday weekend.




    Craigslist Adult Ads: "Censored"
    The Adult Services section of Craigslist has been removed and replaced with the word "censored" since Friday night.




    Berggruen Looks to Revive Karstadt
    For billionaire investor Nicolas Berggruen, signing a deal to acquire insolvent German retailer Karstadt was only half the battle.