IBT Staff Reporter

Housing starts rose more than expected in April to touch their highest level since October 2008 likely on the back of a home buyer tax credit, but permits hit a six-month low, a government report showed on Tuesday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, as strong growth in international markets helped offset a greater-than-expected drop in comparable sales at its U.S. discount stores.

German carmaker BMW plans to take its 5 Series ActiveHybrid concept into full-scale production as early as next year and expects to introduce the dual-powertrain technology into its smaller 3 Series.

Manhattan-based designers Chris and Lisa Goode of Goode Green are pioneers in the green roof movement in New York.

Harvard University paid its top six money managers $26.7 million in 2008 and said that future compensation would be tied more directly to the performance of the endowment.

Thailand's economy was recovering well this year until anti-government protesters started a mass rally in Bangkok in the middle of March, which has sparked the country's deadliest political violence in 18 years.

U.S. housing starts touched a 1-1/2 year high in April, but a drop in permits to a six-month low suggested housing market recovery will remain slow.

Fidelity National Information Services Inc confirmed that talks regarding the sale of the company have ended, and the payment processor will now go for a leveraged recapitalization with a substantial share buyback.

Stock futures rose on Tuesday as euro-zone finance ministers worked to iron out wrinkles in a 750 billion euro ($925 billion) bailout plan and Home Depot posted solid earnings.

German investor sentiment fell sharply in May on concern growth will be stifled by a 750-billion-euro ($930 billion) rescue package designed to calm market fears of a wave of Greek-style debt crises.

Greece received a 14.5-billion euro ($17.9 billion) emergency loan from the European Union on Tuesday and will use some of the money to fully repay an 8.5-billion euro bond maturing the next day, officials said.

Stock futures rose on Tuesday as euro-zone finance ministers worked to iron out wrinkles in a 750 billion euro ($925 billion) bailout plan and Home Depot posted solid earnings.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.5 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.4 percent at 4:10 a.m. EDT.

Home Depot Inc's quarterly profit beat Wall Street estimates as the top U.S. home-improvement chain benefited from strong demand for gardening products and energy-efficient appliances, prompting it to boost its full-year outlook.

The union for British Airways cabin crew is in London's High Court to challenge a ruling that blocked a new wave of walkouts by the airline's staff as peace talks between BA and the union continue.

Google is buying Oslo-listed Global IP Solutions for $68 million to build its real-time audio and video Internet capabilities, the two companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Greece will receive 14.5 billion euros ($17.9 billion) in aid from the European Union at around 1000 GMT (6 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, a central bank official said, in time to pay an 8.5 billion euro bond the next day.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group , Japan's largest bank by assets, returned to profit in the latest quarter due to the absence of big losses on its stock portfolio but its growth forecast for this year is below market expectations.

0 U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.5 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.4 percent at 0810 GMT (4:10 a.m. ET).

Euro zone finance ministers are working on ironing out wrinkles in the 750 billion euro ($925 billion) plan they hatched a week ago to calm markets and stem fears of serial Greek-style debt crises in the currency area.

Gold's identity as a 'safe haven' for investments may be challenged as the investors in India have discovered yet another safe haven, equities of Reliance Industries Ltd (BOM:500325), which is potentially high yielding investment instrument and has proved to be one of the most sought after asset classes, almost next to gold, among the Indian investor community.

The euro dipped on Tuesday, struggling to pull away from four-year lows hit on Monday, and Asia stocks fell to three-month lows as persistent worries about the euro area's fiscal health weighed on investor sentiment.

China is committed to improving its exchange rate system based on domestic and international economic conditions, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. Ma Zhaoxu was responding to a question at a regular press briefing about how the yuan will figure in next week's Strategic and Economic Dialogue with the United States.

U.S. regulators and exchanges are considering market-wide circuit breakers that would temporarily stop trading when it falls five percent, two sources familiar with the talks said on Monday.

Japanese manufacturers turned optimistic for the first time in two years in May, a Reuters poll showed, providing further evidence of the economy's continuing recovery led by Asian demand.

The mysterious potentially life-threatening disease of a young woman from NSW - who had been regularly requiring medical care for more than a decade - and, its cure, has been successfully identified by Australian doctors.

Calpers, the largest U.S. public pension fund, has voted for a shareholder proposal to separate the roles of chairman and chief executive at JPMorgan Chase & Co , roles currently held by veteran banker Jamie Dimon.

Health officials recently reported the death of a 22-month-old girl from Adelaide who has just died due to meningococcal disease

An expert pediatrician says family dinners - without the TV intruding in the background - were vital for children to build social skills and get educated about nutrition.