CONGRESS

President Obama urged Congress to pass the economic stimulus package before the end of the holiday weekend so he could sign it into law in an effort to help the nation emerge from a recession.

Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker is ready to announce My Phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week where it could announce more details about a test of the service.

The lawmakers of House Financial Service Committee on Wednesday are holding a hearing with chief executive officers of eight banks that received injections of capital from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Taiwanese-based PC computer company Acer has just begun distributing invitations to a press event in Barcelona, Spain during the Mobile World Congress being held there next month.

WASHINGTON - Both President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will huddle with Democratic and Republican congressional leaders on Monday to try to advance a huge economic stimulus bill that Obama hopes can be enacted quickly, despite Republican reservations.

EU Commissioner Viviane Reding will call on mobile phone operators in the EU to cut the cost of texting and internet use for customers who are abroad. Should they fail to comply operators could face EU regulation.

Nokia unveiled new multimedia mobile phones and a new navigation software, on Monday during the on-going World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The new navigation software, Map 2.0 provides navigation to pedestrians.

The first phones to be loaded with Google's Android mobile software have been unveiled at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

U.S. President George W. Bush insisted on Monday he had plenty of unfinished business for his last year in office but he will leave some serious challenges for his successor in January, 2009. In his State of the Union address, Bush focused on passing an economic stimulus plan and cutting wasteful spending.

President Bush, standing before Congress one last time, urged the nation Monday night to persevere against gnawing fears of recession and stay patient with the long, grinding war in Iraq. He pressed Congress to quickly pass a plan to rescue the economy. We can all see that growth is slowing, Bush said in a blunt acknowledgment of rising food and gas prices, increasing unemployment and turmoil in the housing and financial markets.

With Americans weary of the Iraq war and U.S. elections on the horizon, Congress is struggling over how to get tough on Iran without giving President George W. Bush a blank check for a military strike.

U.S. electronic companies with combined annual sales of $160 billion urged Congress on Wednesday to approve four pending free trade agreements, which they said were vital to continued economic growth.

Lawmakers called on Wednesday for a 'mortgage czar' to help cope with an expected wave of foreclosures from the U.S. housing slump but Alan Greenspan said the credit crunch was past the worst. Fallout from a global credit squeeze, sparked by problems in the U.S. subprime mortgage market, have rattled markets in recent weeks, threatening economic growth and bank earnings.

U.S. security contractor Blackwater defended its role in Iraq on Tuesday but skeptical lawmakers took aim at the company over a series of incidents, including a September 16 shooting that killed 11 Iraqis.In a testy, partisan hearing, Democrats denounced the contractor for aggressive behavior. The State

The $85-billion student loan industry is looking toward its next battle in the U.S. Congress -- one that could be for its very survival -- as President George W. Bush on Thursday signed legislation slashing federal subsidies to the troubled sector.

South Africa's most powerful labor group endorsed Jacob Zuma as the next leader of the ruling African National Congress on Thursday, aiming to nudge him into the presidency and the country towards socialism.

The U.S. Congress is looking into Mattel Inc's procedures for alerting federal regulators about hazardous toys, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Friday.

The new kings of Wall Street -- as the managers of booming private equity and hedge funds have been dubbed in the business press -- will come under unaccustomed scrutiny on Wednesday before the U.S. Congress.

The fight over higher automobile fuel efficiency standards shifts to the House of Representatives this week with big car companies regrouping after a stinging defeat in Senate energy legislation.

Flashy new cell phones, faster networks and more entertainment geared for the small screen are taking center stage this week as the wireless industry gathers for the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.