IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks rose modestly on Tuesday after stronger-than-expected retail sales data, though gains were limited by some retailers' disappointing earnings.

France's disputed Internet piracy law, which would allow authorities to disconnect repeat illegal downloaders, passed the lower house of parliament in revised form on Tuesday but may still face a fresh court challenge.

Worst is Probably Over: Bernanke; Banks to Remain in Bailout Web for Now; Analysts Still Plague by Lehman Bust

Taylor Swift appeared Tuesday on ABC's The View to say she would accept an apology from Kanye West after his outburst at the MTV VMA Awards.

Citigroup Inc shares were trading down around 5 percent on Tuesday after reports the government might begin shedding its stake in the New York-based bank.

President Barack Obama will appear on comedian David Letterman's late-night talk show next week, the CBS network said on Tuesday.

The hotly anticipated follow-up to author Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code was released on Tuesday amid positive reaction from critics but the American novelist admitted he was under pressure to sell well.

Hewlett-Packard Co unveiled several new products for the important fall season, including thin and light laptop PCs and an eye-catching new netbook.

The storming success of World War Two shoot-'em-up Inglorious Basterds is the ticket out of financial difficulty for its backers, the Weinstein Co., director Quentin Tarantino said on Tuesday.

British star Clive Owen has specialized in playing macho men in two decades of movies and television: tough, taciturn and unshaven, with long stares from smoldering gray-green eyes.

Independent oil and gas company Parallel Petroleum Corp agreed to be bought by Apollo Global Management LLC for $3.15 per share, a premium of 11 percent to Parallel's Monday's close on Nasdaq.

Supermarket operator Kroger Co posted lower-then-expected quarterly profit and trimmed its full-year forecast as it cuts prices to lure customers, sending its shares down 8.2 percent.

Twenty-two years after appearing on the big screen, and one year after the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers, the film character Gordon Gekko continues to resonate on Wall Street.

Teenager Jordan Robinson has faced excruciating pain since a backyard prank went wrong but treatment with virtual reality has given him some relief.

Kraft Foods Inc does not need to sell operations like Oscar Mayer hot dogs, Maxwell House coffee or any of its other brands to afford its $16 billion bid for British confectioner Cadbury , Kraft said on Tuesday.

Trade policies pursued by President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress since the start of the year could lead to the loss of 585,800 U.S. jobs, a study said on Tuesday.

Most U.S. doctors favor having both public and private options in a reformed healthcare system, a survey published on Monday said.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis said a respiratory medicine improved lung function and significantly reduced breathlessness in a late stage trial.

Gabapentin, a drug used to treat seizures, improves the quality of sleep in menopausal women bothered by hot flashes, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report in the Journal of Women's Health.

U.S. stocks rose modestly on Tuesday after stronger-than-expected retail sales data, though gains were limited by some retailers' disappointing earnings.

Shell International Finance BV on Tuesday launched its $5.0 billion four-part note sale, said IFR, a Thomson Reuters service.

Citigroup on Tuesday set price guidance on its fixed-rate and floating-rate notes backed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, said IFR, a Thomson Reuters service.

Jay Leno's new prime-time experiment on the struggling NBC network pulled in big audiences, according to early ratings figures on Tuesday, but mostly underwhelmed TV critics.

Coach Inc said on Tuesday it had hired the head of luxury brand Prada's U.S. operations to run its new Reed Krakoff division, which will sell handbags, shoes and jewelry.

(Corrects Carr's first name to Roger in 5th paragraph)

MetroPCS Communications Inc said it has selected the infrastructure and initial handset providers for its fourth-generation long term evolution broadband service, which is expected to launch in the second half of 2010.

Pulte Homes Inc dominates an annual ranking of customer satisfaction in 24 major U.S. housing markets, according to an annual survey.

Lotus, one of the most successful and glorious names from Formula One's past, will return next year with a Malaysian-owned team replacing BMW-Sauber as the 13th entry on the starting grid.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday as some retail companies' results and rising credit card defaults overshadowed government data showing stronger-than-expected retail sales last month.