By Ian Chua SYDNEY (Reuters) - Japanese stocks rose on Wednesday, thanks to a positive lead from Wall Street plus a softer yen, outperforming the rest of Asia which anxiously seeks clarity on the Federal Reserve's next policy step. Major currencies were mostly subdued ahead of the end of the Fed meeting. A policy statement is due at 1800 GMT (1400 EDT) and Chairman Ben Bernanke will brief media half an hour later. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.3 percent, led by a 1.3 percent fall in mainland Chinese stocks . ...

By Ian Chua SYDNEY (Reuters) - Japanese stocks started trade on Wednesday with a spring in their step thanks to a positive lead from Wall Street and a softer yen, but the rest of Asia was restrained as investors waited for clarity on the Federal Reserve's next policy step. Major currencies were subdued as well ahead of the outcome of the Fed's policy meeting due at 1800 GMT and Chairman Ben Bernanke's media briefing half an hour later. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was a touch softer, while Tokyo's Nikkei average rallied 2.0 percent to a one-week high. ...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average rose to a one-week high on Wednesday, helped by a second-straight day of gains on Wall Street as investors bet that the Federal Reserve would temper worries about an imminent roll back of its stimulus programme. The Nikkei rose 2.0 percent to 13,265.53, while the Topix gained 2.1 percent to 1,108.60. (Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying.

By Eileen O'Grady and Anna Driver (Reuters) - Duke Energy Corp has turned to an insider, Chief Financial Officer Lynn Good, to take over as chief executive when Jim Rogers steps down as part of a regulatory settlement linked to its $18 billion takeover of Progress Energy. Good, 54, a veteran of the U.S. utility industry who is well known on Wall Street, was viewed by analysts as a leading contender for the job. Having served as CFO since July 2009, she is considered a strong manager with the experience to lead the large, complex company like Duke, the No.1 U.S. power producer. ...