UNITED STATES

Shares in National Australia Bank, the country's top lender, have lagged peers by far in the past six months as investors fret its acquisition moves are distracting it from the core banking operations.

(Reuters) - Popcorn and soda has filled the stomachs of generations of moviegoers, but with childhood obesity on the rise one studio head has a hankering to see yogurt and veggies at the concession stand, too.

European Union finance chiefs failed on Tuesday to resolve a row over new rules to control hedge funds, a spokeswoman for the EU's Spanish presidency said.

European Union finance ministers discuss on Tuesday whether regulators should curb the sovereign credit default swaps (CDS) market after Greece accused speculators of amplifying its debt woes.

Power distribution problems after a devastating earthquake in Chile could cut copper output more than 25 percent in the world's top producer of the red metal, creating supply fears and lifting global copper prices.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting where policy-makers are expected to reiterate a pledge to keep interest rates very low for a long time.

Extortion by corrupt officials in Russia has got so bad that some Western multinationals are considering pulling out altogether, the head of a U.S. anti-bribery group said in an interview.

Shanghai unveils a $2.2 billion airport terminal on Tuesday, connected to the center of China's commercial hub by one of several new metro lines being built for the World Expo that opens in May.

Google should obey Chinese government rules even if it decides to retreat from the country over hacking and censorship complaints, a Chinese government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Stocks index futures edged up on Tuesday, pointing to a slightly firmer start for Wall Street, ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting where policymakers are expected to reiterate a pledge to keep interest rates low for a long time.

World stocks climbed on Tuesday while the dollar was corralled as investors bet the U.S. central bank will repeat its vow of keeping interest rates low for an extended period after its monthly meeting.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc ousted whistle blower Matthew Lee just weeks after he had raised concerns with Lehman's auditor about the firm's accounting in 2008, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

China on Tuesday shunned mounting U.S. demands for a stronger yuan, saying again that its currency is not the cause of its big trade surplus and vowing to keep the currency stable to shore up exports.

Asian shares struggled to keep modest gains on Tuesday and the dollar gave ground as investors trimmed long positions ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to repeat a pledge to keep rates low for a long time.

Asian shares rose modestly on Tuesday, with technology stocks nosing ahead, while the dollar held its ground ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to reiterate a pledge to keep rates low for a long time.

(Updates to note senators' news conference on Tuesday)

President Barack Obama faced growing congressional pressure on Monday to get tough with China over its currency practices, one day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao brushed off accusations that Beijing was undervaluing its currency for an unfair trade advantage.

Barclays Plc considered UBS AG its preferred merger target just weeks before it bought U.S. assets from the collapsed Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc , the Financial Times said in its online edition on Monday.

Noted global investing advisor Marc Faber says people need to accumulate some gold every month as the yellow metal is the best bet against plunging currencies. He said since gold is the only 'currency and commodity' that can withstand economic turmoils and large fiscal deficits of nations, it is imperative that people continue to buy gold. Gold is the best and soundest investment in the world, he said.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc on Monday filed a plan with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan to wind down its remaining assets and operations -- and end the largest U.S. bankruptcy case in history.

The Wachovia Bank unit of Wells Fargo & Co is in talks with the U.S. Justice Department to settle complaints relating to the alleged failure in bank controls that enabled Mexican exchange houses to launder drug money, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.