Honda Motor Co. is recalling 318,000 Odyssey minivans in the U.S. and 63,400 Acura MDX sport-utility vehicles in several nations for an airbag defect.

The Japanese automaker says there have been no crashes related to the problem. Honda is also recalling 23,300 Odyssey minivans in Canada.

U.S. stocks soared Wednesday to all-time highs after the Federal Reserve left its huge monetary stimulus in place.

Shortly after the Fed announcement, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to a 15,709.58 and the S&P 500-stock index hit 1,729.44. Their record closes were on August 2, at 15,658.36 for the Dow and 1,709.67 for the S&P.

Versace is seeking a minority investor, a spokesman at the Italian fashion house still 100-percent by the Versace family confirmed Wednesday, with a source saying 250 million euros ($335 million) could be pumped into the luxury brand.

"The company is in the process of seeking a minority investment to bring in financial resources and accelerate development of the brand," said a spokesman, confirming Italian media reports.

Beirut, September 16th, 2012 – WonderEight was the only Lebanese branding agency to get shortlisted for the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards in London. The Beirut-based agency was shortlisted in the “Middle East & Africa Restaurant” category for the concept creation and full branding of Origami Restaurant.

Before becoming Origami, this restaurant idea was new to the Beiruti food and beverage scene: an original concept combining a kids’ academy with a top notch cuisine. WonderEight created the identity that clearly communicates the contrast and uniqueness of the place then developed the full branding in accordance with the identity.

German engineering and technology giant Siemens on Wednesday named Ralf Thomas as its new chief financial officer, replacing Joe Kaeser, who became the group's new chief executive in August.

"At its meeting today, Siemens' Supervisory Board appointed Ralf Thomas CFO of Siemens AG," the company said in a statement.

Cash-strapped Belgium is seeking to reduce its debt mountain by selling its 10-percent stake in France's biggest bank, BNP Paribas, a press report said Wednesday.

According to business daily L'Echo, the government of Elio Di Rupo wants to cut debt from the current level of about one year's total economic output, with the BNP Paribas stake coming under consideration.

Syria's state-owned textile industry has lost 17.6 billion Syrian pounds ($88 million/65.7 million euros) since the country's uprising began 30 months ago, the online business magazine Syria Report said Tuesday.

Direct losses caused by theft and the destruction of equipment totaled 7.4 billion pounds, while losses to profit were estimated at 10.2 billion pounds, the magazine said, citing the General Organization for Textile Industries (GOTI).

British annual inflation fell to 2.7 percent in August from 2.8 percent in July, official data showed on Tuesday.

"The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) grew by 2.7 percent in the year to August 2013, down from 2.8 percent in July," the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Dutch electronics giant Philips is to buy back 1.5 billion euros of shares, the company said Tuesday, also raising its targets for 2016.

The company, increasingly focused on healthcare, said it wanted to push ahead with its restructuring program, including through job cuts.

The British government earned £3.2 billion from the sale of 6.0 percent of part-nationalized Lloyds Banking Group, it announced on Tuesday.

The coalition government had on Monday launched plans to sell part of its stake in bailed-out LBG, marking the lender's first crucial step towards a return to the private sector.