Mark Brooks

"I don't see under what circumstances I can return," he said.

The price for internationally traded benchmark oil is over $100 barrels a day, a level most OPEC countries are happy with.

Hammered by a prolonged financial crisis, Greece has been relying on funds from international rescue loans since May 2010.

The Obama administration has said no senior officials were involved in targeting.

Thompson said that he lost the weight by getting active again. He noted that Europeans walk a lot and that it's rare to see Europeans that are "very, very heavy."

The June gold contract rose $12.40 to $1,391.30 an ounce, an increase of 0.9 percent.

The Congressional Budget Office says more than half the benefits of 10 major tax breaks go to the one-fifth of U.S. households at the top of the income scale.

Court papers indicate Total paid $60 million in bribes between 1995 and 2004 that allowed it to re-enter the Iranian oil and gas market.

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Jason Furman, a veteran White House economic official, as chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, according to a person familiar with the decision.

The ECB's latest financial stability review said Wednesday that the weakening of the banking sector threatens to cause a flare-up in the 17-country eurozone's 3-and-a-half-year crisis over too much government debt.

When Congress returns from a weeklong recess on Monday, Danny Werfel is scheduled to appear before a House Appropriations subcommittee in his first congressional testimony since becoming acting IRS commissioner last week.

The Bank of Greece said the economy is likely to contract by a further 4.6 percent in 2013, with unemployment set to reach 28 percent.

Earlier this week Biden visited Colombia, where he praised the government's security advances in recent years.

Unveiling a series of country-specific policy recommendations in Brussels, the EU Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm, said the countries must implement structural reforms, such as overhauling labor markets to make their economies more competitive.

Benchmark oil for July delivery rose 86 cents to close at $95.01 a barrel in New York. It was the first gain for oil in five trading sessions.

July soybeans climbed 33 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $15.0925 a bushel Tuesday.

As part of the plea, the company will pay $81 million, which will also cover charges in Missouri.

Members of Congress from both political parties say the current uproar -- over the targeting of conservative political groups -- underscores that overly complex tax provisions have given the IRS too much discretion in interpreting and enforcing the law.

The rating agency said in a report issued Tuesday that sustained economic growth and a better jobs picture will help banks over the next 12 to 18 months.

Retailers had until Tuesday to opt out of the agreement, if they wished to pursue future legal action. Retailers who didn't opt out by the deadline were automatically be considered to have accepted the settlement.