INVESTMENT

The U.S. sale of advanced F-16s fighter jets to Taiwan is looking more likely than ever of being formalized into law, after being approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.

As Republicans take the words of Newark Mayor Cory Booker and other Democrats to slam Obama's attack on Mitt Romney's private-equity roots, Democrats would like to remind the public that prominent GOP politicians have gone after Bain Capital, too.

Formula 1, the popular global auto racing sport, is on its way to a possible IPO as financial investors such as Waddell & Reed Financial Inc. (NYSE: WDR), Norges Bank Investment Management and BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) bought 21 percent of the company, CVC Capital Partners, owner of Formula 1, confirmed Tuesday.

It has been assumed from the beginning that the 2012 presidential campaign will hinge on the economy, and a new Washington Post/ABC News poll finds voters split on whether President Barack Obama or Mitt Romney is better equipped to tackle the paramount issue.

As U.S. entertainment companies look for new opportunities in light of a stagnant home market, new partnerships with China are emerging, but the process of linking media worlds between the two countries is also a two-way street.

French hotel giant Accor SA (Paris: AC) said Tuesday it will sell the underperforming Motel 6 U.S. budget hotel chain to asset manager Blackstone Group LP for $1.9 billion, as part of an effort to cut debt and shift focus from the U.S. to fast-growing emerging markets.

Blaming the Euro Zone crisis for a weak Indian economy Indian Finance3 Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that government is taking several steps to protect the economy and rupee from further pressures.

Fitch cut Japan's sovereign credit status on Tuesday to the lowest level among global ratings agencies as a political stalemate dims the chance that the country can curb its snowballing debt.

Jeremy Lin's agent said his client and the New York Knicks may part ways this summer, opening the hairy prospect of Linsanity's early demise.

Portuguese investment bank Espirito Santo has downgraded Indian bio-technology major Biocon from neutral to sell based on several issues, including accounting practices which the bank says are objectionable.

A leading economic indicator for China rose at a steady speed in April compared to the previous month indicating that the country?s economy may not have the hard landing as expected earlier.

Japan's Nikkei share average rose in early trading Tuesday, continuing Monday's technical correction as investors picked up bargains after last week's flurry of aggressive selling, triggered by concern over a deepening euro crisis.

China can now bypass Wall Street when buying U.S. government debt and go straight to the U.S. Treasury, in what is the Treasury's first-ever direct relationship with a foreign government, according to documents viewed by Reuters.

The labor organizer who became a major voice in the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy's successful 1994 U.S. Senate campaign against Mitt Romney resurfaced in another Obama re-election ad that hits Romney on his record at Bain Capital.

Barclays PLC, the UK's second-largest bank by asset, said Monday it plans to sell its entire $6.1 billion stake in U.S. asset manager BlackRock Inc., as the tougher global regulatory environment has made such holding less attractive.

Shareholders of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social network, are set to get the shares Tuesday, following Friday?s tumultuous first sales after the $16 billion initial public offering.

Asian stock markets rebounded Monday after suffering heavy losses last week amid ongoing worries over the euro zone crisis.

China's Alibaba Group and Yahoo confirmed Sunday night they have reached an agreement that will allow the two online media giants to eventually go their own ways. Alibaba initially will pay an estimated $7.1 billion in cash and preferred stock to Yahoo.

Serbia's rightist opposition leader Tomislav Nikolic was leading in a presidential run-off on Sunday against liberal incumbent Boris Tadic by 50 percent to 47.7 percent, according to a preliminary unofficial projection.

Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Sunday expressed concern over the depreciation of the rupee.

In a bid to raise much-needed funds for its struggling economy, the Italian government is auctioning off more than a dozen picturesque lighthouses off the coast of Sardinia.