Most Americans don't expect housing prices to fall soon, but a majority of those surveyed see a recession within a year. >>

Religious groups and mainstream investment firms join the economic push to end the violence. >>

Each Mapleton station has a unique identity, allowing it to stand out in an industry that's criticized for a uniform sound. >>

Cracking the baby food market isn't child's play. >>

Screenwriting guru Robert McKee rips into the novelist's script for the movie 'Sahara.' >>

Boston expects Daisuke Matsuzaka to draw a lot of visitors. L.A. seeks the same from Beckham. >>

SHANGHAI — China's export juggernaut slowed sharply in March, but analysts doubted that the surprising results would ease mounting trade tensions with the United States. >>

Question: With the minimum wage going up, I've gotten notices saying our company must buy new labor law posters or face big fines. Are these notices a scam? What's actually required? >>

Analysts say the media giant's legal battles over YouTube probably led it to hire Google's rival. >>

Its Earth program marks villages destroyed in the Sudanese conflict to raise awareness. >>

The Dow Jones industrials rose for an eighth straight session Tuesday, and the New York Stock Exchange composite index hit a record high, as investors continued to return to the market after the recent sharp pullback. y >>

Richard Nanula's exit comes amid questions about why executives didn't disclose negative drug trials. >>

Prices at the pump will climb but they will be lower than last year, a U.S. forecast indicates, and imports will help meet growing demand. >>

The Mexican company is acquiring rival Rinker Group for $15.3 billion. >>

Less than two weeks after commandeering Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. in a boardroom coup, the video game publisher's new management team Tuesday presented investors with a 100-day turnaround strategy. >>

D.R. Horton Inc., the largest U.S. home builder, said Tuesday that orders for new homes tumbled 37% last quarter and that the spring selling season had been slower than usual, suggesting that the housing market had not hit bottom. >>

BERLIN — PPR, the French luxury goods maker behind the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent brands, said Tuesday that it would buy a 27% stake in Puma and planned to make an offer for the rest in a deal that valued the German sporting goods maker at $7.1 billion. >>

Search companies and trademark experts are taking notice of the state's latest experiment in trying to control the global Internet. >>

Joe Francis had failed to surrender after being found in contempt of court by a Florida judge when talks to settle a lawsuit broke down. >>

SAN FRANCISCO — Levi Strauss & Co.'s fiscal first-quarter profit rose 61%, providing the latest sign that the long-suffering jeans maker is finally on the mend. >>

Aluminum giant Alcoa Inc. kicked off first-quarter earnings season Tuesday with an upbeat report: The company said it had its most profitable first-quarter ever, as increased demand from China and the aerospace industry boosted prices. >>

Two firms' systems aim to thwart illegal copying by inserting traceable markers in content. >>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. meat supply will fall by 1.7 pounds per person this year because demand for ethanol motor fuel has pushed corn prices to their highest level in a decade, boosting livestock feed costs, the government said Tuesday. >>

Chevron Corp. said Tuesday that first-quarter oil and natural gas production fell 1.2% after the Venezuelan government seized bigger stakes in two oil fields. >>

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc., the second-largest U.S. tax preparer, said Tuesday it would stop offering "pre-season" tax-refund anticipation loans that some state officials and consumer advocates said took advantage of low-income taxpayers. >>

Shareholders of brokerage Morgan Stanley and Bank of New York Co. on Tuesday rejected proposals that would give them an advisory vote on executive pay. At Morgan Stanley's annual meeting, 37% of shares were voted in favor of "say on pay." The proposal fared better at Bank of New York, where 47% supported the measure. The proposals were submitted by the pension fund of the American Federation of State, Country and Municipal Employees. Dozens of companies have been targeted with "say on pay" proposals this annual meeting season by critics of executive pay levels. >>

The Environmental Protection Agency, following a congressional mandate, finalized plans for new standards to boost the use of renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. >>

Apollo Real Estate Advisors bought 24 apartment complexes in the Los Angeles area for about $83 million and said it planned to upgrade the buildings. >>

Edgar Bronfman Jr., who sold Seagram Co. to Vivendi for $34 billion in 2000, sued the French company in federal court in New York, claiming that it owed him a bigger pension. >>

Menu Foods Ltd., whose products have been blamed for the deaths of at least 16 animals, expanded its pet food recall after it found contaminated wheat gluten at a plant in Canada. >>

Ford Motor Co. said it was recalling more than 500,000 Ford Escape sport utility vehicles after receiving reports of engine fires linked to corrosion on anti-lock brake connectors. >>

Maguire Properties Inc. agreed to sell Pacific Center and Wateridge Plaza in San Diego County for $298 million. >>

Government officials announced that Venezuela would gain total control over the country's largest telecommunications firm, CA Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela, or CANTV, before June 4 by purchasing at least 70% of the shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. >>

Longtime film executive Bingham Ray is joining the film production company of clothing magnate Sidney Kimmel. >>