IBT Staff Reporter

Housing starts and permits to build new homes both fell in February as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home building, a government report showed on Tuesday.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved on Tuesday a summary of the agency's national broadband plan, that aims to expand access, increase Internet speeds and shift airwaves to mobile services.

Air Berlin canceled $1.7 billion worth of firm orders for Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner aircraft amid uncertainty over whether it will increase long-haul flights.

U.S. housing starts fell last month as winter storms disrupted construction and another drop in building permits suggested the weakness would linger.

Dr Cynthia Weinstein, a plastic surgeon in Melbourne has chosen to deregister herself prior to medical board hearing into allegations of botched surgery.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday after Standard & Poor's affirmed its ratings on debt-troubled Greece and as semiconductor shares gained on an Intel Corp product announcement.

Stem Cell Research funded by the Catholic Church

World No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods, who withdrew from the game late last year after a damaging adultery scandal, announced on Tuesday he would make his comeback to professional golf at the U.S. Masters in early April.

International calls for China to allow its yuan currency to appreciate take no account of the importance of the country's stability for the region and for the world, a U.N. agency report said on Tuesday.

Egypt has begun enforcing a ban on international calls made through mobile internet connections, the head of the telcoms regulator told Reuters on Tuesday, potentially boosting voice revenues at landline monopoly Telecom Egypt.

Stocks rose on Tuesday after Standard & Poor's affirmed its ratings on debt-troubled Greece and as semiconductor shares gained on an Intel Corp product announcement.

Nigeria's controversial oil industry bill is expected to eventually pass but the government may find it tough to later shift gears as international oil firms targeted under the legislation scale back their investments.

The Federal Communications Commission wants speed up the U.S. average from the current 4Mbps to 100Mbps, and plans to have broadband in every U.S. home by 2020.

U.S. regulators released a blueprint for upgrading Internet access for all Americans, with Internet speeds up to 25 times the current average, expanded coverage and more airwaves for mobile services.

Officials of the FBI, DEA and three other agencies were sent to investigate the slayings of two Americans and a Mexican linked to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico over the weekend.

U.S. housing starts fell last month as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home construction, and another drop in building permits pointed to underlying weakness in the near-term.

U.S. gold futures rose above $1,120 an ounce on Tuesday, gaining 1.5 percent, as an oil rally prompted commodity funds to buy ahead of an interest rate decision and policy statement by the Federal Reserve.

Beverage company Coca-Cola Co on Tuesday said it would invest 1 billion ringgit ($301.4 million) over the next five years to set up a bottling plant in Malaysia.

Many workers around the world have given up hopes of advancing in their jobs, but the bad economy is keeping them from finding new ones.

A jobless recovery is like a wet March in Detroit - not much fun. But there may be a way to beat both. Move to Texas!

A nuclear arms reduction pact between Russia and the United States could be ready for signing by late March or early April, Russian news agencies quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Tuesday.

Oil demand is picking up, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Tuesday, which could mean OPEC does not have to take any action on supply this year.

Global investment banking revenues this year may match the buoyant levels of 2009, analysts forecast on Tuesday, easing fears of a sharp drop during what looks set to be a pivotal year for the industry.

Honda Motor Co said on Tuesday it had received about 8,000 orders for the CR-Z sporty hybrid car in Japan after less than three weeks on the market, or eight times the monthly sales target of 1,000 units.

The U.S. stock market is hovering at a slight gain as investors look to parse through the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement for any information that will signal policy changes for the future. The statement will be released at 2:15 pm EST.

Stocks were little changed in early trading on Tuesday ahead of a statement from the Federal Reserve on monetary policy and the state of the economy.

Big stakeholders in the U.S. futures industry appear confident that its regulator will see the value in high-frequency trading as the regulator ramps up scrutiny of the rapid-fire technique.

EU finance ministers backed plans on Tuesday by countries in the euro area to help debt-stricken Greece financially if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

Regional lender Sterling Bancorp raised the size of its common share offering by 47 percent that was priced at $8 apiece.