IBT Staff Reporter

Consumer spending was flat in December as households took advantage of the largest rise in income in nine months to boost their savings, setting the tone for a slowdown in demand early in 2012.

The Netherlands plans to crack down on Internet service providers that allow access to file-sharing sites such as Pirate Bay, though it will not make it an offence for individuals to download from these sites.

Consumer spending was flat in December as households took advantage of the largest rise in income in nine months to boost their savings, setting the tone for a slowdown in demand early in 2012.

Stock index futures fell on Monday as concerns grew about the state of Europe's finances as Greece and Germany sparred over budget measures for Athens.

It would be difficult for Ireland to remain in the euro zone if its voters rejected a proposed new fiscal treaty, its European Affairs minister said on Monday, raising the stakes in a political battle over whether to put the plan to a referendum.

Stock index futures fell on Monday as concerns grew about the state of Europe's finances as Greece and Germany sparred over budget measures for Athens.

Canon's 76-year-old chairman and CEO will take on the additional role of president after the $60 billion Japanese camera and printer maker forecast weak earnings growth and said its current president was stepping down.

Carrefour , Europe's largest retailer, picked industry veteran Georges Plassat as its next boss, signaling key shareholders may back another attempt to fix its ailing hypermarkets rather than push for a break up.

Confidence in the euro zone's economy strengthened in January for the first time since early 2011, EU data showed on Monday, but a recovery in Germany masked a deterioration in France and Italy, highlighting the bloc's diverging fortunes.

The latest footage, which was uploaded on the YouTube late in December 2011, has already been watched by nearly two million people.

Honda Motor Co <7267.T> expects to grab at least a quarter of the world market for small business jets soon after delivering its first aircraft next year, achieving the company's long-standing goal of taking to the skies, an executive said.

Confidence in the euro zone's economy strengthened in January for the first time since early 2011, EU data showed on Monday, but a recovery in Germany masked a deterioration in France and Italy in a sign of the bloc's diverging fortunes.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.7 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.64 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.79 percent at 5:13 a.m. ET.

Movie fans don't need to wait until the red carpet is rolled out to get in on the excitement of this year's Academy Awards.

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is vital in rebalancing female sex hormones and can also improve sperm count in men, a report in the Daily Mail, quoting a Medical University of Graz (Austria) study, noted.

China intends to establish Shanghai as the global centre for yuan trading, clearing and pricing over the next three years as part of broader plans to make the commercial hub an international financial centre by 2020.

The euro zone could fall back into recession this year, an ECB Governing Council member said on Monday, adding the bank's non-standard measures were a significant funding and confidence boost.

SAP, the world's largest maker of business software, may license its HANA offering to main rival Oracle in the future, its co-chief executive told a German newspaper.

The euro edged back from six week highs and global stocks were lower on Monday as investors turned cautious after U.S. growth figures on Friday that fell just short of expectations and ahead of more crisis talks among EU leaders.

Canon Inc said on Monday its president Tsuneji Uchida would step down and his role would be taken on by chairman and chief executive Fujio Mitarai after the camera and printer maker forecast much weaker-than-expected earnings growth for this year.

U.S. manufacturer Thomas and Betts Corp said it has agreed to be acquired by Switzerland's ABB in a $3.9 billion cash transaction.

Dutch Electronics giant Philips will book further, unspecified, restructuring charges in the first half of 2012, Chief Executive Officer Frans van Houten said on Monday.

Carrefour named retail veteran Georges Plassat as its new chairman and chief executive on Monday, seeking to draw a line under months of turmoil at the world's second-largest retailer.

Philips Electronics on Monday reported a 45 percent fall in fourth-quarter core profit to 503 million euros, in line with the company's own forecast earlier this month and said it was cautious on prospects for 2012, especially in Europe.

Apple's blowout quarter this week increased its cash holdings to almost $100 billion, a staggering hoard that casts a spotlight on what may prove a big catalyst for the U.S. equity market in coming years.

Georges Plassat was known as The Cleaner when at the helm of French retail group Vivarte, with a reputation as a ruthless cost-killer who could at times be harsh with the troops.

Small business payrolls grew at a slower rate in January and wages fell, an independent survey showed on Monday, suggesting the pace of overall job growth moderated after December's sturdy gain.

Canon Inc posted a 14 percent rise in quarterly operating profit on Monday, as it battled the impact of a strong yen and floods in Thailand with cost cuts and increased automation.

Canon Inc forecast weaker-than-expected earnings growth for 2012, citing worries over a slowing global economy and a strong yen that are likely to weigh on the export-dependent camera and printer maker's profits.