Home resales at 1-1/2 year-high, supply falls (Reuters)

Reuters - Home resales rose to a 1-1/2-year high in January, pushing the supply of properties on the market to the lowest level in almost seven years in a hopeful sign for the housing sector.

Police: 2 Ga. children reported missing found safe (AP)

AP - Authorities say they are searching for a man they believe kidnapped two young children after offering help to their mother after the family car broke down along an Atlanta-area interstate.

Woman tries to hire hit man to kill fur-wearer: FBI (Reuters)

Reuters - An Ohio woman who likened freeing lab animals to liberating Holocaust survivors was being held in custody Wednesday on charges she used Facebook to try to hire a hit man to kill a person at random for wearing fur, prosecutors said.

Man's childhood comic collection fetches $3.5M (AP)

AP - The bulk of a man's childhood comic book collection that included many of the most prized issues ever published has sold for about $3.5 million.

W.Va. mine boss charged with fraud in deadly blast (AP)

AP - Federal prosecutors investigating the West Virginia coal mine explosion that killed 29 men are working their way up the corporate ladder with criminal charges.

Jurors weigh murder case of ex-Va. lacrosse player (AP)

AP - After six hours of deliberations, jurors in the murder trial of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player are asking a second question about their instructions.

Newark mayor: NYPD misled us on Muslim spying (AP)

AP - The mayor and police director of New Jersey's largest city said Wednesday the New York Police Department misled their city and never told them it was conducting a widespread spying operation on Newark's Muslim neighborhoods. Had they known, they said, they never would have allowed it.

Ark. man pleads not guilty in death of teen (AP)

AP - A convicted rapist accused of killing a 16-year-old girl he met online pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder Wednesday, several days after authorities found the girl's body in a blue, plastic barrel in western Arkansas.

Judge: Wash. can't make pharmacies sell Plan B (AP)

AP - Washington state may not force pharmacies to sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying the state's true goal is to suppress religious objections by druggists — not to promote timely access to the medicines for people who need them.

Kansas City priest accused of molesting 4 brothers

KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - Catholic leaders in Kansas City covered up years of sexual abuse of several young children by a priest who led a Christian organization for youth, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by four brothers who say they were victimized as children. The lawsuit, one of more than two dozen pending in Kansas City alleging abuse by area priests, was filed in Jackson County ...

Dollar rises to 7-month high against Japanese yen (AP)

AP - The dollar rose to a seven-month high against the Japanese yen, a week after the Bank of Japan announced a surprise increase of its economic stimulus program.

Suspect in Capitol bomb sting waives court hearing (AP)

AP - A Virginia man charged with plotting a suicide bombing inside the U.S. Capitol waived his rights Wednesday to preliminary and detention hearings.

High court torn over law banning lie about medals (AP)

AP - The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided Wednesday over a law that makes it a crime to lie about having been awarded top military honors.

Court seems split on double jeopardy question (AP)

AP - The Supreme Court seemed divided Wednesday on whether to allow an Arkansas man to be retried on murder charges even though a jury forewoman said in open court that they were unanimously against finding him guilty.

Supreme Court hears military medal lying case (Reuters)

Reuters - Supreme Court justices questioned on Wednesday whether the federal government, in making it a crime to lie about receiving a military medal, could next make it illegal for someone to tell lies about an extramarital affair or a college degree.

U.S. judge orders Moroccan held for Capitol plot (Reuters)

Reuters - A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered a Moroccan man to be held on charges that he planned a suicide bombing attack against Congress, believing he was working with al Qaeda militants when in fact his contacts were undercover agents.

City overpower holders Porto in Europa League

The presence of former manager Andre Villas-Boas at Eastlands failed to inspire holders Porto as Manchester City eased into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-0 second leg win on Wednesday.

Police: Ga. victims related in Korean spa shooting (AP)

AP - A gunman who was asked to leave a Korean health spa in an Atlanta suburb earlier in the day came back and shot two of his sisters and their husbands and then killed himself, police said Wednesday.

AP Exclusive: National meth lab busts up in 2011 (AP)

AP - An Associated Press survey of the nation's top methamphetamine-producing states shows national lab seizures rose again last year.

Report: Crime at US public schools on the decline (AP)

AP - Crimes and homicides in public schools nationwide have declined, part of a downward trend seen over the past several years.

