AUTOMOTIVE: Chrysler sales up 9% overseas

Chrysler LLC set a first-quarter record for sales outside North America. The automaker said Tuesday that international sales rose 9 percent to 57,346 vehicles. Chrysler saw the biggest jump in China, where it launched a locally built Sebring sedan last month. Russia was the fastest-growing European market.

DEALS: EMC raises bid, wins over Iomega

Data storage provider EMC Corp. said Tuesday that it would acquire San Diego-based Iomega Corp. for $213 million. The price is a 20 percent increase over EMC's initial bid. EMC's storage services are largely geared toward corporate clients, and acquiring Iomega is expected to expand EMC's business with small businesses and consumers.

ECONOMY: IMF pessimistic about credit crisis

Washington —- The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday said the global credit crisis, despite some recent improvement, remains a significant threat to economic growth. Despite "unprecedented intervention" by central banks such as the Federal Reserve, "financial markets remain under considerable strain, now compounded" by a slowing economy, low levels of capital at financial companies and widespread efforts to unload debt, the fund said. The U.S. mortgage and credit crises could cause almost $1 trillion in financial losses, the IMF said in an update to its Global Financial Stability Report.

FINANCIAL: WaMu secures $7 billion infusion

Seattle —- Washington Mutual Inc., hit hard by rising delinquencies and defaults on mortgages, said Tuesday that it will receive $7 billion in new capital from an investment group led by private equity firm TPG but will post a wider-than-expected loss for the first quarter. The thrift said it will lose $1.1 billion during the first quarter and take a provision for loan losses of $3.5 billion —- $1.5 billion more than previously expected. Separately, the country's largest savings and loan said it will get out of the wholesale lending business, close all remaining stand-alone home loan centers and lay off 3,000 workers.

Fed auctions off $50 billion more

Washington —- The Federal Reserve, still working to combat the effects of a severe credit squeeze, said Tuesday that it had auctioned an additional $50 billion to cash-strapped banks at an interest rate of 2.820 percent. It marked the ninth in a series of auctions that began in December that so far have pumped $310 billion in short-term loans into the nation's banking system.

HEALTH CARE: GlaxoSmithKline gets FDA warning

Washington —- Federal regulators have issued a warning to GlaxoSmithKline for not reporting safety results on its diabetes pill Avandia, which received a prominent warning label last year.

Medical device makers warned

Washington —- Expanding the scope of its Heparin recall, the government is sending letters to 82 medical device makers today, warning them to withdraw any stents, catheters and other products that might contain the contaminated blood thinner. The move came as the Food and Drug Administration tripled the number of deaths it said could be linked to the tainted drug. After reviewing more than 1,200 reports of allergic reactions from users, the agency said that 62 deaths since January 2007 may now be related to contaminated Heparin, up from the 19 deaths it previously counted.

HOSPITALITY: Enterprise creates 'Green Branches'

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is designating four of its metro Atlanta locations as its first "Green Branches" in the nation, with more than half the fleet consisting of hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles. The branches are in Buckhead, Downtown Atlanta, Dunwoody and near Emory University. The hybrids, Toyota Priuses and Toyota Camrys, will rent for the same price as premium-size cars. The fuel-efficient cars will rent for the daily price with no additional charge. Enterprise officials said the Green Branches were a response to Atlanta customers who asked to rent environmentally friendly cars.

MANUFACTURING: Philips to pull out of TV market

Royal Philips Electronics, the Dutch consumer electronics giant, will no longer manufacture televisions for sale in the United States or Canada. The Philips brand will still be sold, but the sets will be made under license by Tokyo-based Funai Electric for at least five years. Philips plans to leave its Atlanta headquarters and consolidate employees from its remaining consumer products in its offices in Stamford, Conn. Those working in the television business may be employed by Funai, a spokesman said.

REAL ESTATE: CEO forfeits stock, options

Miami —- Lennar Corp.'s chief executive could have earned more than $11 million in compensation in 2007 but forfeited $9.95 million of it because the home builder failed to meet financial goals, an Associated Press analysis of company filings showed. Stuart Miller was granted $9.95 million in stock and option awards on Feb. 27, 2007, but later forfeited that amount because the home builder fell short of profit goals. The $11.1 million value of Miller's total compensation became $1.1 million without the stock and option awards.

REGULATORY: Tax protesters target of feds

The Justice Department on Tuesday pledged a nationwide crackdown on the so-called tax protester movement. Also known as tax deniers, the protesters assert a constitutional right to avoid paying taxes, relying on century-old Supreme Court cases and other repudiated legal theories. "These arguments are bogus," Justice Department tax chief Nathan Hochman said. "If you owe taxes, you must pay them. Period."

Slaughterhouse violations found

Washington —- A federal audit of 18 beef slaughterhouses after the nation's largest beef recall found humane handling violations in four of them. One plant was temporarily suspended. The audit by the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service found that one plant was insufficiently stunning animals before slaughter. That plant has taken corrective actions, and its suspension was lifted. The plants were not named.

TECHNOLOGY: Facebook to add online chat feature

Facebook Inc., the No. 2 social networking Web site, will begin offering a feature that lets users send instant messages to online "friends." Facebook Chat will be widely available Friday, spokeswoman Malorie Lucich said. The service will let members see which of their friends are logged onto the site and are available to chat.

Lenovo, Dell spar over ads

Lenovo Group Ltd., the world's fourth-largest PC maker, was asked by the Better Business Bureau to stop claiming it sells "the world's best engineered PCs" after a complaint by Dell Inc. Lenovo is appealing the request and will continue to use the slogan until a final ruling is made by the Better Business Bureau, company spokesman Ray Gorman said Tuesday. The complaint by Dell, the second-largest computer maker, focused on print, Internet and outdoor ads that claimed Lenovo's PCs are the "best engineered" and have "the awards to prove it."

TRANSPORTATION: United teams up with Irish airline

Dublin, Ireland —- Aer Lingus and United Airlines announced a code-sharing partnership Tuesday that will allow customers to book flights using each other's reservation networks. The deal comes as more Irish head to the United States, rather than Europe, to exploit the exceptionally weak dollar. Weekend shopping trips to New York are particularly common. The partnership takes effect in September for flights on or after Nov. 1.

US Airways union approves contract

US Airways Group Inc. mechanics approved a four-year contract that boosts pay 19 percent over the life of the agreement, the airline and union said Tuesday. The contract, approved by 65 percent of the union members voting, also unites 3,300 mechanics from US Airways and America West Airlines under one contract for the first time since the carriers merged in September 2005. US Airways has struggled to move all of its workers to single union contracts. Pilots, flight attendants and baggage handlers remain under separate labor agreements.