IBT Staff Reporter

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denounced the firms that suspended payments to his website as instruments of U.S. foreign policy and called for help in protecting his work from their illegal and immoral attacks.

Japan's plan to boost its ailing economy by cutting corporate taxes got a guarded welcome from business on Tuesday, but is unlikely to help restore the fortunes of unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 flat, Dow Jones futures down 0.03 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.11 percent at 0930 GMT.

HCP Inc said on Monday it would buy most of the real estate assets of privately held nursing and assisted living firm HCR ManorCare Inc from Carlyle Group in a $6.1 billion sale and leaseback deal.

The dollar fell to a three-week low against the euro and Treasuries steadied ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting on Tuesday, while stocks held near a two-year peak, supported by optimism over Chinese growth.

Japanese business gave a guarded welcome on Tuesday to the cash-strapped government's plan to cut corporate taxes, saying more support was needed to help them create jobs and compete with regional rivals.

Japan's plan to boost its ailing economy by cutting corporate taxes got a guarded welcome from business on Tuesday, but is unlikely to help restore the fortunes of unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told his mother from his prison cell in London that he remained committed to publishing secret U.S. cables, despite condemnation from Washington and elsewhere, Australian television reported Tuesday.

U.S. banking regulators meet on Tuesday to take the first steps toward implementing higher capital requirements set out in the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law.

Rules that have the potential to slash banks' debit card profits and stop traders from excessive speculation in oil and other commodity markets will be unveiled by U.S. regulators this week.

The industry had the highest proportion of women in boardrooms in 2010 - at 18.1 percent.

The most recent annual Census from Catalyst, based on a study of women's representation in boards and executive positions, shows that only 15.7% of seats in the boards of 497 among Fortune 500 companies were occupied by women.

Catalyst report indicates thatmen actually reap higher benefits from mentoring in their careers than women of equal potential

Private equity firm Carlyle Group's nursing and assisted living firm HCR ManorCare Inc is selling most of its real estate assets to HCP Inc , a health care real estate investment trust, in a $6.1 billion sale and leaseback deal, the companies said on Monday.

Rules that have the potential to slash banks' debit card profits and stop traders from excessive speculation in oil and other commodity markets will be unveiled by U.S. regulators this week.

U.S. banking regulators meet on Tuesday to take the first steps toward implementing higher capital requirements set out in the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law.

Asian stocks advanced on Tuesday, supported by optimism that China would shun aggressive measures to curb inflation that could inhibit its strong economic growth or blunt its voracious demand for raw materials.

NEW YORK - A federal judge has ruled on summary judgment that BlueBeat.com is liable for violating copyrights in thousands of songs. In making the decision, the judge had swatted away one of the stranger defenses to infringement of sound recordings.

Morgan Stanley will shut down its real estate investment operations in South Korea by the end of the year to focus on other Asian markets, sources close to the company said on Tuesday.

Manchester United secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the English Premier League encounter against Arsenal at Old Trafford with Park Ji-Sung scoring the game's only goal late in the first half.

The U.S. Senate today passed, 83 to 15, a procedural measure that allows the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 to come to the Senate floor for a vote. The measure also allows a limited time for debate before the vote, which could take place later this week.

Two regional U.S. banks plan to repay their government bailout loans, a sign of health that could put pressure on other lenders to shed government aid.

U.S. regulators have notified some brokers who worked for indicted financier Allen Stanford that they may face civil fraud charges, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

China will probably target about 7.5 trillion yuan ($1.1 trillion) in new loans next year, level with its 2010 target, a leading official newspaper reported on Tuesday, an indication that policy could be slightly looser than expected.

Two regional U.S. banks plan to repay their government bailout loans, a sign of health that could put pressure on other lenders to shed government aid.

Computer software giant Microsoft has joined the ranks of companies opposing Google's proposed acquisition of ITA Software, which powers most of the online airfare search sites.

Toshiba Corp will spend about 100 billion yen ($1.19 billion) to build a factory to make small LCD panels, mainly to supply to Apple Inc for use in iPhones, Japanese business daily Nikkei said on Tuesday.

Cuba has begun its own online encyclopedia, similar to Wikipedia, with the goal of presenting its version of the world and history.

General Motors Co said on Monday it wants to cut as many as several thousand U.S. skilled trades workers through retirement incentives, its first attempt to reduce factory jobs since its 2009 bankruptcy.