COMPANIES

A report says Google+ is requiring real names to set a positive tone on its new social networking site. A company spokesman says Google+ is working on a way to allow pseudonyms.

TD Ameritrade will consider buying E*Trade when the company's board of directors meets Thursday, according to report.

Investigations are underway as over four retail shops, in the southern Chinese city of Kunming, were discovered to be posing as fake Apple stores. Customers and even staff were fooled by the Apple products, whether they were real or selling fakes counterfeit versions. The store itself has been impressive in terms of decorating and matching furniture to legitimate Apple stores.

Scorching heat across the U.S. Midwest has almost certainly cut corn yields, and it appears that the grain futures market has largely factored this into prices.

Wall Street futures fell, the dollar dropped and gold rallied as Washington appeared no closer on Sunday to raising the debt ceiling to avert a devastating default.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser in the Manhattan sex assault case, the 32-year-old Guinean woman, has come out in public trying to cement the faltering case against the former IMF chief.

The recent revelation of fake Apple stores located in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming,Yunnan highlights its infringing patents and copyrights culture. Visitors are fooled by elaborately constructed replicas of commercial products in China known as a counterfeit haven.

The co-founder of Mattel and co-creator of Barbie has died. But the legacy of his remarkable products including Barbie and Hot Wheels lives on. Services for Handler will be held Tuesday, according to his daughter, Barbara, for whom the Barbie doll was named.

A federal appeals court rejected a move by Jared Lee Loughner's lawyers that would have stopped him from being forcibly drugged as he awaits trial for a shooting rampage that left a congresswoman with brain damage, and six dead.

Borders Group is liquidating, closing all bookstores nationally. Borders is offering discounts of up to 40 percent off, but some customers say they expected deeper discounts.

McDonald's is on a roll, increasing second quarter profits in a lackluster market. The company has fared well with success from its McCafe beverages and other menu enhancements, but the additions can be complicated in a fast food restaurant. How McDonald's handles continued menu enhancements will determine the company's success from this point going forward.

Los Angeles prosecutors on Friday charged two suspects in the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodgers Stadium while also admitting their first suspect was the wrong person.

There's no way to sugarcoat it: the U.S. housing market remains a buyer's market. That said, are there ways home sellers can better-position their home for a sale amid such intense competition? Indeed there are, and here are five.

For those angry Netflix customers, there is hope outside of the red envelope company.

Is there a way to get a quick-read on the U.S. economy, for those who are time-pressed, and don't have time to review the latest economic reports from the U.S. Federal Reserve? Indeed there is: review the performance of diversified industrial giant General Electric (GE).

Anthony Sowell, an Ohio sex offender, was convicted of the murder of 11 women on Friday. The 11 murdered women were reported missing beginning 2007, and were later found in the backyard of Sowell's home.

Microsoft beat Q4 earnings expectations on Thursday with most business units driving double digit growth, but its flagship Windows arm continues to be burdened by sluggish PC growth.

Borders is closing and many people are wondering why. But the sentiment of one Borders customer sums it up. He enjoyed looking, not buying.

Borders is officially liquidated, though Books-A-Million will buy up to 35 stores. Borders will begin closing stores as early as Friday.

Borders began its going-out-of-business sale Friday, offering discounts of up to 40 percent off on books and other gift merchandise. The company is liquidating, ending its run at America's second-largest bookstore chain.

It's not an easy job to get wine into a bottle. Yet as one Australian vintner was told in a difficult phone call, that hard work can quickly be undone by a malfunction.

The maker of ExtenZe, known for its late-night penis-enlargement commercials, has agreed to pay $1.75 million in penalties to settle an unfair business settlement.

The News of the World scandal is creating diverging accounts of who knew what when it came to media executive James Murdoch's recent testimony about a phone hacking before a parliamentary panel in London.

GE chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt had big shoes to fill in following Jack Welch as the company's leader. He's faced stiff challenges, but he's reshaping the company and starting to win.

In a sign of corporate maturity, Google is shutting the doors to its Google Labs innovation hub, and focusing its efforts onto core products, the company says.

Quiznos is on the verge of defaulting, but that shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

Calling it a bittersweet day, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn announced today before a packed courtroom during proceedings involving Borders' liquidation some stores may be spared through a sale to Books-a-Million.

Apple's competitive advantage is growing in the smartphone, tablet and personal computer categories. The company's strength is product, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. But it's the advantage of the three combined that's pushing Apple to marketshare dominance.

Levi Aron charged with two counts of first degree murder