Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday the U.S. central bank might keep open a lifeline to financial firms, while the latest data showed distress in the housing and retail sectors continues.

Reuters - Big emerging economies will come under pressure on Wednesday to respond in kind to an initiative by rich countries to work towards a target of at least halving their global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

AP - Matthew McConaughey's longtime model girlfriend, Camila Alves, has given birth to the couple's first child, a 7-pound, 4-ounce boy.

AP - Industrial conglomerate Siemens AG said Tuesday it will cut 16,750 jobs, or 4.2 percent of its global work force, to streamline operations and slice nearly $2 billion in costs in the face of a slowing economy.

AP - Firefighters on Tuesday faced worsening weather conditions that pushed flames across firebreaks in parts of inland California and chased residents out of one small community.

AP - World leaders on Tuesday endorsed halving world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, edging forward in the battle against global warming but stopping short of tough, nearer-term targets.

AP - The next time the president goes to war, Congress should be consulted and vote on whether it agrees, according to a bipartisan study group chaired by former secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher.

AP - Asked by a voter about accusations of flip-flopping, Democrat Barack Obama dismissed the notion Tuesday that he has been shifting stances on Iraq, guns and the death penalty to break with his party's liberal wing and court a wider swath of voters.

AP - Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday his country will not accept any security deal with the United States unless it contains specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

AP - The Federal Reserve will issue new rules next week aimed at protecting future homebuyers from dubious lending practices, its most sweeping response to a housing crisis that has propelled foreclosures to record highs.

AFP - A suicide blast on the Indian embassy in Kabul could not have been carried out without the "full support of foreign intelligence," according to an Afghan security report made public Tuesday.

AFP - The Group of Eight major powers agreed Tuesday to at least halve global carbon emissions by 2050, in what leaders hailed as a breakthrough but environmentalists called toothless.

Reuters - The U.S. Senate moved closer on Monday to passing election-year legislation meant to save hundreds of thousands of troubled homeowners from foreclosure.