UNITED STATES

Global growth is slowly improving as recovery in the United States gains traction and dangers from Europe recede, but risks remain elevated and the gains are very fragile, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its projection of growth in the U.S. gross domestic product to 2.1 percent this year and 2.4 percent next year, from 1.7 percent in 2011.

Shares of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, recouped all their Monday losses and gained more in Tuesday trading.

Women account for almost two-thirds of car-crashes caused by pedal application errors, mixing up the gas pedal and brake, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report filed in March concluded.

U.S. home construction fell 5.8 percent in March even with the help of warmer-than-normal weather in the month, but new building permits jumped to the highest level since September 2008.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China continued to fall for the fifth consecutive month in March, as concerns over European sovereign debt crisis curbed investments by companies in the world’s second largest economy.

Cancellation of the bilateral agreement may also lead to North Korea seeking to conduct a third nuclear test.

North Korea will not allow the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors to examine the country's nuclear program, in retaliation to the UN's tough stand against its rocket launch.According to Japanese media, Pyongyang went a step further and said it will continue with its satellite program and will launch another rocket with a satellite in the next five years, The Telegraph reported.

Futures on major US indices point to a higher opening Tuesday ahead of the quarterly earnings from top investment bank Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and key housing data due to be released before market opens.

China and Philippines have said they won't escalate maritime tensions between the two nations over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, though both appeared eager to assert their claims over the waters.

Asian stock markets declined for the second day Tuesday despite better-than-expected US retail sales data as concerns over Europe's debt crisis continued to weigh.

China bagged foreign direct investment at a record-setting pace in the first three months of 2012, but an easing in its monthly momentum and a difficult trade outlook will keep monetary policy poised to compensate for any dip in capital inflows.

Japan said on Tuesday it will provide $60 billion in loans to the International Monetary Fund, becoming the first non-European nation to commit money to boost the fund's financial firepower to contain the euro zone debt crisis.

A month after Apple started selling its 4G-ready third generation iPad in 10 countries, including the US, 12 new countries have been added to the list, with 9 more to follow next week.

India will test launch a long-range, nuclear-capable missile this week, an exercise that could give its military the ability to target parts of northern China and eastern Europe.

Japan said Tuesday it would offer $60 billion in loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost a global firewall against Europe's debt crisis.

Americans shrugged off high gasoline prices in March and spent more strongly than expected, suggesting economic growth in the first quarter was probably not as weak as many had feared.

Japan said on Tuesday it will provide $60 billion in loans to the International Monetary Fund, becoming the first non-European nation to commit money to boost the fund's financial firepower to contain the euro zone debt crisis.

Two top Federal Reserve officials pointed on Monday to last month's surprisingly weak jobs report as all the more reason to take a wait-and-see approach to a U.S. economy that, in general, is improving.

The Federal Reserve is independent but it does not exist in a vacuum, as waning appetite at the central bank for contentious bond purchases suggests.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is taking extra steps to bulletproof its rulemaking, after U.S. appeals court judges, Republican lawmakers and government watchdogs have criticized how the agency measures the economic impact of its rules.