IBT Staff Reporter

New rules to curb stock trading when markets plunge uncontrollably will kick in as early as mid-June for the largest U.S. stocks, two sources familiar with regulators' plans said on Tuesday.

Moving to clear away an obstacle to passage of a Wall Street reform bill, key U.S. senators have struck a compromise balancing state and federal powers in bank consumer protection, aides said on Tuesday.

Dutch authorities have embraced smartphone technology in a bid to make going through customs easier by releasing an application that tells travelers what they are not allowed to take with them.

Toyota Motor Corp has paid a $16.4 million fine to settle allegations by U.S. regulators the company was too slow to recall vehicles with defective accelerator pedals.

U.S. stocks extended declines on Tuesday with the S&P 500 down slightly more than 1 percent, weighed down by bank stocks as investors fret over the implications of a federal financial regulation proposal.

Home Depot Inc boosted its forecast for the year after spring sales beat Wall Street expectations, but investors questioned how strong home improvement sales trends would be in the rest of 2010.

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc will cut 6,000 jobs, or 18 percent of the workforce, at its 78 manufacturing plants over the next five years as it pares back operations following last year's purchase of rival Wyeth.

(Reuters) - Former National Institutes of Health director Dr. Harold Varmus was nominated by President Barack Obama on Monday to return to his former agency, this time as head of the National Cancer Institute.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Severe depression within the first year of a traumatic brain injury is common but treatment is not, Washington state researchers report.

Stocks slid on Tuesday, pressured by euro weakness that raised concerns about the impact on technology companies' sales and by worries over Europe's debt problems.

(Reuters) - Eating bacon, sausage, hot dogs and other processed meats can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that identifies the real bad boys of the meat counter.

Fears that the huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill was spreading through ocean currents flared on Tuesday after tarballs were found on Florida's Key West, while energy giant BP Plc worked to capture more of the leaking crude.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc's quarterly results beat Wall Street expectations, as a curb on costs helped the world's largest retailer overcome weaker U.S. same-store sales, sending shares up 3 percent.

U.S. stocks declined in choppy trading on Tuesday as the euro's weakness raised concerns about the impact on technology companies' sales and worries over Europe's debt problems resumed.

U.S. stocks extended declines in choppy trade on Tuesday as shares of chip makers weighed, while worries over Europe's debt problems resumed.

Stocks were set to open higher on Tuesday as euro-zone finance ministers worked to refine a 750 billion euro ($925 billion) bailout plan and Wal-Mart and Home Depot posted solid earnings.

Exchanges are expected to introduce new trading curbs known as circuit breakers for large U.S. stocks over a six-month pilot program, as regulators move to avoid a repeat of the severe market plunge on May 6, two people familiar with the talks said on Tuesday.

The light-emitting diode sector is growing fast, especially in niche markets such as the car industry, but LED bulbs will not be a mass consumer item for some time, developers and experts said on Tuesday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted quarterly results that beat Wall Street expectations, but said second-quarter earnings could fall short of Wall Street estimates as its shoppers remain under pressure.

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc will cut 6,000, or 18 percent, of jobs at its 78 manufacturing plants over the next five years as it consolidates operations following last year's purchase of smaller rival Wyeth.

Stocks rose on Tuesday on hopes euro-zone officials were making progress on a package of measures to resolve a debt crisis as well as solid earnings from a host of retailers, including Wal-Mart.

Greece received a 14.5 billion euro ($18 billion) loan from the European Union on Tuesday and can now repay its immediate debt, but still faces a mammoth task to claw its way out of recession.

Home Depot Inc boosted its forecast for the year after a strong spring selling season, but investors questioned the strength of sales trends for the home improvement industry during the rest of 2010.

Fidelity National Information Services Inc confirmed that talks regarding the sale of the company have ended, and the payment processor plans to borrow heavily to buy back shares.

A discovery of tar balls on Florida's Key West fanned fears on Tuesday that a massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill was spreading through ocean currents, as energy giant BP Plc worked to capture more of the crude leaking from its gushing deep-water well.

Energy giant BP said on Tuesday it was now able to siphon off about 40 percent of the oil gushing from a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico but has not been able to stop the leak, as President Barack Obama is to create a commission to probe the spill.

Oil rose more than 3 percent to above $72 a barrel on Tuesday, recovering from a five-month low the previous session, but high inventory levels and the strength of the dollar were expected to limit gains.

Eman AbdelRahman is one of 200,000 people who have signed up on Facebook to back Mohamed ElBaradei, the former U.N. nuclear boss who has said he wants to shatter 30 years of political stasis in Egypt by running for president.

More than 80 independent oil and gas producers have sued units of Goldman Sachs Group Inc and BP Plc , alleging they conspired with SemGroup LP to defraud the plaintiffs of money owed for oil and gas delivered prior to the energy trader's 2008 bankruptcy.