UNITED STATES

The United States hopes to reach agreement with China during President Barack Obama's visit on how to record and monitor countries' efforts to fight global warming, a top State Department official said on Tuesday.

U.S. consumer confidence edged only slightly lower in November after a sharp drop in October, indicating that the upcoming holiday shopping season could see better consumer spending, a research group said on Tuesday.

Madonna, who has promoted school building in the African country Malawi, is now turning her star power onto projects to improve the notorious slums of Rio de Janeiro.

Pakistani Taliban militants vowed to fight a tough, protracted guerrilla war against the army on Tuesday as a suicide car-bomber killed up to 20 people in a northwestern town, police said.

American International Group Inc has made tangible progress on its restructuring plan and will likely be able to repay the government's loan and much of its preferred equity stake, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday.

Terrorist Carlos the Jackal is coming to the Sundance Channel and then to U.S. theaters via IFC Films.

InterContinental Hotels, the world's biggest hotelier, said it was too early to forecast a recovery as trading conditions remained challenging after posting a 19 percent fall in third-quarter operating profit.

Michael Buble plans to give fans another dose of Crazy Love in 2010.

Junior bondholders are readying a lawsuit to challenge a restructuring deal for Greek mobile operator Wind Hellas that wipes out their investment, sources familiar with the process said.

The German government has banned hard rock group Rammstein's latest hit album from public display in stores because of its depictions of sado-masochism.

Sri Lanka's shares hit a two month low on Tuesday, as investor appetite declined due to economic woes and protests ahead of polls, while the central bank's cautious flexibility drove the rupee to a six-month high.

Britain's top two banks, HSBC and Barclays , signaled bad debts may be past their peak, with HSBC declaring on Tuesday the first improvement for three years in losses on U.S. consumer credit.

Navies from the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire for the first time in seven years on Tuesday, damaging vessels on both sides and raising tension just days before President Barack Obama travels to Asia.

Barack Obama this week makes his first trip to Asia as president, leaving behind a host of domestic problems with a visit that recognizes the region's economic and diplomatic importance to the United States.

Activision Blizzard Inc's hugely anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 videogame went on sale early Tuesday morning, welcomed by eager fans who lined up hours in advance of the release.

Wall Street was set for a lower open on Tuesday after stocks hit a 13-month high in the previous session on expectations for prolonged low interest rates.

A climate change deal is needed not just to ward off global warming, but to ensure a shift from increasingly costly fossil fuels that could lead to a doubling of energy bills, the IEA's chief economist said on Tuesday.

Talks between Indonesia and Korea Gas Corp over liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments have been temporarily halted, which may delay deliveries, an official at Indonesia's energy watchdog said on Tuesday.

GDP Sustainable, Says Survey; Key Target Set at Yahoo; UK Banks See Bottom

Stock index futures edged lower on Tuesday as investors paused after the market hit a 13-month high in the previous session on expectations for prolonged low interest rates.

Oil prices fell slightly on Tuesday but held above $79 a barrel as the dollar weakened, gold stayed strong and a late-season hurricane subsided in the Gulf of Mexico.