IBT Staff Reporter

Countries such as the United States can come up with ideas for a U.N. climate pact beyond an April 24 deadline, the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat said on Friday.

California's new low-carbon fuel rules may be a violation of NAFTA and World Trade Organization provisions because they would unfairly limit exports of crude from Canada's oil sands to the state, a prominent Canadian trade lawyer said Friday.

Cell phone chip supplier Qualcomm Inc flipped to a loss for its fiscal second quarter, hurt by investment losses and hefty costs related to its legal settlement with archrival Broadcom Corp .

Wall Street looked set for a drop of more than 1 percent at the open on Monday as investors worried that a possible global flu outbreak could throw a wrench into the economy's ability to climb out of a recession.

Humana Inc posted a huge gain in first-quarter profit on improvement in its Medicare health plans for seniors, and the insurer raised its full-year earnings forecast.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has picked private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co as preferred buyer for Oriental Brewery, South Korea's second-biggest beer maker, an OB official said on Monday.

Wireless chip supplier Qualcomm Inc agreed to pay smaller rival Broadcom Corp $891 million over four years to settle long-standing and increasingly bitter legal battles over technology patents.

Verizon Communications Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit after a 12 percent increase in revenue, helped by its purchase of smaller rival Alltel and growth in cell phone customers.

Cell phone chip supplier Qualcomm Inc flipped to a loss for its fiscal second quarter, hurt by investment losses and hefty costs related to its legal settlement with arch-rival Broadcom Corp .

Whirlpool Corp , the world's biggest appliance maker, reported a lower quarterly profit on Monday as sales fell in the global slowdown.

Verizon Communications posted a 12 percent increase in revenue on Monday, helped by its purchase of smaller rival Alltel and growth in cell phone customers.

Stock futures pointed to a more than 1 percent drop at the open on Monday as investors worried that a possible global flu outbreak could throw a wrench into the economy's ability to climb out of a recession.

Stock index futures traded lower, suggesting a weaker start for Wall Street later on Monday as worries linked to a global swine flu outbreak added to U.S. bank stress-test jitters.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has picked private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co as preferred buyer of South Korea's Oriental Brewery , a company official said on Monday, confirming a report.

Fears that any tentative green shoots in the global economy could be trampled by a deadly outbreak of swine flu put markets on edge on Monday, after world policymakers said over the weekend that a recovery could begin later this year but plenty of downside risk remained.

Societe Generale denied on Monday a newspaper report that it wrote down 5 billion euros ($6.6 billion) in assets last year as a result of trading at a unit and was left with a similar amount of toxic products.

U.S. stock index futures traded lower, suggesting a weaker start for Wall Street later on Monday as worries linked to a global swine flu outbreak added to U.S. bank stress-test jitters.

The threat of a pandemic triggered by a new 'flu strain that has killed 103 people in Mexico will provide a windfall for some makers of drugs and vaccines.

U.S. stock index futures traded lower, suggesting a weaker start for Wall Street later on Monday as worries linked to a global swine flu outbreak added to U.S. bank stress-test jitters.

Oil prices fell more than 4 percent toward $49 a barrel on Monday, pressured by fears of a global flu pandemic that could prove another setback for the fragile world economy.

World stocks tumbled on Monday, after seven weeks of gains, and oil and the euro fell as concerns intensified the spread of swine flu, which has killed more than 100 people in Mexico, would hit the global economy.

American International Group Inc has received second-round bids from three groups for its aircraft leasing business, valuing the unit at under $5 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Asian stocks fell about 2 percent on Monday as the outbreak of swine flu in North America hurt shares of airlines while prompting some market players to trim risky positions, hitting currencies such as the Australian dollar.

Bank of America Corp made inaccurate statements about its role in the bonuses and losses at Merrill Lynch & Co, former Merrill Lynch & Co Chief Executive John Thain told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

Apple has been lost and found guilty on a patent infringement against a case filed by Palo Alto, CA based OPTi Inc in Texas.

Yahoo Inc announced that its going to shutdown GeoCities a free website-design service which the firm purchased for $3-billion in 1999.

U.S. stocks may run into some turbulence this week as the impending release of bank stress test results, a Federal Reserve meeting and a flood of earnings give investors reasons for caution.

Microsoft has confirmed Friday the release candidate of the near-final version of Windows 7 beginning next week April 30.

An American journalist jailed in Iran convicted of spying has gone on a hunger strike for the fifth day to protest her imprisonment, her father said Saturday.