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• UPDATE 2-Afghans must talk to each other for peace, Obama says Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 7:44 AM ET

  President Barack Obama said on Wednesday Afghans must talk to each other to resolve the conflict in their country even though huge mistrust exists between the government and its Taliban foes.

• UPDATE 1-Obama to set nuclear arms cut goal in Berlin speech Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 2:45 AM ET

  *Obama makes first trip to Berlin as U.S. president. BERLIN, June 19- President Barack Obama will unveil plans for a sharp reduction in nuclear warheads in a landmark speech at the Brandenburg Gate on Wednesday that comes 50 years after John F. Kennedy declared "Ich bin ein Berliner" in a defiant Cold War address.

• Reuters World News Highlights at 0515 GMT, Jun 19 Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 1:57 AM ET

  WASHINGTON/ KABUL- The United States and the Taliban raised hopes for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan with commitments to meet this week after 12 years of bloody and costly war between American-led forces and the insurgents.

• WRAPUP 1-Fed seen keeping options open on pace of bond buying Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 12:59 AM ET

  WASHINGTON, June 19- Federal Reserve policymakers will likely announce on Wednesday that they will keep buying bonds at a monthly pace of $85 billion, while keeping their options open to scale back the program later this year if the U.S. labor market continues to improve. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will hold a news conference 30 minutes later.

• ANALYSIS-Hospital investors sold on U.S. health reform despite bumps Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 12:59 AM ET

  Snow Capital identified the potential in hospital shares early on and has holdings in Community Health Systems Inc and Health Management Associates Inc.. Since the start of the year, shares of the largest publicly traded hospital chain, HCA Holdings Inc, are up 34 percent, while No. 2 Community Health has climbed 71 percent.

• UPDATE 1-U.S. FCC nominee Wheeler says will promote competition Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 7:42 PM ET

  Acknowledging his past as a lobbyist, Wheeler told lawmakers at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on his nomination that at the FCC, he would advocate for the consumers' interest first: "My client will be the American public."

• UPDATE 1-'Conservative Republican' at IRS defends treatment of Tea Party Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 6:57 PM ET

  The Shafer transcript was released by the top Democrat on the House of Representatives committee leading a probe of the IRS, Representative Elijah Cummings, who said it debunked the Republican "conspiracy theories" that Washington political figures played a role in the IRS scrutiny of the conservative groups.

• UPDATE 1-Enroll America sets private outreach for Obamacare sign-up Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 5:42 PM ET

  WASHINGTON, June 18- Enroll America, a nonprofit group at the center of the political fight over President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, launched a multi-state grassroots campaign on Tuesday to help sign up millions of uninsured Americans for health coverage in the coming months.

• UPDATE 1-U.S. lawmakers, businesses demand Indian trade reforms Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 5:05 PM ET

  WASHINGTON, June 18- A bipartisan group of more than 170 U.S. lawmakers joined with a coalition of U.S. business groups on Tuesday to demand increased U.S. pressure on India to change policies that they said threaten American exports, jobs and innovation. Secretary of State John Kerry travels to India for the fourth annual U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue.

• 'Conservative Republican' at IRS defends treatment of Tea Party Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 4:47 PM ET

  WASHINGTON, June 18- A manager from a U.S. Internal Revenue Service office in Cincinnati where staff have been accused of unfairly subjecting conservative groups to extra scrutiny has said his agents were not influenced by any political agenda.

• TREASURIES-U.S. bond prices steady before Fed policy meeting Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 4:07 PM ET

  NEW YORK, June 18- Most U.S. The Fed's policy statement, to be released after the close of the meeting on Wednesday afternoon, could affirm remarks by Chairman Ben Bernanke last month that the U.S. central bank may decide to trim the amount of bond purchases in the next few meetings if the economic recovery maintains momentum. "

• UPDATE 5-Russia's Putin torpedoes G8 efforts to oust Assad Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 3:42 PM ET

  *Putin defiant, weighs arms sales to Syria. *Obama, Putin spar over Syria. ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland, June 18- Russia's Vladimir Putin derailed Barack Obama's efforts to win backing for the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad at a G8 summit on Tuesday, warning the West that arms supplied to the rebels could be used for attacks on European soil.

• Enroll America sets private outreach for Obamacare enrollment Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 2:54 PM ET

  WASHINGTON, June 18- Enroll America, a nonprofit group at the center of the political fight over President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, launched a multi-state grassroots campaign on Tuesday to help sign up millions of uninsured Americans for health coverage in the coming months.

• Likely Candidates to Succeed Fed's Bernanke Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 1:31 PM ET

  

  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may step down when his second term expires on Jan. 31. Here is a quick look at the likely leading choices.

• UPDATE 4-Russia's Putin torpedoes G8 efforts to push out Assad Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 1:08 PM ET

  *Putin defiant after talks, considers arms sales to Syria. *Obama, Putin spar over Syria. President Barack Obama, said the Kremlin might sell more arms to Syria.

• U.S. groups form alliance to push for Indian trade reforms Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 1:06 PM ET

  WASHINGTON, June 18- A coalition of U.S. business groups on Tuesday demanded President Barack Obama's administration increase pressure on India to change trade policies that they said threaten U.S. exports, jobs and innovation. Secretary of State John Kerry is headed to India next week for the fourth annual U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue.

• At G8, Obama says important to build strong opposition in Syria Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 11:52 AM ET

  ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland, June 18- U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday it was important to build a strong opposition in Syria that could function after Bashar al-Assad loses power.

• UPDATE 3-G8 leaders sidestep fate of Syria's Assad in final communique Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 11:05 AM ET

  *Obama, Putin disagreed over Syria. Isolated at the G8, Russia's Vladimir Putin had clashed with other leaders over the conflict and resisted their attempts to get him to agree to anything that would imply Assad should step down or that Russia should tone down its support for Assad.

• FACTBOX-Likely candidates to replace Bernanke at U.S. Fed in 2014 Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 11:03 AM ET

  Obama told Charlie Rose, host of a PBS interview program, that Bernanke was like longtime FBI Director Robert Mueller, who agreed to stay two years longer in the job than he had planned and is to leave in the coming months. Ben Bernanke's a little bit like Bob Mueller, the head of the FBI- where he's already stayed a lot longer than he wanted or he was supposed to. "

• G-8 Update  Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 10:09 AM ET

  

  CNBC's Steve Sedgwick has the latest details from Northern Ireland on the gathering of the world's top political leaders.