IBT Staff Reporter

Chinese police have arrested prominent writer Ran Yunfei for challenging the ruling Communist Party, people close to the blogger said on Monday, the latest in a string of arrests in a deepening crackdown on dissent.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho admitted that he was just hours away from accepting the England manager's job in 2007 before the appointment of Fabio Capello.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Monday as foreign headwinds remained in view following three days of U.S. equities gains, suggesting the recent period of volatility wasn't over.

Parents whose hectic schedules mean they can't be at home when their children go to bed can now buy an app which enables them to read their youngsters a goodnight story or sing them a lullaby from afar.

Italy's embattled Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made a rare appearance in a court in Milan on Monday at the preliminary hearing of a case over allegations of fraud and embezzlement during the purchase of television broadcasting rights for inflated prices.

Portugal has become the first country to meet Europe Union fuel-efficiency goals for cars, and Japan's Toyota is the brand that is closest to meeting the same target across Europe, a report showed on Monday.

A study shows that the cricket World cup caused a surge in visitation to cricket sites in India as fans went online for the latest results and match updates. Sites reached their highest volume of traffic for the month during the week ending March 13, with 16.4 percent of India's online population visiting ESPNCricInfo.com and 13.4 percent of web users visiting Yahoo! Cricket.

Oil retreated on Monday with Brent slipping to around $115 after Libyan rebels regained control of key oil towns, and unrest over the weekend was limited to minor crude exporters Syria and Yemen.

Apple is due to delay the launch of its much awaited cloud-integrated iteration of iOS 5 which, if Apple followed its tradition, would have been launched this spring.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said Saturday that Japan was ''still far from the end of the accident'' that hit a nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture, according to a report by the New York Times.

Even as the reports of Syrian forces pounding protesters in coastal Latakia poured in, hopes have emerged that President Bashar al-Assad may mull lifting the half century-old emergency law.

Noted English industrial designer, Sir James Dyson has accused a section of Chinese students studying in the United Kingdom of infiltrating universities in order to steal intellectual property and technology inventions.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will re-open 12 of its Seiyu stores in Japan which were affected by the earthquake, and is hoping to open the remaining 12 impacted stores as soon as possible, a spokesman for the U.S.-based retailer said.

Glencore , the global commodities trading giant, is set to appear before the listing committee of the Hong Kong stock exchange this week, the strongest sign yet it will go ahead with a roughly $10 billion IPO, two sources with direct knowledge of the plans told Reuters on Monday.

The situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant remains very serious, the International Energy Agency said on Monday.

Europe would benefit from proposed new rules for motorbike safety and environmental performance, but the industry's capacity to adapt will need to be taken into account, according to views expressed at a hearing in the European Parliament last week.

Oil retreated on Monday with Brent slipping below $115 after Libyan rebels regained control of key oil towns, and unrest over the weekend was limited to minor crude exporters Syria and Yemen.

The euro weakened on Monday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives were routed in elections in a key state, while world shares eased back from their recent rally.

The chief executive of Caterpillar Inc has warned the governor of Illinois that state spending and an unfavorable business climate could undermine the competitiveness of Illinois-based companies.

The Nikkei average fell on Monday after weekend reports of soaring radiation levels at a damaged nuclear plant, adding to investors' worries over disrupted supply chains and power cuts already biting into corporate earnings after Japan's earthquake and tsunami.

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has suffered a fresh set back in his hopes of playing for Manchester United again after damaging his shoulder in a training session.

The euro slipped on Monday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives were routed in elections in a key state, while Asian shares fell as turmoil in the Middle East and Japan's nuclear crisis left investors with little appetite for riskier assets.

Amy Adams grabs role of Lois Lane in 'Superman: Man of Steel' in a casting choice that has been received well as the actress joins a list of remarkable actresses who played the role over the years. Start the slideshow to see photos:

U.S. film studio Warner Brothers said it would offer five additional movies for rent on social networking website Facebook, a further sign of intensifying competition in renting out movies on the Internet.

Oil was steady on Monday with Brent stabilizing above $115 as investors looked to Middle East geopolitics to maintain near-record long speculative positions, while flaring unrest over the weekend was limited to minor crude exporters Syria and Yemen.

Facebook, the social networking giant, is seeking to hire former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs for a senior post, The New York Times reported.

Apple with its ground-breaking iPad hogs the show, but several other brands too have proved their mettle in terms of the value that they provide to SMB owners and managers.

Japanese chipmaker Elpida Memory Inc said on Monday it expected no interruptions to its product supply following the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered a nuclear safety crisis and rolling power blackouts.

Oil was steady on Monday with Brent stabilizing near $116 as investors looked to geopolitical factors to maintain near-record long speculative positions, while flaring unrest over the weekend was limited to minor crude exporters Syria and Yemen.