IBT Staff Reporter

Victorian Premier John Brumby sought to trump Mr Rudd's offer to take responsibility for 60 per cent of state hospital funding in return for taking 30 per cent of GST revenues, with a demand for a 50-50 split that would leave the states in control of public hospitals.

Six months after Merrill Lynch veteran Bob McCann came on board to revive the U.S. wealth management business of UBS, the Swiss bank's investors were reminded that a full recovery is still a ways away.

A new book about the male mind suggests women should accept that a bloke just can't help it .

On March 17, 2009, a group of mortgage bond investors worried about the losses they could suffer as a result of U.S. foreclosure prevention plans asked top bankers to share the pain by taking some write-downs on $450 billion in home equity loans.

Lowe's Companies Inc said on Monday that it will sell $1 billion of debt in two parts and will use slightly more than half of the net proceeds to pay off notes coming due in June.

MasterCard Inc named Chief Operating Officer Ajay Banga as chief executive, signaling the increasing importance of emerging markets to the credit and debit card processing company.

Barnes & Noble Inc will sell its Nook electronic-book reader at Best Buy Co Inc, expanding distribution as it faces growing competition with the entry of Apple Inc's iPad.

Microsoft Corp launched two new phones aimed at young people on Monday, marking a fresh assault on the low end of the growing smartphone market, where BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd and Apple Inc now dominate.

Pimco will not be buying new Greek debt as it believes a euro zone rescue package fails to tackle the country's longer-term solvency challenges, the chief executive of the bond fund told Reuters.

Taking advantage of easy credit, highly rated U.S. companies are loading up on debt to expand and acquire rivals, sacrificing ratings in the process, Standard & Poor's said on Monday.

ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization, won a coveted Pulitzer prize on Monday for The Deadly Choices at Memorial about controversial deaths at a New Orleans medical center in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The Dow industrials closed above 11,000 for the first time in almost 19 months on Monday as expectations of solid first-quarter earnings spurred buying in financial, energy and industrial sectors.

China's state-owned Sinopec plans to buy ConocoPhillips' stake in the huge Syncrude project in Canada's oil sands for $4.65 billion, marking one of the Asian country's largest investments ever in North America.

WHAT: U.S. March retail sales reportWHEN: Wednesday, April 14 at 8:30 a.m. ET

Tribune Co filed its bankruptcy reorganization plan on Monday, setting the U.S. newspaper publisher up for a showdown with a large group of lenders that called the terms unfair and demanded the right to propose a rival plan.

Alcoa Inc posted a narrower first-quarter loss on Monday on higher revenue from metal prices, meeting Wall Street estimates and sending its shares up after hours.

Global hedge funds took in $16.6 billion in new money in February as pension funds and wealthy investors raced to capture a piece of the industry's recent strong returns, data released on Monday show.

Alcoa Inc posted a narrower first-quarter loss on Monday on higher revenue from metal prices, meeting Wall Street estimates and sending its shares up after hours.

We've all heard the scenario. A friend returns from Paris and asked if they saw the Mona Lisa, they reply 'Yeah, it's tiny, I thought it would be better.' It's sad when you finally experience something after years of build-up and anticipation, and it's just not how you always imagined.

The Obama administration vowed on Monday to push for even tougher financial regulation reform, as legislation heads for the Senate floor as soon as next week.

U.S. exports to Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa are forecast to grow almost 20 percent this year to a record $75 billion, fueled by big infrastructure projects and resurgent consumer demand, according to a new private sector report.

The Dow industrials closed above 11,000 for the first time in almost 19 months on Monday as expectations of solid first-quarter earnings spurred buying in financial, energy and industrial sectors.

Electronic Arts Inc has reached a publishing and distribution deal with a new game studio formed by the creators of the Call of Duty franchise, which became a blockbuster for EA rival Activision Blizzard Inc.

Palm Inc has hired bankers to explore several options, including a sale of the company, whose smartphones sales have suffered badly against rivals like the iPhone and BlackBerry.

Chinese state-owned company Sinopec plans to buy ConocoPhillips' stake in the largest project in Canada's oil sands for $4.65 billion, the richest deal yet to expand China's interest in the huge unconventional resource.

(Refiles to correct ConocoPhillips' stock symbol in first paragraph to COP.N from COP.TO)

General Motors Co expects to report solid operating results for the first quarter, which will show progress toward its goal of returning to profitability in 2010, Chief Executive Ed Whitacre said on Monday.

China is all set to start building its third West East Pipeline project by the end of this year, according to an official statement. The pipeline is designed to transmit 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually. It will also act as a catalyst for delivering imported natural gas from Central Asia, it said.

Gold has the dubious distinction of abetting crimes across the globe. And, this time the yellow metal has done something which the world has never seen or heard till now. It is worse than 9/11 or 26/11 terror strikes on World Trade Center and Mumbai respectively. You must be wondering where did such a big crime occurred. Because, this terrorism is a bloodless one. Here, only gold and dollars are involved - that too in trillions. The new crime is called financial terrorism. And if you dare to ex...