IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. health regulators have cautioned doctors and patients of an increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine from high doses or long-term use of a widely used class of drugs to control the amount of acid in the stomach.

University students who are frugal on just baked beans and two-minute noodles are at greater risk of developing chronic diseases, according to a new Australian study.

It was a volatile session overnight, with AUD trading to its lowest level since July 2009, before rebounding back towards USD0.8300.

Experts have recorded a positive outlook on the rising number of Australians seeking treatment to get off heroin addiction. However, it also reveals the nation's sporadic heroin supply.

Microsoft Corp's Robbie Bach, head of its video games and mobile phones unit, is retiring in a management shuffle, as Chief Executive Steve Ballmer tightens his grip over a division steadily ceding ground to rivals.

Gold is one of the more mysterious assets in the financial markets. It's volatile at times to the point of inducing vertigo and fans of the precious metal assert, somewhat contradictorily, its prowess as a hedge against both inflation and deflation.

Three regional Federal Reserve banks last month wanted to raise the discount rate, which the Fed charges banks for emergency loans, according to minutes from Fed meetings released on Tuesday.

(Corrects to show Kansas City Fed, not Richmond, voted for discount rate hike in paragraph 2)

Hewlett-Packard Co overtook IBM as the world's top server maker by sales during the first quarter as customers held off on buying equipment from IBM before new product launches, a research firm said on Tuesday.

With energy, Senate Democrats find themselves between a rock and two hard places. Nonetheless, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., have introduced their climate and energy bill. Its timing is awful. Its fate is uncertain. Yet its sponsors felt it had to be done now.

Volatility continued yesterday with the Aussie opening at 0.8320, then hitting an intraday low of 0.8184 before bouncing back to 0.8300 – and this was just the first few hours.

Two key U.S. lawmakers clashed on Tuesday over cracking down on swaps trading as a clearer shape emerged for a House-Senate panel that must finalize a major rewrite of financial regulation.

U.S. consumer confidence rose in May to its highest level in more than two years as an improving jobs outlook defied for now the growing fears about European debt market turmoil and threats to global growth.

Germany inched toward a wider ban on naked short selling of stocks and Italy approved austerity measures on Tuesday to contain a euro zone debt crisis that could lead U.S. officials to urge stress tests for European banks.

Societe Generale Chief Executive Frederic Oudea defended his role at an annual shareholder meeting Tuesday evening and promised a rebound in 2010 as concerns persisted over the French bank's prospects.

Democrats in Congress are racing against the clock to renew unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of jobless Americans in legislation that also raises taxes on investment-fund managers and multinational companies.

Stocks staged a furious late-day rally on Tuesday to push the S&P 500 into positive territory as the focus shifted from European debt woes to buying after shares hit six-month lows.

Microsoft Corp's Robbie Bach, head of the video games and mobile phones unit, is retiring in a management shuffle, as Chief Executive Steve Ballmer tightens his grip over a division steadily ceding ground to rivals.

Germany inched toward a wider ban on naked short selling of stocks and Italy approved austerity measures on Tuesday to contain a euro zone debt crisis that could lead U.S. officials to urge stress tests for European banks.

Stocks staged a furious late-day rally on Tuesday to push the S&P 500 into positive territory as the focus shifted from European debt woes to buying after shares hit six-month lows.

Shareholders of bankrupt Washington Mutual Inc asked a federal judge for permission to investigate JPMorgan Chase & Co for its role in the failure of Washington Mutual Bank, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve will watch the U.S. economy's progress through autumn and into 2011 as it decides how long it will hold interest rates at ultra-low levels, a top Fed official said on Tuesday.

Democrats in Congress are racing against the clock to renew unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of jobless Americans, in legislation that also raises taxes on investment fund managers and multinational companies.

Entrepreneur Mike Dougherty envisions a day when people will listen to their car radio via a wireless Internet connection and be able to make song requests with the help of a hands-free device as they drive along the freeway.

With tax credits for house buyers gone and tough new banking regulations on the way, expect lending in the United States to come under significant pressure.

Stocks declined, but sharply cut losses late on Tuesday that drove the Dow back above 10,000 as gains in the retail and materials sectors helped offset concerns about the euro zone's banking problems.

The Federal Reserve will watch the U.S. economy's progress through autumn and into 2011 as it decides how long it will hold interest rates at ultra-low levels, a top Fed official said on Tuesday.

Stocks dropped in a broad global sell-off on Tuesday as investors worried that Europe's banking problems could derail the economic recovery.