BERNE (Reuters) – The Swiss lower house of parliament dealt a final death blow on Wednesday to a draft law aimed at protecting the country's banks from criminal charges in the United States for helping wealthy Americans to evade tax. The Swiss government has warned that the bill's failure could prompt impatient U.S. prosecutors to indict banks, although it could still invoke an executive order to allow them to hand over data to try to avert charges. The bill was aimed at allowing banks to sidestep Swiss secrecy laws by disclosing their U.S. …

By Nivedita Bhattacharjee (Reuters) – FedEx Corp reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, sending its shares higher, but the world's biggest air-freight company said it was cutting more capacity between the United States and Asia. The company, considered an economic bellwether because of the massive volume of goods it moves around the world, is still trying to adjust to increasing demand for cheaper ground transport rather than pricier but faster air shipping. …

By Alwyn Scott and Maria Sheahan PARIS (Reuters) – Orders at the Paris Airshow surpassed $ 100 billion on Wednesday, as planemakers Boeing and Airbus cashed in on demand for fuel-efficient jets and growth in both budget carriers and emerging markets. Ryanair, Europe's biggest low-cost airline, finalized an order for 175 Boeing 737-800 aircraft worth around $ 15.6 billion at list prices on day three of the aerospace industry's showcase event, the largest single order ever placed by a European airline with the U.S. group. …

By Paul Ingrassia and Mike Peacock LONDON (Reuters) – The World Bank is concerned about the spillover effects on developing countries of a slowing of U.S. money creation and will move to provide affordable capital when borrowing costs rise, its president said on Wednesday. The U.S. Federal Reserve has sparked a bout of financial market turmoil since its chief, Ben Bernanke, announced on May 22 that the Fed could, before the year is out, begin slowing the pace at which it creates dollars. …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock futures were little changed on Wednesday following two days of gains ahead of a highly anticipated Federal Reserve statement and news conference. * The Fed will release a policy statement at 2:00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), which will be followed soon after by a news conference with Chairman Ben Bernanke. * Two days of gains this week suggest investors expect reassurances of continued economic support from the U.S. central bank. The equity market had been roiled recently by suggestions that the Fed's asset purchases would be scaled back earlier than anticipated. …

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) – Vodafone is discussing a bid of about $ 10 billion with Germany's No. 1 cable operator Kabel Deutschland and is confident its raised all-cash offer and absence of antitrust issues put it in a better position than rival Liberty Global, two sources familiar with its thinking said on Wednesday. Liberty Global , which owns Unity Media, Germany's No. 2 cable operator, made an 85-euros-a-share offer on Tuesday, two people familiar with the matter said, just days after sources said Vodafone had offered 81-82 euros a share or 7.2 billion euros ($ 9.6 billion) in cash. …