IBT Staff Reporter

At least 69 people were killed in southern Syria on Monday, most of them in clashes between army deserters and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, activists said on Tuesday.

The euro zone economy grew just 0.2 percent in the third quarter as Germany and France posted solid growth but countries at the sharp end of the debt crisis fared much worse, and analysts expect bleaker times ahead across the 17-country currency bloc.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc's quarterly profit growth missed Wall Street's expectations on Tuesday, as the economy continues to weigh on customers at Walmart U.S., by far the company's largest division.

As Twilight fans gear up for the emotional rollercoaster of weddings, babies and battles that is Breaking Dawn - Part 1, the movie's three stars are beginning to look to new horizons.

Cellphone market growth slumped in the third quarter, with the grim economic climate prompting consumers to cut back or delay purchases, particularly in western Europe, research firm Gartner said.

Prime Minister-designate Mario Monti raced to assemble a new government for Italy on Tuesday while a sharp rise in French borrowing costs raised fears that the two-year debt crisis may spread to the euro zone's second biggest economy.

Even as Mark Howe was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, there was no escaping the shadow in which he spent his entire career.

PSA Peugeot Citroen plans to cut 5,000 jobs in France, an official from the CGT union said on Tuesday, suggesting a higher proportion of layoffs in the automaker's home country than previously disclosed.

Maple Leaf Foods is gradually increasing the rate of production and packaging at its Winnipeg plant, where a fire caused water and smoke damage last week, the company said on Monday.

Nebraska and TransCanada Corp agreed on Monday to find a new route for the stalled Keystone XL pipeline that would steer clear of environmentally sensitive lands in the state.

Venture capital investments in Canadian start-ups rose 51 percent in the third quarter as individual investors, pension administrators and government poured money into VC funds.

Canada released a new C$100 bill made of plastic on Monday, its first step in replacing an entire series of banknotes to thwart counterfeiters and persuade retailers it's safe to accept big bills.

Greece and private bondholders will begin thrashing out a deal on Thursday to halve its public debt, a key pillar of a bailout plan to save the country from bankruptcy and ejection from the euro zone, sources said on Tuesday.

Qatar Airways finally returned to the table to sign a $6.5-billion deal with Airbus hours after cancelling an announcement at the last minute and bluntly telling the European planemaker to go back to basics.

A senior Quebec politician, fed up with decades of arguments over whether the province should separate from Canada, launched his own party on Monday, with polls showing he would easily win an election now.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Tuesday, extending a drop in global equities, as doubts about the ability of Europe to tackle its debt crisis sent Italy's bond yields back into a perceived danger zone.

Staples Inc , the largest U.S. office supply retailer, reported lower-than-expected quarterly sales, hurt by weak demand in Europe, and cut its profit forecast for the year.

The 17-nation euro zone economy grew a modest 0.2 percent in the third quarter from the second, the EU said on Tuesday, lifted by France and Germany, but economists say the bloc is almost certainly heading for a recession.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s quarterly profit growth missed Wall Street's expectations on Tuesday, as the economy continues to weigh on customers at Walmart U.S., by far the company's largest division.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Tuesday, extending a drop in global equities, as doubts about the ability of Europe to tackle its debt crisis sent Italy's bond yields back into a perceived danger zone.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Tuesday, extending a drop in global equities, as doubts about the ability of Europe to tackle its debt crisis sent Italy's bond yields back into a perceived danger zone.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Tuesday, extending a drop in global equities, as doubts about the ability of Europe to tackle its debt crisis sent Italy's bond yields back into a perceived danger zone.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday that sales at its U.S. discount stores open at least a year rose a better-than-expected 1.3 percent during the third quarter, ending a string of nine consecutive quarterly declines.

Home Depot Inc reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results and raised its fiscal-year outlook for the third time in six months as the world's largest home improvement chain gained market share from smaller rival Lowe's Cos Inc.

Qatar Airways placed a $6.5 billion order for Airbus jets hours after telling the European giant to go back to basics and learn how to build airplanes in a day of high theater at the Dubai Air Show on Tuesday.

China's biggest commercial banks face systemic risks if a combination of credit, property, currency and yield curve shocks that could be withstood in isolation were to occur together, the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday.

Reports have emerged stating Italian giants Juventus are ready to resume their pursuit of Brazilian defender Alex from Chelsea.

Olympus Corp's creditors are not expected to demand changes in loan terms or take other abrupt steps and risk hurting their own interests when they meet company executives on Wednesday to grill them about the firm's huge accounting scandal, sources and analysts said.

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 down 0.3 to 0.7 percent.