UNITED STATES

The Pentagon dismissed warnings by Iran to stay out of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, saying Tuesday they intend to continue sending aircraft carriers to the vital oil passageway.

Shares of troubled BlackBerry developer Research in Motion leaped as much as 9.3 percent Tuesday on reports the company would elect an outside director as chairman.

The Federal Reserve said on Tuesday it will begin issuing later this month policymaker forecasts for its benchmark interest rate and when officials expect the first rate rise to occur.

3M Co will expand its office supplies business with the $550 million cash purchase of Avery Dennison Corp's office and consumer products unit, which includes Avery labels and HI-LITERS markers, the companies said on Tuesday.

Gold rose by nearly 2 percent on Tuesday, fueled by a recovery in the euro against the dollar, after the bullion price neared six-month lows last week in a flurry of year-end selling.

Wall Street stocks kicked off 2012 with a rally on Tuesday after data showed U.S. manufacturing activity and construction spending picked up, signaling the economic recovery was gaining steam.

JPMorgan Chase & Co has been sued for $95 million by the trustee for securities marketed in 2005 by the former Bear Stearns Cos over alleged misrepresentations regarding the underlying mortgage loans.

Gathering in the Jordanian capital on Tuesday, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have come together in an effort to jumpstart long-stalled negotiations, the first face-to-face meeting in more than a year.

The tiny central African nation of Rwanda elected the world's first women-dominated legislature.

European stocks rose to their highest close in five months on Tuesday after strong manufacturing data from the world's two biggest economies, the United States and China, boosted investor confidence and helped shift attention away from the Eurozone.

Investment bank JPMorgan upgraded its recommendation for Cisco Systems to overweight and raised its price target for the network equipment maker on expectations of a rebound in public sector spending and improved margins in 2012.

Manufacturing activity picked up nationwide in December, with new orders and employment improving, according to a national survey of purchasing managers.

The FDA decision ignores intensifying scientific evidence suggesting the overuse of antibiotics in feed given to animals intended for human consumption can lead to the development of potentially fatal antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Devon Energy Corp said on Tuesday China's Sinopec <0386.HK> will invest $2.2 billion for a third of the U.S. oil and natural gas producer's interest in five developing fields as part of a long-term partnership.

The latest promotion is for one-way fares for as low as $39. Tickets must be purchased by Jan. 5 (before 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 3), and a seven-day advance purchase is required.

Wall Street stocks kicked off 2012 with a sharp rally on Tuesday after data showed U.S. manufacturing activity and construction spending picked up, signaling the economic recovery was gaining steam.

ExxonMobil continues to aggressively contend a Venezuelan decision that undervalues the assets in oil fields and refineries seized by the government of President Hugo Chavez.

The focus of the U.S. political world is on Iowa and its caucuses, as it marks the first, popular-based data point of the 2012 campaign for president of the United States. But that does not mean Iowa is predictive.

Political commentator Alan Colmes apologized for his comments about GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum. Colmes criticized Santorum for the way he and his wife dealt with the death of their infant son in 1996.

Nearly 50,000 hockey fans filled Citizens Bank Park.

Manufacturing grew at the fastest pace in six months in December, capping a late-year rally in the sector, while a rise in new orders suggested good momentum in 2012, an industry report showed on Tuesday.