IBT Staff Reporter

South Africa's rand steadied against the dollar on Tuesday after falling more than 2.6 percent overnight, while bonds also recouped some losses although local assets remained vulnerable to renewed global risk aversion.

FirstRand, South Africa's second-biggest bank, posted a 22 percent rise in full-year earnings, buoyed by a sharp drop in bad debts, and said it would pay a special dividend.

European stocks rose on Tuesday on a report that Italy may get financial support from China but the euro inched down as markets remained fearful that Europe is sliding into another banking crisis.

Popular cartoon character 'SpongeBob SquarePants' is the target of criticism again. A study conducted at the University of Virginia, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggested that allowing pre-schoolers to watch the series caused short term disruptions in mental function and attention span.

Nintendo's attempt to rescue its failed 3DS handheld games gadget with a raft of new games content fell short of expectations and left investors pessimistic about the outlook for the long-time industry champion.

European index futures rose and the euro edged off a seven-month low on Tuesday after a report that Italy may get financial support from China sparked a bout of short-covering but did nothing to ease fears that Europe is sliding into another banking crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday there were generally no taboos in politics but that the euro zone crisis would not have a mechanism for orderly insolvency of one of its members until its permanent rescue mechanism comes into power in 2013.

Miss Angola Leila Lopes, a business student from the town of Benguela in her home country, was crowned Miss Universe on Monday after dazzling a panel of judges with her beauty and impressing them with her brain.

Prospects for job seekers are gloomier in most major economies than they were three months ago, as weak U.S. and European economies begin to affect employers' confidence in other parts of the world, according to a quarterly hiring survey by ManpowerGroup.

Warren Buffett advanced his succession plan on Monday by naming Ted Weschler, a low-profile hedge fund manager who has produced out-sized returns in the last decade, to help manage the investments of Berkshire Hathaway Inc

The rupee rose on Tuesday breaking a six-day losing streak and clawed back from the 14-month low touched in the previous session comforted by a firm euro and gains in domestic equities.

General Electric Co hopes to double the company's German business in five years through a combination of organic and inorganic growth, a company executive told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

Nintendo announced a raft of new software in an attempt to prop up disappointing sales of its latest handheld games gadget, the 3DS, but there was no sign of the add-on accessory that games blogs have said is in the works.

When John Chambers takes to the stage on Tuesday, many will be wondering if it is the last time the chief executive leads Cisco Systems Inc's annual financial analyst conference.

Miss Universe 2011 is is the gorgeous Miss Angola Leila Lopes!

Xu Hengrui scored 526 points in law entrance examination at Renmin University, one of China's most prestigious universities.

An intimate dinner date between Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper over the weekend has sparked off rumors about whether the two are dating.

Royal Bank of Canada on Monday downgraded its growth forecast for the Canadian economy in 2011, citing weaker performance in the United States and Europe.

SAP AG has agreed to pay $20 million to resolve a criminal probe into allegations that it downloaded millions of files from rival Oracle, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Republican candidates came out swinging Monday night in the CNN/Tea Party Express debate in Tampa, Fla.

North Carolina's Republican-dominated legislature Monday moved one step closer to constitutionally banning same-sex marriage when the House passed the proposed amendment by a vote 75-42.

LivingSocial is set to run the first nationwide grocery store daily deal, teaming up with organic giant Whole Foods Market Inc.

Well Go USA has acquired North American rights to a pair of Korean projects -- a 3D animated dinosaur feature and a war story, the company announced Monday.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner makes a one-day trip to Poland this week for an unprecedented meeting with euro zone finance ministers as growing fears of a potential Greek debt default rip into Europe's banking sector.

The International Monetary Fund acknowledged on Monday it had not anticipated a surge in public debt in debt-stricken countries such as Greece and called for expanded analysis of growing debt piles in advanced economies.

Analysts have been slashing earnings estimates for big Wall Street banks recently, particularly for Goldman Sachs, as unpredictable trading markets and weak merger and underwriting volumes hurt the sector's profit potential.

Controversial new Internet rules adopted late last year by the Federal Communications Commission will soon be published officially, a step expected to trigger legal challenges.

The largest U.S. video game retailer GameStop Corp will sell Android tablets this holiday for the first time in a bid to grab a slice of the growing market of people who play games on the go.

France's media regulator on Monday proposed a switch to a new broadcasting technology which could make it harder for smaller players to prosper and delay new channels.