IBT Staff Reporter

European finance ministers will pursue plans on Monday to enhance the IMF's arsenal and press on with a drive for tighter fiscal rules in an attempt to assuage doubts they can overcome their sovereign debt crisis.

Sweden's Saab faced an end to more than 60 years of car making on Monday after its Dutch owner abandoned repeated attempts to find financing and filed for its bankruptcy.

The Dutch owner of Swedish car maker Saab said on Monday that the rejection of a rescue plan for the ailing firm by former owner and key supplier General Motors had forced it to apply for bankruptcy.

The euro and European stock markets were mostly stable on Monday as fears of rating agency downgrades over the euro zone debt crisis lingered, while news of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il fed fears of regional instability in Asia.

European stocks and the euro were under pressure on Monday in the wake of a fresh rating agency warning on the euro zone debt crisis, while news of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sparked fears of regional instability in Asia.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is developing technology that will allow students taking courses online to use simulated labs, interact with professors and other students, and earn certificates.

Sino-Forest , a China-focused forestry company accused of fraud, said it received notices of default from its noteholders and set up a committee to look at options for the company that could include its sale.

Consumers spent $30.9 billion toward online purchases during the current holiday season, a 15 percent increase from the year-ago period, as shoppers took advantage of free shipping and other online deals, according to comScore.

European Goldfields Ltd said on Sunday that it had agreed to be bought by Eldorado Gold Corp for about C$2.5 billion ($2.4 billion).

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron Corp reported a small explosion at a subsidiary's plant in Shanghai over the weekend that it said had injured 61 workers, the latest in a series of incidents that have spotlighted safety concerns at factories in China.

Sino-Forest , a China-focused forestry company accused of fraud, said on Sunday it has received notices of default from its noteholders, due to the company's failure to file its financial results in a timely manner.

Samsung Electronics has filed new claims in its patent war with Apple Inc over alleged patent infringements in Germany, a spokesman for the company said on Monday.

Samsung Electronics has filed new claims in its patent war with Apple Inc over alleged patent infringements in Germany, a spokesman for the company said on Monday.

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron said a small explosion at its subsidiary in Shanghai, China had injured some workers but would not have a big impact on production.

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron said a small explosion at its subsidiary in Shanghai, China had injured some workers but would not have a big impact on production.

Gold prices will fall below $1,500 an ounce over the next three months and are unlikely to retest September's all-time highs until later 2012 at the earliest, according to a Reuters poll of 20 hedge fund managers, economists and traders.

Australia's Qantas Airways has agreed a pay deal with its engineers, one of three unions that the airline has had a stand off with for more than a year, a union representative said.

Hedge funds that have been in discussions with Eastman Kodak Co to help shore up the company's cash position, have cut the amount they are willing to finance, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The euro zone will tackle its debt crisis this week by offering more cash to the IMF and long-term liquidity to banks, while moving toward tighter fiscal rules, after ratings agency Fitch cast doubt on its capacity to respond decisively.

Talks over potential asset sales as part of AT&T Inc's efforts to get approval of its $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA have gone cold, according to The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

Commodities trader Trafigura's profits soared nearly two-thirds to a record over $1 billion this year, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing a note to bondholders.

Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the country may pay its full contribution to the euro zone's permanent rescue fund in 2012, a regional German paper wrote.

For the week ending Dec. 16, more than $6.3 billion was spent on online shopping, according to digital analytics firm comScore. This figure is 15 percent higher than last year.

The drama over the meltdown of the brokerage firm MF Global pivots around a clash between two veteran traders who rose from relatively humble roots to the very top of the futures-trading business.

It might seem like corporate heresy but an increasing number of technology investors and experts are asking whether Research in Motion needs to ditch its BlackBerry handset business to survive.

Action adventure film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows led a trio of sequels at the box office over another underwhelming weekend that saw ticket sales fall from last year.

Nothing sharpened Christopher Hitchens' mind like cancer.

Tiger Woods, you're finally off the hook.

The finale of Survivor: South Pacific is just hours away. From the personalities of Cochran and Brandon to the dominance of Coach and Ozzy, it has been a pretty good season so far (beats Survivor Nicaragua). But six competitors are still grinding it out, and it is anyone's game at this point (ehh...kind of).