• House passes housing bill; Bush lifts veto threat
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives passed a massive housing rescue bill on Wednesday while the White House dropped a threat to veto it, paving the way for measures aimed at shoring up the worst U.S. housing market since the Great Depression.

  

  

  
• Amazon profit, sales above view and shares rise
  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday quarterly profit doubled and sales grew 41 percent, indicating to Wall Street that many cost-conscious shoppers are heading online to save money in a tough economy.

  

  

  
• SemGroup gets court OK for initial bankruptcy motions
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - SemGroup LP, an Oklahoma-based oil trading services company, on Wednesday said it received approval from the Bankruptcy Court for its initial motions related to its bankruptcy.

  

  

  
• Microsoft exec who led Yahoo bid leaving company
  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday that Kevin Johnson, who as president of Microsoft's largest business division spearheaded the company's pursuit of Yahoo Inc , is leaving the software maker.

  

  

  
• Wall Street rises on oil drop, housing plan optimism
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Wednesday as financial shares climbed on optimism about a rescue plan for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and as the price of oil fell.

  

  

  

Coverage includes breaking news, market reports, newsmaker interviews and key company profiles.

• Japan back from Bubble
  Oct. 18 - Japanese real estate prices are rising again, 16 years after its "Bubble" era ended in tears.
• Intel cheers Asian shares
  Oct. 18 - Asian shares rose Thursday on expectations of lower U.S. interest rates and strong results by tech giant Intel.
• New facets for diamond business
  Oct. 16 - The world diamond industry says it wants to rethink its business strategy and give more power to producing countries in Africa.
• Posting for profit
  Oct. 10 - A new service from Blinkx.com allows consumers to take a cut of ad revenue from video on their own websites.
• A380 finally lands in Singapore
  Oct. 17 - Two years later than originally scheduled, the Airbus A380 superjumbo lands in Singapore ready for commercial service.