IBT Staff Reporter

Fortress Investment Group, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Pacific Alliance Group are among bidders for failed Japanese apartment developer Joint Corp in a deal that could be worth up to 80 billion yen ($861 million), two people with direct knowledge of the deal said.

Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes raced to a two-year high in July, a real estate trade group said on Tuesday, giving more evidence that a recovery in the housing market was under way.

The U.S. manufacturing sector grew in August for the first time in over a year and a half, while pending home sales surged to a two-year high in July, adding to mounting evidence the longest economic slowdown since the Great Depression is ending.

Europe's largest entertainment group Vivendi delivered forecast-beating second quarter underlying profit, despite the global economic crisis, and said it had ditched a deal with Kuwaiti telecoms firm Zain.

Hurricane Jimena, an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, barreled toward Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, forcing tourists to flee the Los Cabos resort area.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and other private-equity firms are eyeing a buyout of Societe Generale's asset management subsidiary TCW Group, the New York Post said, citing sources.

Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was sentenced to 59 years to life in prison on Monday for sexual assaulting aspiring models.

India is considering a new law allowing strict checking of all imported telecommunications equipment, the latest move to plug security holes after last year's Mumbai attacks.

NEW YORK - Strong economic data on the manufacturing sector helped boost U.S. industrial shares in early trading on Tuesday, amid optimism the sector's earnings bottomed out in the second quarter and are set to improve.

Bank of America is offering to repay part of the U.S. government bailout money, starting with the $20 billion it received in January to help with the acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website late on Monday.

Keeping a building green requires specific leases clauses as well as cooperation from the landlord and tenants.

A low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet is more effective than a typical low-fat, calorie-restricted diet for diabetes management, according to a study released Monday.

NEW YORK - U.S. copper futures headed higher at the open on Tuesday, recovering a portion of the prior session's steep losses, as equity markets regained their footing and manufacturing and housing data suggested the economic recovery was on track.

Robert Benmosche, the new CEO of American International Group Inc, said he regrets tough comments he made about New York's attorney general, saying he was trying to bolster a demoralized AIG work force.

The rapid growth of crowded cities has helped spread and increase the transmission of dengue around the world, health experts said on Tuesday, warning up to 3 billion people were already at risk.

If you want to dramatically lower the odds that you'll die of heart disease, go live someplace where public smoking is banned.

EBay Inc plans to sell a 65 percent stake in its online phone unit Skype for $1.9 billion to private investors including Silver Lake and a venture firm run by the Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen.

Stocks rose on Tuesday after a survey showed the U.S. manufacturing sector returned to growth in August after a prolonged slump.

Clinics in drug stores provide care for minor ailments on par with, or better than, other medical facilities at significantly lower costs, according to a study released on Monday.

CareFusion Corp shares edged higher in initial trading on Tuesday, the Cardinal Healthspinoff's first day as an independent company.

China's Yunnan province is investigating possible lead poisoning in its capital city of Kunming, while smelter officials in its top lead producing city, Gejiu, are worried the provincial government may close local smelters with half a million tonnes of annual capacity.

EBay said on Tuesday it has signed a definitive agreement to sell Skype to a group of investors including Web pioneer Marc Andreessen and Silver Lake Partners.

When working in real estate, you should never let your guard down. Here's how to make your personal safety a top priority.

India's Tata Motors (TAMO.BO) is willing to return the original site for its ultra-cheap Nano car if the state government compensates for the investment on the land, its chairman said on Tuesday.

Routine screening for prostate cancer has resulted in more than 1 million U.S. men being diagnosed with tumors who might otherwise have suffered no ill effects from them, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Nearly 40 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States could be prevented if women kept a healthy weight, drank less alcohol, exercised more and breastfed their babies, according to a report published on Tuesday.

Scrapping bonuses pushed French new passenger car sales up 7 percent in August to 110,607 units, carmakers' association CCFA said on Tuesday, while light utility vehicle sales, which are not eligible for payouts, plunged.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on world leaders on Monday to take urgent action to combat climate change for the sake of the future of humanity.

A strongly worded report on child obesity released on Tuesday recommends that state and local governments tax junk food and soft drinks, give tax breaks to grocery stores that open in blighted neighborhoods and build bike trails.