UNITED STATES

Supermarket operator Kroger Co posted quarterly profit below Wall Street estimates and trimmed its full-year forecast, sending its shares down 6.3 percent.

SunTrust Banks Inc will repay its $4.9 billion government bailout as soon as regulators allow and its credit problems stabilize, CEO James Wells said on Tuesday.

Deutsche Telekom has not taken a decision on any option that could change its position in the U.S. market and is not planning to do so in the immediate future, two sources familiar with the company said.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday that the worst U.S. recession since the Great Depression was probably over, but the recovery would be slow and take time to create new jobs.

MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC said it has agreed with units of Chesapeake Energy Corp and Statoil Hydro ASA to process gas at its new Majorsville processing plant in West Virginia.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq on an unannounced visit on Tuesday to keep up U.S. pressure on Iraq's leaders to reach political compromises on thorny issues as U.S. combat troops prepare to go home.

U.S. envoy George Mitchell and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended more than two hours of talks Tuesday without any sign of a deal on a settlement freeze crucial to restarting Middle East peace talks.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday after disappointing earnings from electronics retailer Best Buy and supermarket chain Kroger and stronger-than-expected retail sales and producer price data failed to move investors.

An Iraqi reporter who shot to worldwide fame when he hurled his shoes at then U.S. President George W. Bush was released from prison on Tuesday.

Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents denounced a U.S. commando raid that killed one of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda suspects and vowed on Tuesday to continue their fight against Western nations.

Nations aiming to agree on a new global climate deal should focus on achievable greenhouse gas emissions targets, to involve as many nations as possible, said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Negotiators on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee worked to pare the costs and complete the details of a broad healthcare overhaul on Monday, with chairman Max Baucus saying he was still on track to produce a bill this week.

NEW YORK - U.S. copper futures headed higher at the open on Tuesday, after upbeat reports of rising retail sales and producer prices reinforced optimistic views about the economic recovery.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose at their fastest pace in three-and-half years in August as government-sponsored auto incentives buoyed demand for motor vehicles, according to data on Tuesday that also showed strong sales outside the auto sector.

Japan's incoming prime minister Yukio Hatoyama will pick a veteran lawmaker for finance minister, domestic media said on Tuesday, adding experience and fiscal caution to his untested party's line-up.

The 1,400 U.S. mechanics who maintain United Parcel Service Inc's worldwide fleet of 263 aircraft authorized a strike against the company, union officials said on Tuesday, though contract talks between the company and the workers will continue later this month.

Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Howard Schultz obtained a roughly $14 million paper profit by exercising nearly 1 million stock options on Monday.

Oil rose above $69 a barrel on Tuesday, lifted by an expected draw in U.S. crude stocks and better-than-expected U.S. retail sales data, but concerns about rising U.S. distillate inventories capped gains.

Top U.S. consumer electronics chain Best Buy Co reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday on weak sales of items such as videogames and cameras, but raised its forecast for the full year.

Car-rental company Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc said it will close about 10 more locations in the rest of 2009, as part of its pre-announced plan to do away with underperforming and non-profitable locations.

EBay Inc shares rose on Tuesday after Piper Jaffray upgraded the stock of the online auctioneer, citing improved Web traffic and improved customer satisfaction with its website.