WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has climbed back above 83 US cents after the US dollar softened overnight.
At 0630 AEDT on Tuesday, the local currency was trading at 83.06 US cents, up from 82.90 cents on Monday.
And the Australian share market looks set to follow US and international bourses downwards to open lower after disappointing Japanese and Chinese data.
At 0645 AEST on Tuesday, the December share price index futures contract was down 30 points at 5,360.
ELSEWHERE:
BRUSSELS - Eurozone ministers have approved a request from Greece for a two-month extension to its bailout program that was set to end December 31, amid an ongoing budget row between Athens and its EU-IMF creditors.
NEW YORK - ConocoPhillips has announced a sharp cutback in spending on exploration and spending as global oil prices continued to push downward.
NEW DELHI - Delhi's government has banned Uber after a passenger accused one of its drivers of rape, dealing a fresh blow to the reputation of online taxi service.
THE HAGUE - Dutch judges have banned the popular ride-sharing service UberPOP from taking bookings via its smartphone app, threatening the US company with fines of up to 100,000 euros ($A133,100).
OAK BROOK, Illinois - McDonald's says a key global sales figure fell 2.2 per cent in November as US sales continue to soften and it contends with ongoing difficulties from a food-safety scandal in China.
NEW YORK - US pharmaceutical group Merck is buying antibiotics maker Cubist Pharmaceuticals for about $US9.5 billion ($A10.3 billion).
NEW YORK - Bernard Madoff's former director of operations for investments has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
BERLIN - Workers are striking at a German site of Amazon, aiming to hit the US online retail giant in the busy pre-Christmas season amid a long-running pay dispute.
SHANGHAI - The world's largest container vessel has set off on its maiden voyage to Europe from Shanghai.
NEW DELHI - The Huffington Post has launched an Indian version of its news website, seeking to tap the country's exploding number of internet users.
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