AP - European Union countries called off Tuesday talks on new rules to oversee hedge funds, saying they needed more time to get "isolated" Britain on board a compromise deal.

AFP - Leading stocks opened higher on Tuesday, as investors awaited a US interest rate decision.

AP - European and U.S. stock markets rallied Tuesday after the Standard & Poor's credit rating agency gave its cautious backing to the Greek government's attempts to get a grip on its borrowing.

AFP - Europe insisted Tuesday that a contingency plan to save Greece from bankruptcy with emergency loans was only prudent foresight and unlikely to be enacted, as Athens pushed for concrete details.

Reuters - EU finance ministers backed plans on Tuesday by countries in the euro area to help debt-stricken Greece financially if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

AP - Saudi Arabia's oil minister said Tuesday he expected OPEC to keep output steady for the rest of this year, in comments reflecting expectations that crude prices and supply are in sync with the fitfully recovering world economy.

AP - Greece won some respite from financial market pressure Tuesday as ratings agency Standard & Poor's took the country off credit watch for a possible downgrade — a day after eurozone governments laid out a vague blueprint for possible loans to help the indebted country.

AP - Greek state power company workers and hospital nurses went on strike Tuesday to protest government austerity measures designed to pull the country out of a major financial crisis.

AFP - An economic policy dispute between France and Germany threatens to distract the eurozone as it faces fierce competition from Asian rivals, analysts and German media warned Tuesday.

AFP - FTSE 100 shares posted solid gains on Tuesday ahead of a US Federal Reserve policy decision on interest rates, widely expected to remain at record lows.

AP - Europe's threat to ban the sort of financial derivatives trading that some blame for worsening Greece's debt crisis wouldn't work, a senior U.S. official told EU lawmakers Tuesday.