IBT Staff Reporter

Single-family home prices dropped into double-dip territory in March as the housing market remained bogged down by inventory and weak demand, a closely watched survey said on Tuesday.

Intel announced at Computex the debut of an entirely new category of laptops called Ultrabooks, which will combine the best qualities of MacBook Air and those of iPad.

U.S. chipmaker Broadcom Corp expects near-field communications wireless technology to be a main revenue driver in coming years, a senior executive said on Tuesday, when it becomes more of a norm for consumers use their handphones to make payments.

TMZ is reporting that reality television star Nicole Snooki Pollizi was taken into custody in Florence, Italy yesterday after crashing into a police car.

Fast Retailing Co <9983.T> Japan's leading apparel chain, said it expected a sales boost from shoppers seeking lighter clothing this summer as temperatures rise and half the nation turns its air conditioners on low to conserve power.

Micro-blogging site Twitter is planning to launch a built-in photo sharing feature which will put the future of twitter apps like Twitpics and Yfrogs in limbo and will place its third-party developers in a quandary as to which apps to write for Twitter.

Metropolitan Opera star, Anna Nebtrebko, dropped out of the Met's Japan tour after concerns for her health and safety.

Intel introduced a new class of mobile computers,’ Ultrabook’ taking cues from Apple’s iPad and MacBook Air, to beat the market of tablets

Anne Muir, the first Scot person to be convicted for illegally sharing music files online, has been given three years probation.

European officials met on Tuesday to sketch out options for a second bailout package for Greece, with private sector participation still under discussion to help relieve the country of its massive debt burden.

Nokia, the world's biggest phone maker by volume, warned on Tuesday that sales and margins would fall well below its previous guidance and dropped its full-year outlook, sending its shares down 10 percent.

Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, will struggle to meet its 2011 sales guidance of 7 billion Swiss francs ($8.23 billion) if the franc remains at such high levels, Chief Executive Nick Hayek said.

U.S. stock index futures advanced on Tuesday as the euro rose against the dollar and commodity prices jumped on optimism that new aid for Greece from the European Union was on the horizon.

Euro zone inflation slowed in May largely thanks to lower oil prices, but the dip is likely to be temporary and will not stop the European Central Bank from raising interest rates in July.

German carmaker Volkswagen formally launched its bid for MAN on Tuesday, in a move toward creating Europe's biggest truckmaker.

U.S. stock index futures advanced on Tuesday as the euro rose against the dollar and commodity prices jumped on optimism that new aid for Greece from the European Union was in the offing.

Euro zone consumer prices grew slower than expected in May, though remained well above the European Central Bank's target, data showed on Tuesday, while unemployment held steady in April for the third month.

Intel unveiled a new category of laptops that it says will include the best features of tablets as the world's top chipmaker struggles to find its footing in the exploding market for mobile gadgets.

India's economy grew at its slowest annual pace in five quarters in January to March, as rising interest rates crimped consumption and investment, which some analysts say could temper the pace of central bank tightening to tackle inflation.

The NATO airstrikes in Afghanistan will now be limited and no attacks on houses be allowed, said Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Greece and a team of EU, IMF and ECB inspectors reviewing the country's economy have agreed on a value-added tax cut to help achieve a broader political consensus on more austerity, a Greek newspaper said on Tuesday.

The Bank of Japan's loan scheme targeting growth industries drew solid demand on Tuesday, pushing its cumulative lending to just 60 billion yen ($740 million) from a 3 trillion yen cap and paving the way for debate within the board about expanding it.

Emerging nations are still conducting lots of consultations about choosing a candidate from their ranks to head the International Monetary Fund, South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Tuesday.

Franco-Belgian financial group Dexia is to hold talks with European Union regulators in the coming days to amend a restructuring plan which it agreed to after receiving a bail-out in 2008.

Moody's Investors Service said on Tuesday it has seen no progress on a consensus between Japan's government and opposition on fiscal policy, suggesting that a sovereign debt rating downgrade was likely after it completes a review within the next three months.

India's economy grew at its slowest pace in five quarters during the March quarter, as rising interest rates crimped consumption and investment, although the central bank is expected to continue tightening rates in its battle against inflation.

The FBI is investigating corruption at the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, which is now suspected to be deeper than originally thought.

Japan's economy offered more signs of recovery from the deadly March earthquake on Tuesday, but Moody's ratings agency warned both growth and government action may fall short of what is necessary to bring Tokyo's ballooning debt back under control.

Mike Brown will officially be introduced to the media as the new Los Angeles Lakers coach Tuesday at 3 p.m.