IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. stock index futures rose on Monday as commodities and the euro bounced back from last week's hefty losses.

The growth outlook in major industrialized nations is diverging with activity improving in North America, China and Russia and moderating in most European countries, the OECD's leading indicator for March showed on Monday.

Oil rebounded by more than $4 on Monday, helped by a weaker dollar as the euro strengthened and bargain hunting by traders and investors after Brent crude lost almost $17 last week.

A new study from Rice University says more than 25 percent of atheist scientists are spiritual.

Top global miner BHP Billiton sees the global economy remaining fragile in the near term and warned that economic growth could slow in the medium term, echoing recent comments from rival Rio Tinto .

Oil rebounded by more than $3 on Monday, helped by a weaker dollar as the euro strengthened and bargain hunting by traders and investors after Brent crude lost over $16 last week.

Barclays put aside 1 billion pounds ($1.64 billion) to compensate people who were wrongly sold insurance and other UK banks backed down in their fight against accusations of mis-selling.

The Apple iPad 2 frenzy in China took a violent turn when a scuffle broke out between a customer and an Apple Store employee, leaving four people injured.

Chinese banks must restrict shadowing activities and bring off-balance-sheet trust loans back onto their books to help ward off possible risk, the country's top banking regulator said on Monday.

Oil rebounded on Monday, up over $3 helped by a weaker dollar, rising Asian equity markets and bargain hunting by traders and investors after Brent crude lost over $16 last week.

British banks gave up a fight over compensating customers wrongly sold insurance, forcing Barclays Plc and HSBC to take a combined hit of more than $2 billion in the latest blow to the industry.

Toshiba Corp <6502.T>, Japan's biggest chipmaker, expects its operating profit to rise by 25 percent in the year to March 2012, roughly in line with market expectations, but warned that potential power outages could jeopardize that outlook.

Concern about plans for a fundamental review of the bailouts given to Europe's high debtors dominated debt markets on Monday although the euro itself rose, rebounding from recent sharp losses.

Rovio, the developer of the Angry Birds mobile game eyes an initial public offering in three to four years, its chief marketing officer was quoting as saying in a Finnish business daily on Monday.

Toshiba Corp <6502.T>, Japan's largest chipmaker, reported a 10 percent fall in fourth-quarter operating profit after the March earthquake and tsunami stalled operations at some of its suppliers, prompting clients to look elsewhere.

By Joshua SchneyerWhen oil prices fell below $120 a barrel in early New York trade last Thursday, a few big companies that are major oil consumers started buying around $117.

After all the angst over pricey oil and the threat it posed to the global economy, it is hard to see the recent slide as anything but a welcome reprieve.

Toshiba Corp <6502.T>, Japan's biggest chipmaker, said it expected its annual operating profit to rise by 25 percent, roughly in line with market expectations, but that outlook could be in jeopardy if potential power outages threaten its mainstay flash memory chips.

Stocks and commodities rose from last week's lows on Monday after solid U.S. payrolls data showed the economic recovery in the world's biggest economy was picking up momentum, though big gains may be limited as some sellers may be waiting for a sharper bounce to take profits.

Japan's third biggest power company on Monday is expected to shut a nuclear plant because of its vulnerability to a major quake, adding to concerns about electricity supplies after a giant quake and tsunami crippled another nuclear facility in March.

Cisco and Xerox are partnering to provide cloud computing and print products in a bid to bolster the amount of services and hardware they can each offer to their corporate clients.

Japan and the United States plan to jointly build a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Mongolia to serve customers of their nuclear plant exporters, pushing ahead despite Japan's prolonged nuclear crisis, the Mainichi daily said on Monday.

SecondMarket, which offers an online platform to match buyers and sellers in privately held companies, is seeking U.S. approval to handle those transactions, according to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

It was a great day for Manchester United as they were left just a point away from the Premiership title after a commanding display at Old Trafford against Chelsea to win 2-1.

Chubu Electric Power Co shares tumbled as much as 14 percent on Monday after Japan's prime minister called for a shutdown of its nuclear plant in central Japan due to worries a large earthquake could trigger another nuclear crisis.

Just for one special night, Citi Field in Qeens, New York, which is the home of New York Mets, will be hosting a friendly match of Equador and Greece on June 7.

Andrew Bynum has been kicked out of the game in 4th quarter when he elbowed J.J. Barea into the floor while he was going for the lay up.

The Global Marijuana March (GMM) is a yearly rally taking place at different locations across the world.

Osama Bin Laden's body has been buried at the Arabian Sea less than 24 hours after US Navy Seals killed him.