IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. food company Kraft Foods might sell assets like Maxwell House and Oscar Mayer to finance its planned acquisition of British confectioner Cadbury , the New York Post reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Japan Airlines Corp is likely to opt for a tie-up with Delta Air Lines Inc or AMR Corp's American Airlines, among rivals seeking to invest in the loss-making carrier, if Japan and the United States can reach an open skies agreement.

News that European car sales rose for a third consecutive month in August kicked off the Frankfurt Motor Show, where automakers are showcasing green technology they hope will transform the industry.

BASF SE said on Tuesday it has received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency for a new herbicide that it will market as a complement to a popular Monsanto Co herbicide.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc posted a better-than-expected adjusted quarterly profit, helped by lower costs.

Sales at U.S. retailers likely rose at their fastest pace in more than three and a half years in August, fueled by cash incentives to buy autos and by higher gasoline prices, according to a Reuters poll.

Capital One Financial Corp's U.S. credit-card defaults fell in August, reinforcing signs that, despite job losses and the housing crisis, American consumers may not be in as bad shape as feared.

U.S. stock index futures were flat on Tuesday as investors awaited key economic data, including the retail sales report, for more evidence of an economic recovery.

James McDonald, chief executive officer of investment management firm Rockefeller & Co, committed suicide on Sunday in Massachusetts, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Tuesday as investors awaited key economic data, including the retail sales report, for more evidence of an economic recovery.

Actor Patrick Swayze, whose turn as a smoldering dance instructor in Dirty Dancing made him one of the iconic film stars of the 1980s, died on Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

Timing of Exit Debated; Will U.S. Sell Citi Shares?; Euro Cars Get Boost

Climate change could cost some countries up to 19 percent of their gross domestic product by 2030, a panel including major insurance, banking and consulting companies as well as the European Commission said on Monday.

Schools in Beijing are quietly removing the Green Dam filter, which was required for all school computers in July, due to complaints over problems with the software.

Oil rose toward $69 a barrel on Tuesday, lifted by a weaker dollar and an expected draw in U.S. crude stocks, but concerns that a major U.S. exchange will increase enforcement of position limits capped gains.

News that European car sales rose for a third consecutive month in August helped lift the mood at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where automakers will showcase green technology they hope will transform the industry.

SHANGHAI, Sept 15 (Reuters) - China's key stock index ended up 0.2 percent on Tuesday supported by improved August FDI data while tyre makers jumped after saying the impact of the U.S. decision to impose special duties on Chinese tyre exports would be limited.

TOKYO, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average edged up 0.2 percent in choppy trade on Tuesday, buoyed by Canon Inc (7751.T) and other exporters as the yen held steady against the dollar, but worries that it may only be a brief respite limited gains.

World stocks held steady on Tuesday while the dollar held above this week's seven-month low against the yen as focus shifted to the state of U.S. consumers from a trade spat between the United States and China. A year after Lehman Brothers collapsed, risky assets are almost back at September 2008 levels and some G7 economies have come out of recession.

Asian stocks edged up on Tuesday, with markets in South Korea and Taiwan closing at 14-month highs, as investors put their faith in the global economic recovery and looked past a trade spat between the United States and China.

The Australian Dollar opens on Tuesday at 0.8610. In early domestic trade yesterday, the Aussie moved swiftly beneath US86 cents as local equities opened under pressure after a soft lead from Wall Street last Friday. Given the recent rapid rise of the Australian Dollar, part of the move back down can be attributed to profit taking after a sustained period of one-way price action. During overnight trade, the unit moved between a low of 0.8543 and a high of 0.8630.

Air France-KLM is in talks to invest in Japan Airlines Corp , a source familiar with the matter said, as rival suitors seek a stake in the loss-making carrier to access its China and other Asian routes.

Wells Fargo & Co has fired a senior vice president after investigating reports she held lavish parties at a foreclosed beachfront Malibu house owned by the bank.

China unveiled data on Tuesday that showed tire exports to the United States actually fell in the first half of 2009, rebutting Washington's accusations it had breached its WTO agreements by flooding the U.S. market.

Oil traded unchanged, slightly below $69 on Tuesday, capping losses as buoyant equities and the dollar's fall against the euro helped to offset concerns about an inventory build ahead of the U.S. autumn season.

The 2008 global recession caused the first worldwide contraction in assets under management in nearly a decade, according to a study that found wealth dropped 11.7 percent to $92.4 trillion.

Asian stocks drifted back near one-year highs on Tuesday as investors looked past a trade spat between the United States and China, with exporter shares in Japan getting a lift as the yen's surge relented.

(Corrects paragraph 4 to read 7.7 billion instead of 7.7 million)

Air France-KLM is in talks to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into Japan Airlines, a source familiar with the matter said, joining a list of suitors seeking a minority stake in the loss-making Japanese carrier to gain access to its route network. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are in separate 'early stage' talks with Japan's carrier.