IBT Staff Reporter

A senior U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday that an extended period of ultra-low interest rates invites speculative behavior and is risky.

Afghanistan on Monday announced a ban on news coverage showing Taliban attacks, saying such images embolden the Islamist militants, who have launched strikes around the country as NATO forces seize their southern strongholds.

North Korea said on Tuesday the standoff over its nuclear programme should be settled through direct talks with the United States, but first Washington must drop what it called its hostile policies.

Safety regulators may require all new cars to have braking systems that force the engine to return to idle, part of a response to unintended acceleration problems reported in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing concern over Israel's international image, persuaded Jerusalem's mayor on Tuesday to put on hold any demolition of Palestinian homes in a municipal tourism project.

Rescuers are desperately pumping water from a coal mine in northern China, after one miner died and 31 were trapped by a flood at a state-owned mine.

Chile's government sent more troops to restore order and hand out aid in the country's second-largest city on Tuesday after a devastating earthquake unleashed a wave of looting.

Cisco said on Tuesday that it is trying to create a network environment that enables users to securely log in using any device, from anywhere, using a simple, common, nearly-transparent access method.

Ukraine's ruling coalition collapsed on Tuesday as newly elected President Viktor Yanukovich moved to oust Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and consolidate power.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as an increase in mergers and acquisitions and signs of progress in securing European financial support for Greece relieved investor fears.

Japan's Astellas Pharma Inc sued OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc to prevent the U.S. biotechnology company from blocking its $3.5 billion hostile takeover attempt with a poison pill or other defense.

Fertilizer maker CF Industries Holdings Inc relaunched its hostile bid for Terra Industries Inc , betting that a higher price of $4.75 billion would help it break up Terra's planned takeover by Yara International ASA .

Office products retailer Staples Inc gave a weaker-than-expected forecast for 2010, as it invests to expand its store base and technology business, sending its shares down more than 7 percent.

Weak auto sales for February raised doubts about the pace of U.S. economic recovery as Toyota Motor Corp readied an aggressive new discount program.

Taiwan's Acer Inc, the world's No.2 PC brand, aims to grow in Germany this year and is off to a good start with first-quarter sales above the 2009 period, the head of its German unit told Reuters.

SAP's new leadership duo addressed market concerns on Tuesday with promises of continuity on strategy and targets and vows to rebuild management's ties with disgruntled staff and clients.

It was Léo Apotheker whose name appeared on the invitation to the opening ceremony of the Cebit trade show -- but his successor, co-CEO Bill McDermott, appeared on stage.

Franco-American telecoms gear maker Alcatel-Lucent does not expect the industry in Germany to grow this year, the head of its German unit said on Monday.

German technology and telecoms association Bitkom said it expects the sector's sales in Germany to grow again in 2011 after flat sales this year, as companies start to beef up their post-crisis IT budgets.

Greece must tighten its belt further to reach this year's deficit-cutting target, but it is not yet clear by how much, the European Commission said.

Dow Chemical Co said it would sell its Styron basic plastics unit to private equity firm Bain Capital Partners for $1.63 billion.

While Google called a cyber-attack against its network last January a highly sophisticated and targeted attack, security experts said the techniques show the attackers to be nothing more than amateurs.

Apple filed a lawsuit against rival handset maker HTC on Tuesday, over the alleged infringement of 20 patents related to the iPhone's user interface, according to reports.

General Motors Co on Tuesday posted a nearly 12 percent gain in U.S. February sales, boosted by a doubling in sales to fleet operators and relatively strong demand for newer crossovers like the Chevy Equinox.

Small U.S. businesses boosted borrowing in January for the third straight month, although lending remains well below levels at the start of the recession, and delinquencies rose, PayNet Inc reported on Tuesday.

Toyota Motor Corp let profits trump decision-making on safety and U.S. regulators failed to aggressively oversee the automaker in the years leading up to recent big recalls, a leading U.S. senator said on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, with major indexes turning positive for the year, as Greece appeared to be taking steps toward a resolution on aid from the European Union.

In quiet day for earnings and U.S. economic data releases, the stock market continues to rally modestly.

Toyota Motor Corp executives in North America will have more authority over recall decision-making under quality control changes that will also give safety a sharper focus in vehicle design, company officials said on Tuesday.