Elaine M Oconnor

The government of Quebec believes home-improvement retailer Rona Inc. (RON.T) is a "strategic asset" for Canada and shouldn't fall into foreign hands, Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand said Tuesday.

Brazil government won't interfere in General Motors Co.'s Brazilian operations, finance minister says -GM has reduced staff at some plants, but increased in other areas, minister explains -GM layoffs at a plant in Sao Jose dos Campos had caused controversy Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega

President Obama revealed new sanctions against Iran's energy, petrochemical and financial sectors, ratcheting up pressure on the country to meet its nuclear obligations.

Google Inc said on Tuesday it acquired marketing start-up Wildfire to help the world's largest Internet search company expand further into social media.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it will be more willing to seek monetary penalties against companies that violate antitrust laws, a change of the agency's policies.

Brazilian steelmaker Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA (USIM5.BR), or Usiminas, will achieve annual costs savings of 50 million Brazilian reais ($24.51 million) with the current modernization of its steel mills, Chief Executive Julian Eguren said Tuesday.

"Marathon Petroleum 2nd-Quarter Net Up 1.5% On Speedway, Refining Growth," at 7:50 a.m. EDT, misstated the revenue expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Anglo-Swiss miner Xstrata PLC (XTA.LN) Tuesday reported lower mined copper output but higher coal output in the first half of the year compared with a year earlier as it continues to make progress on completing 10 major growth projects in 2012.

Chinese search engine company Baidu Inc. (BIDU) and Sina Corp. (SINA), the Chinese owner of the Weibo microblogging service, have announced a mobile-focused partnership, the BBC reported.

Archer Daniels Midland Co.'s (ADM) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings fell 25% as dwindling U.S. corn supplies hurt its grain-handling and ethanol businesses.