Japan’s unemployment rate rose to a five-year high of 5.2 percent in May, the government said Tuesday. The country’s jobless rate worsened from 5.0 percent in April, indicating that while Japanese companies may be starting to recover, their workers remain vulnerable to job and wage insecurities.

Nebraska agriculture officials say the results of the first week of testing for bovine tuberculosis have come back negative.

Brazil is extending a tax-exemption program for vehicles, construction materials and household appliances to speed up the recovery of Latin America’s biggest economy.

The Obama administration is developing plans to seek up to 1,500 National Guard volunteers to step up the military’s counter-drug efforts along the Mexican border, senior administration officials said Monday.

NEW YORK—-Fitch Ratings affirms the following New Jersey Economic Development Authority bonds at ‘BBB-’:

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner on Monday ordered all insurance companies doing business in the state to report investments that might benefit Iran, investments he said harm national security as well as the state’s insurance buyers.

A jump in oil prices sent investors rushing to put money into the stock market in the final days of the second quarter. Energy, industrial and materials stocks pulled the market higher in light trading Monday as investors raced to keep up with the gains in oil.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—-Pacific Legal Foundation today launched an emergency “Save our Water” petition campaign, urging President Barack Obama and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to act to convene a special federal panel, nicknamed the “God Squad,” to address California’s water emergency caused by harsh federal environmental restrictions.