UNITED STATES

Technology exists that might have detected explosives hidden in the underwear of a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a plane over Detroit, but cost and privacy worries have until now prevented its widespread use.

U.S. home prices were unchanged in October, according to the widely watched Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller indexes released on Tuesday, indicating stabilization in the hard-hit housing sector though the figures dashed hopes for a sixth straight monthly increase.

New legislation may have a much more dire effect on credit card lenders' earnings than analysts had expected, and 2010 could be a brutal year for the companies.

Air pollution, which tends to inflame the airways in people with asthma, might also reduce the effectiveness of the rescue inhalers they count on for quick relief of their asthma symptoms, study findings hint.

Spyker Cars' chief executive expects a decision in days on whether the company has been successful in a bid to buy Sweden's Saab Automobile from U.S. parent General Motors.

Oil briefly rose above $79 a barrel to a fresh five-week high on Tuesday, supported by expectations of colder U.S. weather and concerns over political developments in Iran.

Last year, turnaround expert William Snyder was sitting across a table from legendary U.S. chicken entrepreneur Lonnie Bo Pilgrim, explaining the drastic steps that would be necessary to rescue his 63-year-old company from possible liquidation.

Sumitomo Chemical Corp agreed to buy a $590 million stake in Australian farm chemicals maker Nufarm Ltd on Tuesday, in a surprise deal that knocked out a rival bid from China's Sinochem.

U.S. consumer confidence improved more than expected in December, hitting a three-month high as job market pessimism eased and consumers' expectations reached a two-year high, according to a private report released on Tuesday.

U.S. retailers performed better during the holiday shopping season this year than in historically dismal 2008, in line with lowered expectations, according to data released on Monday.

Troubled U.S. trucker YRC Worldwide (YRCW.O) said it was again extending a crucial debt-for-equity offer as it continued to work to convince bondholders to participate.

Canada's International Royalty Corp (IRC.TO) said on Tuesday Royal Gold's (RGLD.O) C$749 million ($719.5 million) offer to buy the company is superior to Franco-Nevada's (FNV.TO) unsolicited bid.

UC RUSAL has secured a member of the Rothschild family as well as one of southeast Asia's richest men as investors in an IPO that could value the indebted aluminum firm at nearly $27 billion, sources said on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama assured Americans on Monday the United States will defeat those behind an attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner and sought to blunt criticism that his response to the incident was slow.

In the summer of 1987, 19-year-old Mac McCaughan and his bandmates stumbled on an idea as old as rock 'n' roll itself.

Several thousand mourners attended funerals on Tuesday for victims of a suicide bombing that killed 43 people in Pakistan's commercial capital, an emotional reminder of a raging Taliban insurgency.

U.S. employers expect to hire more new workers in 2010 than they did in 2009, a sign the U.S. recession may be easing its grip, research showed on Tuesday.

Dutch ING, which is splitting up its bank and insurance arms, will sell its stake in Chinese insurer Antai to China Construction Bank (CCB) as part of its ongoing restructuring programme.

North Korea said on Tuesday it had detained a U.S. citizen who entered its territory, apparently confirming a report that an American activist crossed into the state to raise awareness about Pyongyang's human rights abuses.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was appalled at China's execution of a Briton caught smuggling heroin on Tuesday, prompting China to denounce British accusations and defend its court system.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday U.S. plans for a missile defense system were the main obstacle to reaching a new deal on reducing Cold War arsenals of nuclear weapons.