WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With economic storm clouds gathering abroad and signs the U.S. recovery is flagging, the Federal Reserve may feel compelled on Wednesday to launch a new round of monetary stimulus.

SINGAPORE/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Asia's top companies are less upbeat on their business outlook than in the first quarter, with mounting concern over the euro zone crisis and a slowdown in China's growth, according to the latest Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Survey, published on Wednesday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Apple Inc will try to salvage a high-profile lawsuit against Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit on Wednesday at a crucial hearing in the smartphone patent wars between the two tech companies.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Rio Tinto will spend $3.7 billion to increase iron ore output in Australia by a further 25 percent to 353 million tonnes a year tonnes by 2015, shrugging off forecasts of waning demand and a looming global supply glut.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp announced sweeping changes in Australia on Wednesday, including job cuts and shrinking the number of its divisions from 19 to five, the latest local media group to restructure in the face of declining ad sales.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Wednesday and the euro clung to most of the previous session's gains as investors bet that Europe's worsening debt crisis and faltering global growth will prompt major central banks to launch a new round of monetary stimulus.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp made a $2 billion takeover offer for Australia's Consolidated Media Holdings on Wednesday, boosting top shareholder and billionaire James Packer's warchest as he abandons media in favor of casinos.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Lenders to India's Hotel Leela, a 5-star chain that is more than two months behind in payments on $700 million of debt, are likely to bite the bullet and amend the loan terms rather than declare it in default, say bankers involved in the talks.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq advanced on Monday, propelled by a rally in Apple and other big-cap tech stocks, but fears Europe's debt crisis is in danger of worsening limited broader gains.

BERLIN/ATHENS (Reuters) - Euro zone paymaster Germany, relieved at a narrow election victory for Greece's pro-bailout parties, signaled on Monday it may be willing to grant Athens more time to meet its fiscal targets to avert a catastrophic euro exit.

(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs has paid for the bulk of former board member Rajat Gupta's legal defense in an insider trading case that ended in his conviction, the New York Times reported, citing two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

(Reuters) - Cash isn't just king. For some money managers, it has become jack, queen and ace, too.