IBT Staff Reporter

Malaria may have jumped to humans from chimpanzees much as AIDS did, U.S. researchers reported on Monday in a study they hope could help in developing a vaccine against the infection.

U.S. consumer spending rose slightly more than expected in June, lifted by expenditures on nondurable goods even as incomes saw their biggest drop in four-and-a-half years, a government report showed on Tuesday.

A pilot died and at least seven passengers were injured when a commercial plane slid off a runway into a disused control tower on the Thai tourist island of Koh Samui on Tuesday, police and aviation officials said.

Frequent handwashing and the wearing of face masks at home can help reduce the transmission of influenza viruses within the household if the measures are implemented in good time, a study in Hong Kong has found.

Auto and mortgage lender GMAC Financial Services said on Tuesday its quarterly net loss widened to $3.9 billion in the second quarter, from $2.5 billion a year ago, reflecting charges related to the company's incorporation and mortgage losses.

Australian police arrested four men they said were linked to a Somali militant group on Tuesday, accusing them of planning a suicide attack on an army base and raising fears the al Qaeda-linked rebels were seeking targets outside Africa.

The Saved by the Bell gang got together for an exclusive photo shoot after airing its last show 16 years ago.

Global private equity funds have found a window of opportunity to invest in Taiwan's financial sector, making acquisitions with the hope of turning a profit when the market opens to China Inc in the years to come.

Bigger spenders, Pepsi's Grab, Climate Politics

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday to try to win the release of two jailed American journalists, and met the country's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il.

Oil fell below $71 per barrel on Tuesday, paring three days of gains as expectations for a rise in U.S. crude inventories offset optimism over positive U.S. and Chinese manufacturing data.

Auto and mortgage lender GMAC Financial Services said on Tuesday its quarterly net loss widened to $3.9 billion in the second quarter, from $2.5 billion a year ago, reflecting charges related to the company's incorporation and mortgage losses.

Chinese police have detained 718 people suspected of involvement in deadly ethnic rioting in northwestern Xinjiang region last month, the official Xinhua agency said on Tuesday.

Ocwen Financial Corp's quarterly income from continuing operations beat market expectations, helped by higher revenue from process management fees and a fall in total operating expenses, and said it plans a $250 million stock offering.

Mirhossein Mousavi's credentials as a loyal servant of Iran's revolution may help explain why he has escaped arrest for leading protests against an election he says was stolen to keep President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.

The Indonesian unit of Citigroup is interested in possible acquisitions in Indonesia's bank sector, Country Officer Shariq Mukhtar told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

Prominent defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi on Tuesday vowed to keep up pressure on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad whose re-election sparked off Iran's worst unrest since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

HSBC Holding Plc, Europe's biggest bank, is in talks to set up an investment banking joint venture in China, a senior bank executive said, adding that acquisition prospects in Asia are too expensive and that the bank will focus on organic growth.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ) and Standard Chartered Plc lined up opportunistic buys in Asia, seeking growth in a region expected to lead the world out of recession.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday the United States would present a Middle East peace plan within weeks and Israel should accept it.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton arrived in North Korea on Tuesday to try to negotiate the release of two U.S. journalists convicted by the communist state of grave crimes, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein told employees to avoid making high profile purchases, the New York Post said, citing sources.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday to try to win the release of two jailed American journalists, a move some analysts said could mark the isolated state's return to talks over nuclear weapons.

CVS Caremark Corp posted a bigger-than-expected jump in quarterly profit on Tuesday, aided by new stores and increased demand as consumers bought Easter treats and products to combat the H1N1 flu.

U.S. stocks headed for a lower open on Tuesday as a mixed data on June personal consumption and expenditures sparked caution, and investors set out to book profits a day after Wall Street rallied to a fresh nine-month closing high.

U.S. consumer spending rose slightly more than expected in June, a government report showed on Tuesday, likely pushed up by higher gasoline prices, and incomes saw their biggest drop in four-and-a-half years.

U.S. stock futures slipped on Tuesday as investors paused to gauge if the recent run-up will hold, while retreating oil prices looked set to weigh on energy shares.

U.S. stock futures fell on Tuesday as caution prevailed ahead of reports on June personal income data and pending home sales, a day after Wall Street rallied to a fresh nine-month closing high.

Small-capped Australian iron ore miners say it is business as usual with Chinese steelmakers despite protracted negotiations between China and mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton to settle an annual benchmark price.