City storm on in Europa

Manchester City produced a strong finish to power into the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League at the expense of ten-man holders Porto, winning out 4-0 in the night and 6-1 overall.

Man City beats defending EL champion Porto 4-0

Manchester City eased past defending Europa League champion FC Porto on Wednesday, beating the Portuguese side 4-0 to wrap up a 6-1 aggregate win. Sergio Aguero opened the scoring after just 19 seconds to stretch City's 2-1 first-leg advantage but the English Premier League leader then had to wait until the 76th minute for its second goal.

'Occupy' to hold national conference in Philly (AP)

AP - A group of protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement plans to elect 876 "delegates" from around the country and hold a national "general assembly" in Philadelphia over the Fourth of July as part of ongoing protests over corporate excess and economic inequality.

Summary Box: Bank of England split on stimulus (AP)

AP - STIMULATING DISCUSSION: Minutes of their last meeting showed Bank of England rate-setters were divided about injecting another 50 billion pounds ($79 billion) into the economy. Two members argued for a bigger stimulus.

Wounded vets regain bit of camaraderie in kitchen (AP)

AP - Julio Gerena is in a wheelchair, his long career in the U.S. Navy and Army forever behind him. But the 52-year-old recaptured some of the old military camaraderie while peeling potatoes and chopping cilantro in a crowded kitchen.

Private jet shipments slip, but improvement seen (Reuters)

Reuters - Worldwide shipments of business jets and other private aircraft fell again last year, but billings rose modestly in a sign of improvement in a tough economy.

Euro zone teetering on brink of recession (Reuters)

Reuters - The euro zone economy is in danger of tipping into recession, with the services sector shrinking this month along with manufacturing, tempering a wave of optimism after a new bailout deal for Greece struck this week.

U.S. mortgage applications sagged last week: MBA (Reuters)

Reuters - Applications for U.S. home mortgages tumbled last week as demand for loan refinancing sagged, an industry group said on Wednesday.

European budget cuts and debt burdens, at a glance (AP)

AP - European budget cuts and debt burdens, at a glance

In Europe, spending cuts fail to ease debt burdens (AP)

AP - Europe has endured the pain of layoffs, wage cuts and tax increases designed to bring government debt under control.

Bank of England panel split on size of stimulus (AP)

AP - Bank of England rate-setters were divided this month on the vote to inject another 50 billion pounds ($79 billion) into the British economy, with two members arguing that a bigger stimulus was needed, minutes to their last meeting showed Wednesday.

Is It Time to Start Worrying About Inflation Again? (Time.com)

Time.com - The greatest threat to any long-term investor is inflation. It not only erodes the value of stocks and bonds, but also depresses economic growth and misleads policymakers

A Champion in Purgatory: Muhammad Ali Returns to Vegas (Time.com)

Time.com - As part of an extended celebration of his 70th birthday, the ailing legend appears at a massive fundraiser to benefit brain research

Tevez apologises to Man City over conduct

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City finally got the apology they had been waiting for on Tuesday when striker Carlos Tevez said he was sorry for his behaviour over recent months, setting up a possible return to action at the Premier League club. The Argentine striker also withdrew his appeal against a gross misconduct charge handed to him after he spent three months in his homeland ...

U.S. consumer agency to examine bank overdraft fees (Reuters)

Reuters - The new U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is weighing a crackdown on checking account overdraft fees charged by banks, saying the charges can "inflict serious economic harm" on consumers.

Five dead in shooting at spa in Atlanta suburb (Reuters)

Reuters - Five people were killed in a shooting at a health spa in an Atlanta suburb on Tuesday in what appeared to be a murder-suicide, police said.

Neb. city's illegal immigration law to be nuisance

A Nebraska city's attempt to fight illegal immigration with a newly court-approved ordinance appears likely to be more of an inconvenience for legal residents than a deterrent to illegal immigrants.

Pace of new credit card accounts picks up in 2011 (AP)

AP - More people opened new credit card accounts last year, as the banking industry began to loosen standards it tightened during the recession.

Rates drop at weekly Treasury auction (AP)

AP - Interest rates on three-month and six-month Treasury bills dropped in Tuesday's auction after rising the previous week.

EU leaders to ask G20 to back higher IMF funds (Reuters)

Reuters - European Union leaders will call at a summit next week for the world's 20 biggest economies (G20) to agree in April to substantially boost funds available to the International Monetary Fund, draft conclusions of the meeting showed.