Nepal's only int'l airport shut due to grass fire (AP)

AP - A grass fire has closed Nepal's only international airport and forced flights to divert to India.

Kidnapped Chinese workers freed in Sudan oil state (Reuters)

Reuters - Sudanese rebels released 29 Chinese workers Tuesday, ten days after kidnapping them in the main oil-producing state of South Kordofan where the army has been fighting insurgents, Sudan's foreign ministry said.

Lawyer: US nonprofits caught in Egypt aid dispute (AP)

AP - Americans facing trial in Egypt over activities of their pro-democracy groups have been caught in a dispute between the U.S. government and Egypt over aid, a lawyer representing the Americans said Tuesday.

Maldives president quits after police mutiny, protests (Reuters)

Reuters - President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, widely credited with bringing democracy to the Indian Ocean archipelago, resigned on Tuesday after weeks of opposition protests erupted into a police mutiny and what an aide said amounted to a coup.

Germany arrests 2 alleged Syrian spies (AP)

AP - German police on Tuesday arrested two men on allegations they were spying on Syrian opposition groups in Germany, prosecutors said.

Oil prices climb as Iran threatens EU supply cut (AP)

AP - Oil prices are rising as Iran again threatens to cut off supplies to Europe.

Iran shrugs off latest U.S. sanctions, trade suffers (Reuters)

Reuters - Iran castigated its U.S. adversary on Tuesday over new financial measures to disrupt Iranian commerce, and a default on payment for rice purchases highlighted the encroachment of sanctions on the staples of everyday life.

Watchdogs to drag shadow banks into the light (Reuters)

Reuters - Beyond the reach of regulators, and about half the size of the world's banking industry, a thriving breed of "shadow banks" is emerging that could trigger the next chapter in the global financial crisis.

Delaware officials wrestle over mortgage deal (Reuters)

Reuters - Delaware stands to leave up to $40 million in homeowner relief on the table, if it does not join a multi-state mortgage settlement, according to a letter from the state's banking commissioner seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Summary Box: Coke adjusted 4Q results beat Street (AP)

AP - THE NEWS: Coca-Cola Co.'s fourth-quarter net income fell 71 percent in the fourth quarter, mainly due to a benefit it received last year buying North American operations of one of its bottlers.

Rio's Olympic Preview: Erupting Manhole Covers and Collapsing Buildings (Time.com)

Time.com - Will the Brazilian mega-city's crumbling infrastructure spoil the World Cup and the Olympics?

Obama Seeks to Cool War Fever While Keeping Up Pressure on Iran (Time.com)

Time.com - Nobody likely envies the challenge President Barack Obama faces getting his "messaging" right on Iran

Greece drafts bailout text for parties as talks inch forward (Reuters)

Reuters - Greece's government is preparing a document with a list of painful reforms needed to clinch a new financing package, a government official said on Tuesday, moving Athens one step closer to a deal needed to avoid a chaotic debt default.

Russia's Lavrov seeks peace in Syria as forces bombard Homs (Reuters)

Reuters - Russia won a promise from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday to bring an end to bloodshed in Syria, but Western and Arab states acted to isolate Assad further after activists and rebels said his forces killed over 100 in the city of Homs.

Chavez's opponents gear up for Venezuela vote (AP)

AP - Outmatched time and again at the polls by President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan's opposition leaders are trying a new strategy to unseat the populist leader this year, holding the nation's first presidential primary to choose the strongest challenger.

AP Enterprise: Brown bank regulator an insider (AP)

AP - Gov. Jerry Brown's appointee to head the department that oversees banking, financial and consumer regulations in California led a trade association that fought against tighter lending restrictions before the subprime mortgage crisis exploded and was an executive with Washington Mutual when the now-failed bank was among the most aggressive marketers of loans to high-risk borrowers.

Wall St edges higher as Greece draws up bailout terms (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks traded edged higher on Tuesday as investors awaited the outcome of discussions on a bailout package for Greece that would help the country avoid a chaotic default.

