Boeing Co said it is taking the "next step" toward launching its long-awaited 777X wide-body jet by discussing price, schedule and other details with potential customers. The move follows a board meeting on Monday and means the commercial airplane division can begin taking orders from airlines for the new fuel-efficient jet, which could include folding

– Local elections being held in England and Wales  – Single national parliamentary seat also up for grabs – Ruling conservatives forecast to lose hundreds of seats  – Anti-EU party predicted to do well, as is Labour Britain's ruling Conservatives are set to lose hundreds of seats in local polls on Thursday that will go some

– Britain has made fighting tax evasion a priority – Information to be shared among five European states Tax havens such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands will work more closely with Britain and other European countries to fight tax evasion, British finance minister George Osborne said on Thursday. With governments in most advanced economies

– Trio took backpack, fireworks from dorm room-court papers  – Two Kazakhs charged with obstructing justice  – U.S. citizen charged with lying to investigators  – Men acted as FBI led hunt for suspects-court papers U.S. authorities on Wednesday charged three men with interfering with the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing, saying they hid fireworks and

With his renewed vow to close the detention camp for foreign terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. President Barack Obama has effectively assigned himself a list of possible ways to take the prison's population down from 166 to zero. Some would be more easily achieved than others. In pledging to look again at an unfulfilled

Moody's has downgraded the global-scale insurance financial strength rating (IFSR) of OJSC IC Allianz (Allianz Russia) from Baa1 to Baa2, but maintained a stable outlook, following continued pressures in underwriting profitability. At YE 2012, Allianz Russia's combined ratio continued to be relatively high at 103.2% (YE 2011: 101.7%) and gross premiums written decreased by 7%