More Breaking News

Iraq’s Al-Maliki Wins Most Seats in Vote, Party Says (Update5) Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki’s political bloc, saying it won the most seats in March 7 parliamentary elections, named a commission to hold talks with rival parties on forming a government, an official said today.

Axelrod Says Health Bill to Pass, Boehner Skeptical (Update4) White House senior adviser David Axelrod predicted the House of Representatives will approve health-care overhaul legislation by the end of this week, while House Minority Leader John Boehner said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have enough votes for passage.

‘Alice’ Is No. 1 Film Again, Has $62 Million in Sales (Update2) “Alice in Wonderland,” the Lewis Carroll tale re-imagined in 3-D by director Tim Burton, was the top film in the U.S. and Canada for a second straight weekend, bringing in $62 million in ticket sales for Walt Disney Co.

Wen Rebuffing Yuan Calls Risks Retaliation From U.S. Congress Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao rebuffed calls for the yuan to appreciate, risking a further downturn in relations with the U.S. where lawmakers and economists say his stance is hampering a global recovery.

China’s Cnooc Buys Bridas Stake for $3.1 Billion to Gain Fields Cnooc Ltd., China’s biggest offshore oil explorer, agreed to buy a 50 percent stake in rival Argentine producer Bridas Corp. for $3.1 billion, adding 318 million barrels of reserves as Chinese fuel demand surges.

Washington Needs Back-to-Work Program of Its Own: Albert Hunt A veteran senator, in a private conversation last week, was despondent: “this place is dysfunctional, and it’s not going to get any better,” he said. It could have been a Democrat or a Republican from the North, South, Midwest or West.

Dubai Shares Rise Most Since December on State-Guarantee Hopes Dubai’s benchmark stock index climbed the most in three months, leading gains in Gulf markets, on bets the government will back Dubai World after an official said the government is “always behind” the company.

U.K. Liberal Democrats Seek U.K. Tax, Voting Reform (Update2) Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the opposition party will demand tax reform and a new electoral system if it holds the balance of power after this year’s general election.

U.K. Polls Tighten as Darling Backs Public Services (Update2) U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Labour Party may emerge as the biggest party in parliament after elections that must be held by June, according to a YouGov Plc survey published in the Sunday Times today.

Colombians Vote for New Congress in Gauge of Support for Santos Colombians started casting ballots in congressional elections that may signal how much backing Juan Manuel Santos will have as he seeks to capitalize on the success of Alvaro Uribe’s security policies to succeed him as president.

Thai Protesters Mass to Oust Premier, Pledge Marches (Update3) Thai anti-government protesters gathered in Bangkok to pressure Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call an election, and may march through the capital if he doesn’t step down by noon tomorrow.

Netanyahu Calls Decision on Jerusalem Homes ‘Harmful’ (Update3) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called last week’s announcement of approval to build new homes in east Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit “harmful” and “unfortunate.”

Boehner Says U.S. House Doesn’t Have Votes to Pass Health Care U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner predicted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have the 216 votes needed in her chamber to approve the Senate version of health-care overhaul.

Buffett-Backed BYD’s Profit Almost Quadruples as Car Sales Rise BYD Co., the Chinese carmaker backed by Warren Buffett, almost quadrupled earnings last year as consumers took advantage of government incentives to buy its F3 compact cars.

ECB’s Nowotny Says Governments May Face Threat of ‘Debt Spiral’ European Central Bank council member Ewald Nowotny said that some euro-region governments may face a “debt spiral” if they don’t starting cutting their budget deficits next year.

Abbott MitraClip Offers Safe Alternative to Open-Heart Surgery Abbott Laboratories’ MitraClip cardiac clamp safely repaired leaking heart valves in a study, potentially providing a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery.

Abbott’s TriCor With Statin Fails to Cut Diabetic Heart Risk Adding Abbott Laboratories’ cholesterol drug TriCor to an older, cheaper cholesterol pill failed to cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiac deaths in diabetics, a study found.

Novartis Heart, Diabetes Drugs Fail to Prevent Disease in Study Novartis AG’s top blood pressure pill Diovan failed to prevent heart attacks, strokes or deaths in high-risk patients, while its diabetes drug Starlix didn’t protect them from developing heart disease or diabetes in an international trial.

Cnooc to Buy 50 Percent of Argentina’s Bridas Corp. for $3.1 Bln Cnooc Ltd., China’s biggest offshore oil explorer, said it will pay $3.1 billion for a 50 percent stake in Bridas Corporation, Argentina’s largest crude exporter.