UNITED STATES

A U.S. Navy warship prevented an attack on a Tanzanian ship and apprehended eight suspected pirates in the process, the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania said on Tuesday.

Toyota Motor Corp's woes deepened ahead of its testimony to Congress as it revealed it faces a U.S. criminal probe into the handling of its massive safety recalls, while Japan voiced concern over the economic impact of the automakers' problems.

The Obama administration will hold Toyota President Akio Toyoda to his word that the carmaker is working hard to address all safety issues, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Tuesday.

A senior member of al Qaeda's Yemen wing who the Yemeni government said it killed has emerged on an internet forum, threatening to carry out attacks in the United States.

President Barack Obama made a last-ditch bid to revive his stalled healthcare overhaul on Monday with a plan to make insurance more affordable and to bolster government authority to regulate premium hikes.

The Obama administration heralded new rules protecting U.S. credit card holders from certain fees and rate increases on Monday, even as Connecticut's Attorney General criticized the Federal Reserve for not using the rules to reverse earlier card rate hikes.

An Obama administration spokesman on Monday stressed the importance of independent authority for a proposed U.S. financial consumer watchdog and said where it was housed was another issue.

The number of American soldiers killed in Afghanistan has reached 1,000, an independent website said on Tuesday, a grim reminder that eight years of fighting has failed to defeat Taliban insurgents.

NATO must boost security cooperation with Russia and streamline operations to face new challenges -- both military and civilian -- in coming years, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday.

Toyota Motor Corp, struggling with a fast-moving crisis that has tarnished its reputation for quality, is set to face U.S. lawmakers this week seeking answers about the cause of the largest carmaker's safety woes and how it handled evidence of the problems.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Tuesday of data expected to show a fall in consumer confidence and as investors awaited data on the health of the key housing market.

Toyota Motor Corp's woes deepened ahead of its testimony to Congress as it revealed it faces a U.S. criminal probe into the handling of its massive safety recalls, while Japan voiced concern over the economic impact of the automakers' problems.

China's BYD Co Ltd , backed by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, aims to sharply boost its car exports this year, banking on improving demand as the global economy recovers, an executive said on Tuesday.

World stocks hit three-week highs while the dollar eased on Tuesday as markets anticipated a dovish tone from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke after the central bank raised its discount rate last week.

Most Asian stock markets recouped early losses on Tuesday while the dollar was trapped in a tight range as investors waited for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to shed light on how soon key U.S. interest rates may start to rise.

Asian shares turned lower on Tuesday and the dollar was trapped in a tight range as investors waited for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to shed light on how soon key interest rates may start to rise.

Oilfield services leader Schlumberger Ltd aims to gain market share in shale gas drilling with its purchase of rival Smith International Inc, and expects few antitrust hurdles for the takeover.

After eight years of war in Afghanistan, an initial report about a new push by President Barack Obama to replace the Taliban with a new government within the next 18 months is reassuring, U.S. Senator Carl Levin said on Monday.

A former shuttle driver at Denver's airport, Najibullah Zazi, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring with others to bomb the New York City subway system on September 2009.

Stocks finished flat on Monday as investors held back before congressional testimony by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, while scattered buying lifted shares of health insurers and banks.

The Australian Dollar opens steady today a shade under the US90 cent level.