IBT Staff Reporter

The man who holds in his hands the fate of U.S. credit, and with it potentially the global economy, favors small tie knots, sports a bushy mustache and smokes his fair share of cigarettes.

Stocks dropped on Tuesday on worries about a possible downgrade of the United States' top credit rating and signs of economic weakness even as Congress passed a bill to avoid a debt default.

Analysts are expecting big things for the impending iPhone 5 release.

Joey Barton's outspokenness on Twitter has resulted in Newcastle United placing the midfielder on a free transfer with Manchester United one of the clubs reportedly attempting to lure him.

Federal officials said that one person has died from salmonella poisoning that seems to be related to ground turkey. The government has not yet released the name of the responsible party. A recall has not been issued.

Here is a rundown of the final actions in Congress on Tuesday as lawmakers try to rush to the White House a deficit reduction deal that also will raise the $14.3 trillion limit on U.S. government borrowing.

Russia's interior minister called on Tuesday for limits on the Internet to prevent a slide in traditional cultural values among young people, raising fears of controls over the vibrant Russian-language Web.

General Motors Co on Tuesday posted a 7.6 percent sales gain in July on stronger demand for its flagship Chevrolet brand and new cars including the Cruze compact.

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez break-up rumors are most likely false, but will the couple last?

Latest news on Chelsea's summer pursuits as well as possible departures from Stamford Bridge.

The global population will hit 7 billion on Oct. 31, according to a projection by researchers at the United Nations.

Jennifer Lopez is returning to the judge?s chair in American Idol for the upcoming season with a huge raise to $20 million.

The former estate of legendary actress Katharine Hepburn? who died in 2003, is up for sale with a $28 million asking price.

Tea Party conservatives scored their biggest political triumph with a debt-ceiling deal that cuts federal spending, but their hardline tactics could risk a voter backlash in the 2012 elections.

Jennifer Lopez's divorce from Marc Anthony isn't stopping her from continuing her life; the actress says she feels 'strong.'

Italian authorities will meet on Tuesday to discuss growing market turmoil that has sent borrowing costs spiraling to dangerous levels and threatened to drag Italy into full-scale crisis.

Following Prince William and Kate Middleton's high-profile wedding on April 29, the British royal member Princess Zara Philips, the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, and Mike Tindall, captain of England?s rugby team, emerged as husband and wife, after tying the knot on July 30th in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Researchers in Japan unveiled a robot on Tuesday that can lift a patient weighing up to 80 kg (176 lbs) off the floor and onto a wheelchair, an innovation they say will free healthcare workers from the back-breaking task.

A Michigan public school teacher caught with pornography on his school issued laptop allegedly used the machine to search for braless photo of Miley Cyrus, according to an FBI search warrant affidavit.

Rumors spread like wild fire over this past weekend suggesting that teen power couple Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez experienced a break up.

British police arrested a former senior figure at Rupert Murdoch's News International group on Tuesday as part of their probe into phone hacking at the News of the World tabloid, media reports said.

While U.S. customers are still waiting for the upcoming iPhone 5 this fall, various types of fake iPhone 5 devices have been on sale in Chinese online store and offline markets. The Fake iPhone 5 is sold at $108 and features a similar design following the rumor of iPhone 5 specs. It is encased in a plastic body, two LED flash cameras and a label saying it has 64GB of storage. Also the fake device runs a JAVA-based OS, plays MP3?s and connects via WiFi.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, along with public health officials in many states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Food Safety and Inspection Service are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella poisoning linked to ground turkey. One person has died from the outbreak and more than 75 have been sickened.

Stocks declined on Tuesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for its longest down streak since October 2008, on worries over the United States' debt and economic outlook.

The European Commission is now investigating a total of nine antitrust complaints against Internet search engine giant Google, two sources said on Tuesday.

British police arrested a former senior figure at Rupert Murdoch's News International group on Tuesday, the latest high-profile case by detectives investigating the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World tabloid.

Apple has launched iCloud for programmers, but the consumer version should launch in the Fall.

The defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants suffered a double injury blow on Monday with the loss of two key players set to hamper the team's chances of a title repeat.

NEW YORK For an extra $25 per year, fans of Electronic Arts sports titles will be able to download video games three days before they hit stores, a move that should boost EA's digital sales.