IBT Staff Reporter

Apple Inc is set to announce a new tablet device later this month, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, as anticipation builds about what could be the company's biggest product launch since the iPhone.

Michael Widenius, the creator of the MySQL database and a vocal opponent of Oracle Corp's (ORCL.O) $7 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc (JAVA.O), has handed 14,000 signatures opposing the deal to regulators in Europe, China and Russia.

A News Corp (NWSA.O) unit has agreed to sell movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to movie information site Flixster, combining massive databases of movies, reviews and trailers, the companies said on Monday

Optical and electronic instruments maker II-VI Inc (IIVI.O) raised its revenue outlook for fiscal 2010, helped by its recent acquisition of China-based Photop Technologies Inc.

The heads of Comcast Corp and NBC Universal have been asked to appear at a Senate committee hearing later this month to discuss a deal pending between the two companies, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

The United Nations, criticized over fraud in Afghanistan's presidential elections last year, cannot back future polls without reforms to the voting process, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a new report.

Bank of America Corp's defense against civil charges it misled investors during its takeover of Merrill Lynch & Co suffered a setback on Monday when a judge ruled that the bank may not present as trial evidence media reports that it told shareholders to ignore.

Google Inc is expected to unveil its highly anticipated Nexus One smartphone on Tuesday, marking a first foray into an increasingly crowded market that could shape the future of the company's advertising business.

Kim Raver is taking up permanent residence at Seattle Grace, only two months after she joined ABC's Grey's Anatomy as a recurring character.

Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will be among stars taking on real estate mogul Donald Trump in the boardroom for the Celebrity Apprentice television program in March, NBC said on Monday.

H&R Block Inc will pay as much as $20.2 million to settle a New York lawsuit accusing it of fraudulently marketing retirement accounts that caused hundreds of thousands of mostly lower-income clients to lose money.

U.S. economic growth as measured by real gross domestic product will top 5 percent in 2010 and the unemployment rate fall below 9 percent, said longtime Wall Street strategist Byron Wien.

A duet sung by the late Michael Jackson and Lenny Kravitz hit the web on Monday and according to Kravitz he does not know who leaked the clip.

Technology leaders from Microsoft to Intel and Nokia will face new rivals; 3D-TV will be all the rage; and a flurry of glitzy wireless devices -- from e-readers to ever-smaller personal computers -- will make their debuts.

Stocks climbed broadly on Monday after a report showed the manufacturing sector expanded for a fifth straight month, lifting confidence in the global economy as investors eye fourth quarter earnings.

A previously unheard of clip sung by the late Michael Jackson and Lenny Kravitz hit the web on Monday; Kravitz does not know who leaked the clip.

Chinese manufacturing grew at its fastest pace on record in December, data showed on Monday, while U.S. factories marked their best month in nearly four years, suggesting more improvement in the world economy.

The Federal Reserve sees a moderate economic recovery continuing in 2010, but needs to keep interest rates exceptionally low for an extended period to foster job growth, a Fed policymaker said on Monday.

Global factory business activity grew at its fastest pace in nearly four years in December as new orders growth accelerated at a rate not seen in more that five and a half years, a survey showed on Monday.

Veteran investor Martin Whitman will relinquish his role as Third Avenue Management LLC's co-chief investment officer, the company said on Monday.

Stocks climbed broadly on Monday after a report showed the manufacturing sector expanded for a fifth straight month, lifting confidence in the global economy as investors eye fourth quarter earnings.

The U.S. manufacturing sector grew at its fastest pace in nearly four years in December, its fifth consecutive month of expansion, data showed on Monday, adding to hopes of economic improvement in 2010.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said instability in Yemen posed a global threat and pledged on Monday to plug any holes in U.S. security procedures after a Christmas Day airline bombing attempt.

A third uninvited guest made it into a White House state dinner in honour of the Indian prime minister, but there is no evidence the person had contact with the president or first lady, the Secret Service said on Monday.

The Australian Dollar opens higher on Tuesday at US91 cents as the greenback dropped across the board overnight.

Credit Suisse Group AG has been sued by property owners in four luxury ski and golf resorts, saying the Swiss bank concocted a loan scheme to defraud them and ultimately take over the properties.

H&R Block Inc will pay as much as $20.2 million to settle a New York lawsuit accusing it of fraudulently marketing retirement accounts that caused hundreds of thousands of mostly lower-income clients to lose money.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday he was appalled that an Islamist group planned to march through a town renowned for honoring British troops killed in Afghanistan.

The United States said on Monday it had begun discussing with other countries fresh sanctions to try to pressure Iran's government and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to curb Tehran's nuclear programs.