Germany to invite GM this week on Opel

Germany is ready for further talks with General Motors on the sale of European carmaker Opel and wants to avoid confrontation with the U.S. firm on the matter, a government spokesman said on Monday.

Economic reports due today

The U.S. Census Bureau will release its report on Construction Spending today at 10:00 a.m. ET. The private group Institute for Supply Management releases its Manufacturing report today at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Facebook to boost staff by 50% in 2009: report

Online social networking site Facebook is looking to expand its staff by as much as 50 percent this year, its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told Bloomberg news agency in an interview dated August 20.

Senator seeks broad SEC market review: report

A Democrat senator is expected on Monday to ask the Securities and Exchange Commission to review the stock market's structures, Dow Jones Newswires reported, reviving a debate over the market impact of computer-based trading.

Europe's Saharan power plan: miracle or mirage?

A 400 billion euro ($774 billion) plan to power Europe with Sahara sunlight is gaining momentum, even as critics see high risks in a large corporate project using young technology in north African countries with weak rule of law.