AP - Toyota apologized to its customers Monday and said a piece of steel about the size of a postage stamp will fix the gas pedal problem that led to the recall of millions of cars. Repairs will take about a half-hour and will start in a matter of days, the company said.

AP - China is pressing to turn its status as the world's biggest steel producer into clout over global miners and cheaper iron ore prices. But its tactics failed in 2009 and there are few indications it will fare better this year.

AP - Asian stock markets were mostly lower Tuesday as positive U.S. economic reports failed to ease worries about the global recovery.

AP - Spelling out painful priorities, President Barack Obama urged Congress on Monday to quickly approve a huge new shot of spending for recession relief and job creation, part of a record $3.8 trillion budget that would boost the deficit beyond any in the nation's history while only slowly beginning to put Americans back to work.

 Reuters - Online travel companies on Monday won the first of several pending legal battles to roll back tax assessments by California cities that claim they owe tens of millions of dollars in occupancy taxes.

AP - A Toyota executive said the damage to the company's sales from its global recall for a gas pedal problem may be greater than previous recalls because of the unprecedented scale.

Reuters - World shares sank to a three-month low on Monday as concerns about Greece's debts and a reminder of the challenges China faces to curb inflation stung risk demand, helping push the dollar to a six-month high versus a currency basket.

 AP - FACTORY GROWTH AHEAD: Manufacturers' new orders, a signal of future production, soared to their highest point since 2004. Companies said their customers' inventories were still too low, so they foresee more production as customers restock.

 AP - BP PLC, Europe's second-largest oil company, on Tuesday reported a net profit of $4.3 billion for the fourth quarter, up from a year-ago loss but falling short of analysts' estimates due to weak earnings on refining.