Oil giant BP PLC is requesting more time to implement required safety improvements at its Texas City refinery where a 2005 explosion left 15 people dead, the U.S. agency responsible for worker safety said Wednesday.

A U.S. drive to build a more balanced global economy gained the qualified support of China on Wednesday in a sign that Group of 20 leaders may be ready to take joint action to prevent future economic crises.

House leaders have scheduled a vote Thursday on a bill that would eliminate premium increases for Medicare Part B next year.

Signaling confidence in a recovery, the Federal Reserve decided Wednesday to stretch out the pace of a program intended to lower mortgage rates and prop up the housing market.

Treasurys mostly rose Wednesday after the Federal Reserve announced plans to hold interest rates steady and the market absorbed an auction of $40 billion in U.S. debt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—-The California High-Speed Rail Authority on Wednesday unanimously approved an application for more than $4.5 billion in federal stimulus funding for engineering, design and construction on the state’s high-speed train system – generating an investment of $9.1 billion when state matching funds are added.

Treasury prices rebounded Wednesday after the Federal Reserve board alleviated worries about inflation. Bond prices rose slightly in afternoon trading Wednesday, having fallen earlier in the day on disappointing results from the auction of five-year notes.

Planning for retirement has never been as complicated — or as important — as it is now. Last year’s financial meltdown was the second stock market disaster of the decade. Millions of baby boomers saw their savings wither, just when they were eyeing retirement.