IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is to kick off the 40th anniversary season of the children's TV show Sesame Street with a segment encouraging kids to plant gardens and eat healthy food.

The breakdown of the marriage U.S. reality television stars Jon and Kate Gosselin has made its mark on the television show that chronicles their lives, with its title being changed to Kate Plus 8.

After dismissing complaints that might have uncovered Bernard Madoff's $65 billion fraud, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission must reform how it reviews tips and conducts examinations, the SEC's internal watchdog said on Tuesday.

Expanding broadband usage throughout the United States will require subsidies and investment in infrastructure upgrades of as much as $350 billion, a regulatory panel said on Tuesday.

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake shook the Pacific Ocean near American Samoa - an island in the South Pacific archipelago - today generating tsunami waves, U.S. government agencies said.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday proposed tough new credit card rules to protect consumers from potentially costly practices by lenders and moved to implement legislation enacted in May.

Google Inc's highly anticipated real-time communications service is not ready for prime time, but the company said on Tuesday it was on track to begin the biggest field test yet of the potentially groundbreaking Google Wave.

Privately held Savannah Gold Ltd is seeking 1 million pounds in fresh investment to launch a drilling programme in Nigeria, and hopes to list the firm in Canada in the middle of next year.

Retrofitting old office buildings can reduce their energy usage and make them more desirable for commercial customers. It also can cut down on greenhouse-gas emissions since commercial real estate is responsible for 20 percent of U.S. energy use, environmentalists say.

Spending on Internet advertising in Britain grew 4.6 percent in the first half of 2009, outperforming the wider ad sector, which slumped 17 percent, and making it the country's biggest ad medium ahead of TV.

U.S. securities regulators are eyeing new restrictions on the multi-trillion dollar securities lending market used by short-sellers after the credit crisis revealed the industry was anything but low risk.

Oil prices fell slightly on Tuesday as U.S. consumer confidence data weighed on markets and the government revised downward U.S. demand for July.

A court in the Ecuadorean jungle region where giant U.S. oil producer Chevron Corp faces a $27 billion environmental damages suit has named a new judge to hear the case, after the previous one quit amid a bribery scandal.

U.S. airlines have slashed capacity, and recession-battered demand is showing signs of returning, but carriers like Southwest Airlines may scramble to fill planes this winter with big fare discounts, a fare expert said on Tuesday.

Jonathan Stempel

TLC on Tuesday announced the show previously called Jon and Kate plus eight will from November carry the name Kate plus eight.

French food group Danone said on Tuesday that it was not holding talks with U.S. paediatrics formula maker Mead Johnson and was not seeking any advice on the issue.

Accretive Health Inc AH.N, a provider of technology and services aimed at helping hospitals manage their revenue cycles, plans to raise as much as $200 million in an initial public offering, according to a prospectus filed with U.S. regulators.

A survey of small and mid-sized companies in 12 major global markets showed growing confidence in the state of global trade, Europe's biggest bank, HSBC, said on Tuesday.

A top U.S. senator said on Tuesday that he is moving forward with his effort to consolidate bank supervision into a single federal regulator, despite criticism from current bank regulators who do not want to lose their authorities.

U.S. retail gasoline demand rose 0.9 percent last week compared with the previous week, according to a MasterCard SpendingPulse report released on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks slipped on Tuesday as a surprise drop in a gauge of consumer confidence offset signs of stabilization in housing and Walgreen Co's stronger-than-expected profit.

Home prices fell at a slower rate in July, continuing a six month trend earlier in 2009, but concerns about longer term stability remain, according to the latest report of the S&P Case Schiller Home Price Indices.

A tsunami warning was issued for New Zealand and other small Pacific islands after a major 7.9 magnitude quake struck in the ocean off American Samoa, U.S. government agencies said on Tuesday.

Japanese electronics maker Panasonic Corp on Tuesday gained approval from European Union antitrust regulators to acquire rival Sanyo Electric Co Ltd on condition it sheds some units.

CIT Group Inc shares surged on Tuesday following a newspaper report that hedge fund Paulson & Co wants to combine the cash-strapped lender with a Paulson-affiliated bank once known as IndyMac. But a person familiar with the matter denied the report.

TLC network made a major change and has decided to air Kate Plus 8. Although the network is not completely cutting its exclusive relationship with Jon Gosselin, from now on the soon to be ex-husband of Kate would be appearing less often in the show.

Warner Music Group and Google Inc's YouTube said on Tuesday they have reached a deal which will see music videos from artists such as Madonna and Green Day once again feature on the popular website.

After dismissing complaints that might have uncovered investor Bernard Madoff's $65 billion fraud, experienced U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staffers must have a procedure in place to review tips and complaints, the SEC's internal watchdog said on Tuesday.