IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks indexes opened lower on Monday as fears of a credit rating downgrade of French banks and the lack of a solution to Greece's debt problem heightened concerns about the euro zone's debt crisis.

Campaigns to protect the shark species have seen progresses last week, with the California Senate passing the ban on sales and possession of shark fins last Tuesday. In Toronto, the City Council voted unanimously to support a city-wide ban on the sales and consumption of shark fin on Friday.

Swatch Group said it terminated its alliance with Tiffany & Co. , blaming the U.S. jeweler for blocking the development of their watch joint venture and relaunching speculation that Tiffany could become a takeover target.

The New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Amex Cash Markets invoked Rule 48 on Monday, as fears of a credit rating downgrade of French banks and the lack of a solution to Greece's debt problem heightened concerns about the euro zone's debt crisis.

Research firm Gartner slashed its growth forecast for the global PC market this year to 3.8 percent from 9.3 percent, citing slower economies in Western Europe and the United States, and a boom in media tablets.

Societe Generale said it would cut costs and sell assets to free up 4 billion euros in fresh capital on Monday, although the surprise move failed to stem a sell-off in French bank shares, driven by fears of a Greek debt default.

Paul Simon performed his signature song The Sound of Silence at the memorial service held at the ground zero on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack when nearly 3,000 lives were lost.

Verizon Communications has dashed the hopes of Vodafone investors by ruling out a return to a recurring dividend from the two companies' mobile phone joint venture, called Verizon Wireless, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

U.S. stock index futures fell sharply on Monday as fears of a credit rating downgrade of French banks and the lack of a solution to Greece's debt problem heightened concerns about the euro zone's debt crisis.

World shares tumbled 2 percent on Monday with European equities down 3 percent for a more than 20 percent loss this year as investors worried Greece was edging closer to default.

Former President Al Gore will renew his 30-year campaign to convince skeptics of the link between climate change and extreme weather events this week in a 24-hour global multi-media event.

Amazon.com Inc is in talks with book publishers about launching a media library service similar to Netflix Inc for tablets and other digital books, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Stock index futures fell sharply on Monday as fears of a credit rating downgrade of French banks and the lack of a solution to Greece's debt problem heightened concerns about the euro zone's debt crisis.

World shares tumbled nearly 2 percent on Monday with European equities at 26-month lows, down more than 20 percent this year, as investors worried Greece would default amid signs of rifts among euro zone policymakers.

HSBC Holdings Plc <0005.HK> has launched the sale of its non-life insurance business, sources told Reuters on Monday, a global division worth about $1 billion and now part of the bank's plan to strip away non-core units.

Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is now ready to face in an epic trilogy match-up Mexican archrival Juan Miguel Marquez on November 12 in MGM Grand in Las Vegas after rigid training with Freddie Roach.

Gold in India extended losses on Monday afternoon, following similar trend overseas, although a weaker rupee kept the downside limited, dealers said.

Britain's banks face some of the world's toughest regulations under reforms outlined on Monday, which require them to insulate their retail lending activities and store up billions in extra capital at a cost of up to 7 billion pounds ($11 billion).

Music can be streamed from the cloud to iOS devices as Google Music Beta is now accessible in iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

The highly anticipated Apple’s smartphone, iPhone 5 is heading towards its release in October and the company as usual, is still lip-tied and hasn’t let out anything about the phone yet.

Stock futures pointed to sharp falls for equities on Monday after tumbling in the previous session following the resignation of a top official at the European Central Bank, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 down 1.6 to 1.9 percent.

Debt-laden Greece has cash to operate until next month, the country's deputy finance minister said on Monday, highlighting the country's need to qualify for the next tranche out of its ongoing EU/IMF bailout.

In a world of booming smartphones and tablets, social game providers will take the spotlight at the Tokyo Game Show this week, while champion Nintendo, criticized for being too centered on hardware, struggles to win back fans.

Britain's banks should shield their retail operations from riskier investment banking units and boost capital levels to protect taxpayers from future crises, according to far-reaching proposals that could cost the industry 7 billion pounds ($11 billion) a year.

The euro zone will do everything needed to defend the euro including if needed, increasing the size of the bloc's bailout fund, the EFSF, Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted as saying on Monday.

Near the peak of General Motors Co's financial crisis, Opel workers laid a coffin at the feet of the brand's founder Adam Opel to mark what they considered the death of the brand.

European index futures tumbled on Monday, following a slide in Asian equities, and the euro slumped to a 10-year low against the yen after the resignation of a top European Central Bank official cast further doubt on the region's ability to tackle its worsening sovereign debt crisis.

Near the peak of General Motors Co's financial crisis, Opel workers laid a coffin at the feet of the brand's founder Adam Opel to mark what they considered the death of the brand.

Electric cars and hybrids may be capturing headlines and the imagination of green-leaning consumers around the world as one automaker after another announces plans to push into the brave new world of fossil fuel-free mobility.