IBT Staff Reporter

The head of China's $410 billion sovereign wealth fund CIC brushed aside a call by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to buy European government debt, saying such investments were difficult for long-term investors.

Stock index futures rose on Monday, indicating the S&P 500 would rebound from its biggest loss of the year, as Greece's parliament approved strict financial reforms needed to obtain its latest international bailout package.

Stock index futures rose on Monday, indicating the S&P 500 would rebound from its biggest loss of the year as Greece's parliament approved strict financial reforms needed to obtain its latest bailout package.

Microsoft India's retail website was down on Monday after being hacked, with a purportedly Chinese group called Evil Shadow Team posting screenshots the hackers said were customers' obscured usernames and passwords found unencrypted on the site.

Marin Software, a startup that publishes applications used to manage online advertising campaigns, has raised $30 million in a new investment round led by Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings.

China Investment Corp remains wary about investing in European government bonds despite a plea from Germany's chancellor, but will look for opportunities in infrastructure and real industrial projects, the head of the country's $410 billion sovereign wealth fund said on Monday.

Relief over the passing of austerity measures by the Greek parliament saw bank shares lead European stocks higher on Monday, while the euro also gained even though more steps are needed before the shadow of a messy debt default can be lifted.

General Electric Co plans to hire 5,000 U.S. military veterans over the next five years and to invest $580 million to expand its aviation footprint in the United States this year.

European government bonds are not ideal for long-term investors such as China Investment Corporation , the head of China's $410 billion sovereign wealth fund said on Monday.

On January 13, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services cut the credit ratings of nine euro zone countries, stripping France and Austria of their triple-A status and triggering new concerns about the region's financial health.

Japan's economy shrank much more-than-expected in the fourth quarter, as Thai floods, a strong yen and weak demand hurt exports, casting doubt on hopes for a quick pick up in activity that could bolster government plans to raise the sales tax.

The Greek parliament's approval of austerity measures to secure a much-needed bailout lifted the euro and European shares on Monday, although with further steps needed before the shadow of a debt default can be lifted, gains may be limited.

Japan's Olympus Corp, which is trying to recover from an accounting scandal that battered its balance sheet, forecast a 32 billion yen ($412 million) full-year net loss on Monday, dragged down in large part by its ailing camera business.

The European Union will not bow to pressure to suspend a controversial scheme to charge airlines for their carbon emissions, but is willing to be flexible in finding a solution to a row that threatens to escalate into a full-blown trade war.

Federal prosecutors have presented evidence to a grand jury against U.S. executives of cosmetics company Avon Products , in a case that probes whether those executives broke foreign bribery laws, the Wall Street Journal said.

Japan's Olympus Corp, which is trying to recover from a massive accounting scandal that battered its balance sheet, forecast on Monday a 32 billion yen ($412 million) full-year net loss, dragged down in large part by its ailing camera business.

In the race for sales, India's carmakers may need to ease off the accelerator as they speed towards a head-on collision with a capacity glut.

Japan's Mitsubishi Corp <8058.T> cleared the last hurdle on Monday to take control of iron ore, port and rail projects in Western Australia which are slated to cost $10 billion and which it hopes to fund with Chinese partners.

Japan's economy shrank more-than-expected in the fourth quarter, hurt by slowing global growth, Thai floods and a strong yen, casting doubt on hopes for a pick up in activity in the first months of 2012.

Asian shares and the euro gained on Monday after Greece came a step closer to securing a much-needed bailout fund and avoiding a messy default, though most of the recent optimism appeared to have been already priced in.

China has no intention of buying up or controlling a debt-ridden Europe that it still has confidence in, and any help Beijing may offer will be for purely economic reasons, a top state-run newspaper said on Monday ahead of a China-EU summit.

A court has ordered Mexico's competition watchdog to investigate claims of collusion between businesses controlled by telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim and Spain's Telefonica, according to a court document seen by Reuters on Sunday.

British soul singer Adele won four early Grammys on Sunday, including song of the year for her smash hit Rolling in the Deep, in a show that began on a somber note with a prayer for late pop superstar Whitney Houston.

Three years after China launched its most ambitious experiment yet to give its currency more global clout, some market watchers are writing its epitaph, saying Beijing is not loosening its grip on the yuan fast enough to attract sustained interest.

At the New Jersey church where her singing career first took flight, fans and admirers gathered on Sunday to celebrate the life of Whitney Houston and mourn her passing a day after she died in a Beverly Hills hotel.

Whitney Houston, the pop singer, has died on the eve of the Grammy awards.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office on late Sunday ruled out foul play in the death of singer Whitney Houston.

The Grammy Awards must have had no idea how lucky they were to choose LL Cool J as their host -- the rapper-actor struck exactly the right tone as the ceremony tried to honor Whitney Houston without letting her death completely overshadow the ceremony.

Coroners on Sunday completed their autopsy on the body of singer Whitney Houston and confirmed that she was found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room, but said the cause of death would not be determined until more lab tests were completed.