IBT Staff Reporter

A rally for U.S. stock markets stalled on Monday after a German official rejected reports that the nation's lawmakers had decided to offer aid for Greece.

McDonald's Corp beat expectations with a 2.6 percent increase in January sales at established restaurants, as overseas results overcame a sluggish performance in the United States.

Google said on Tuesday it's rolling out Google Buzz social tools that it hopes will be more useful than competitor options.

The embattled U.S. wealth management business of Swiss bank UBS AG continued to bleed client assets in the fourth quarter, hurt by fleeing advisers and negative publicity from a tax-fraud scandal.

McDonald's Corp posted an expectations-topping 2.6 percent increase in January sales at established restaurants, as overseas results overshadowed a sluggish performance in the United States.

An Iranian court has confirmed a jail sentence of five years for a reformist former industries minister over his role in unrest that erupted after last year's disputed election, ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka's president has dissolved parliament to pave the way for legislative elections, a senior government official said on Tuesday, a day after a leading opposition figure was arrested on military offences.

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he hoped Congress would soon deliver a package of measures to boost U.S. employment and growth.

Senior Chinese military officers have proposed that their country boost defence spending, adjust PLA deployments, and possibly sell some U.S. bonds to punish Washington for its latest round of arms sales to Taiwan.

Stocks rose broadly on Tuesday, with the Dow on track for its largest daily percentage advance since July, on reports euro zone countries will come to the aid of debt-stricken Greece.

U.S. consumer confidence fell in February to near a level seen at the beginning of the recession, as high unemployment and some stock market weakness sapped January's optimism, a research group said on Tuesday.

Apple and Google's mobile platforms are gaining market-share on rivals, while Microsoft and Palm are continuing to slip.

Coca-Cola Co reported stronger-than-expected quarterly sales as higher demand for its beverages in China, India and Brazil offset a drop in North America, sending the world's largest soft-drink maker's shares up 3.3 percent.

Apple released on Tuesday the next generation of its professional photography workflow software, Aperture 3, along with a series of tutorial videos.

McDonald's Corp posted an expectations-topping 2.6 percent increase in January sales at established restaurants, as overseas results overshadowed a sluggish performance in the United States.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, led by commodity-related stocks, as speculation Greece would get help from the European Union to cut the country's deficit weakened the U.S. dollar, lifting prices of oil and basic materials.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Tuesday to support an initiative to fight childhood obesity shaped by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Women who took GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil while taking tamoxifen at the same time were more likely to die of their breast cancer, the researchers found. The longer the overlap between Paxil and tamoxifen, the more likely the patients were to die, they reported in the British Medical Journal.

Following a Federal Communications Commission's investigation, Google has cut a fee charged to users who want to cancel using their Nexus One smartphone before four months from $350 to $150.

Molson Coors Brewing Co reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday mainly on weak volumes across all markets, prompting the beer maker to issue a tepid volume forecast for 2010.

Stocks rose broadly on Tuesday with Caterpillar Inc and other industrial shares benefiting from a broker upgrade and talk of help for debt-burdened Greece reviving investor sentiment.

U.S. stock markets rallied today as investors increasingly expect the European Union to offer some sort of assistance for Greece.

At least 28 people died and hundreds were trapped through the night in freezing cold and darkness after avalanches closed a mountain highway tunnel in Afghanistan.

A Chinese activist who sought to document shoddy construction that contributed to deaths in China's devastating 2008 earthquake has been sentenced to five years in prison for subversion, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the United States wanted a U.N. Security Council resolution within weeks to tackle Iran's nuclear programme as Iran said it had begun making higher-grade nuclear fuel.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown hopes a parliamentary vote on Tuesday on changing Britain's electoral system will improve Labour's chances of staying in power, but the complex tactic risks backfiring.

The world's richest economies are set to grow faster this year than forecast a month ago, although the latest Reuters economic outlook showed the upturn will be feeble in comparison to resurgent emerging market peers.

Iranians are struggling over the legacy and even the legitimacy of an Islamic revolution that triumphed 31 years ago this week. No compromise is in sight.

Africa's largest oil producer, Nigeria is concerned on reports that its oil reserves in the Niger Delta region will dry and disappear by the year 2040. Studies by country's Regulatory and monitoring organs blamed activities of militant groups in the region, ineptitude leadership and rapid depletion of ore, a major component for the exploration are contributory factors that may see the end of Nigeria's oil.