Exclusive: Iran defaults on rice payments to India (Reuters)

Reuters - Iranian buyers have defaulted on payments for about 200,000 tonnes of rice from their top supplier India, exporters and rice millers said on Tuesday, a sign of the mounting pressure on Tehran from a new wave of Western sanctions.

Bernanke repeats vow to shield U.S. from Europe fallout (Reuters)

Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday renewed a pledge to prevent Europe's financial crisis from damaging the U.S. economy in testimony before Congress that mirrored remarks he made last week.

Coca-Cola beats Street, eyes cost savings (Reuters)

Reuters - Coca-Cola Co reported better-than-expected quarterly results and announced a new cost-savings program on Tuesday that it will use to boost its brands and mitigate higher commodity costs.

Glencore-Xstrata deal meets shareholder opposition (Reuters)

Reuters - At least two top 10 shareholders in miner Xstrata plan to vote against a takeover by commodities trader Glencore, threatening the creation of a powerhouse spanning mining, agriculture and trading.

Crash kills 11, mostly migrant farm workers (Reuters)

Reuters - A crash between a flatbed truck and a van carrying migrant farm workers on a rural crossroads in southwestern Ontario killed 11 people, media reported on Tuesday, in one of the most deadly vehicle accidents in Canadian history.

Greek party leaders seek deal as bankruptcy looms (AP)

AP - Greek party leaders will seek Tuesday a long-delayed agreement on harsh cutbacks that bailout creditors demanded to save the country from bankruptcy but which have fueled nationwide outrage — a general strike snarled public services and thousands of protesters took to the streets of Athens.

Toyota lifts profit forecast as disaster woes fade (AP)

AP - Toyota's quarterly profit slid 13.5 percent on production setbacks caused by last year's tsunami disaster and the flooding in Thailand, but Japan's top automaker raised its annual earnings forecast, saying a recovery is on track.

Walmart names ex-Woolworths veteran as new China CEO (Reuters)

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc has named an industry veteran, but a relative newcomer to China, to run what is a strategically crucial business for the world's biggest retailer as it faces tougher competition in the fastest growing major economy.

Netanyahu can't fly solo in Israel to attack Iran (Reuters)

Reuters - Three decades ago, an Israeli prime minister faced his cabinet and invoked the Holocaust in an emotional appeal to approve an air strike against an Arab atomic reactor.

Australia floods fail to dampen big cotton crop (Reuters)

Reuters - Australia's projections for a bumper cotton crop remain on track despite a week-long deluge in major growing regions that forced thousands of residents from their homes and left rivers dangerously swollen.

The Worthless Junk the 1 Percent Waste Their Money On (ContributorNetwork)

ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | Strictly speaking, the 1 percent -- people whose incomes put them above the other 99 percent of us, starting at about $340,000 a year as of 2009, according to IRS data -- don't actually spend much of their money.

Senegalese opposition denounce president's bid for third term (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - The eight candidates came in convoys from their respective corners of Dakar to Obelisk Square in the heart of the Senegalese capital, where crowds of color-coordinated supporters awaited them while listening to political hip-hop anthems in Wolof - the local dialect. A single microphone stood on stage and each of them were introduced as "president" before they took it.

South Africa's cautious UN vote for Syrian action (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Russia and Chinaâs joint veto of a United Nations resolution urging Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to step down has kicked up a firestorm of criticism from the West and from human rights activists.

Merger fails, but D.Boerse CEO says allies a must (Reuters)

Reuters - D.Boerse CEO eyes new allies as NYSE deal crumbles Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) does not believe it can survive in the long term without a new partner despite the collapse of its proposed $7.4 billion merger with NYSE Euronext , its chief executive told a German newspaper.

Euro zone sales tumble at Christmas, no sign of growth (Reuters)

Reuters - Retail sales in the euro zone tumbled unexpectedly in December, the biggest drop in the Christmas period in three years, data showed on Friday, with rising joblessness and stubborn inflation undercut signs of a stabilization in Europe's economy.