IBT Staff Reporter

NASA delaying the launch of the Endeavour because of a scheduling conflict.

North Sea Brent crude oil hit a 2-1/2-year high of almost $120 a barrel on Monday as unrest in the Middle East and North Africa kept the focus on oil supplies as economic growth bolstered demand for fuel.

The Financial Times wants to keep selling subscriptions for its digital news directly to readers rather than surrender control of new customers who sign up via Apple's iPad, the managing director of FT.com said.

Homebuilder Beazer Homes is moving into the used homes business, starting a new division to buy recently built houses that it will rent out in a depressed U.S. housing market where many people are having trouble qualifying for home loans.

Stocks were little changed after a higher open on Monday, with the S&P 500 facing levels where selling has clustered in recent sessions.

Vodafone's exit from France's SFR marks another step in the revamp of its portfolio and reflects how Europe's telecom giants are ditching weaker assets to achieve scale elsewhere ahead of a wave of big investments.

Minmetals Resources <1208.HK>, China's biggest metals trading firm, on Monday offered $6.5 billion to buy Equinox Minerals , chasing the target company's copper assets in Zambia and Saudi Arabia.

Stock index futures were little changed on Monday, with the S&P 500 facing a level where selling has clustered in recent sessions.

The Gold Price rose early Monday in London, nearing last week's high of $1439 per ounce as energy prices led a surge in commodity prices and Silver Bullion jumped 1.9% to fresh 31-year highs.

Fast-food chain McDonald's Corp said on Monday that it plans to hire as many as 50,000 U.S. additional employees later this month, citing improvements in its domestic business in recent months.

The 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards took place Sunday April 3 in Las Vegas. The awards show was full of A-list celebrities. A long with cowboy hats and boots, the night was filled with doses of glam and rock and roll.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it is releasing radioactive water into the ocean so as to leave space in the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for water that is more contaminated.

Talks between Nokia, the world's largest cellphone maker by volume, and Microsoft on a software deal are on schedule and a large number of Nokia Windows phones should be sold in 2012.

Deutsche Boerse won't make a decision on a higher bid for NYSE Euronext until the U.S. exchange's board reacts to last week's counter-offer from Nasdaq and IntercontinentalExchange, sources said.

Consumers are a lot more cautious about their spending than they were before the recession, Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Dennis Lockhart said on Monday.

Stocks were set to open slightly higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 facing a level where selling has clustered in recent sessions.

Fast-food chain McDonald's Corp said on Monday that it plans to hire as many as 50,000 U.S. additional employees later this month, citing improvements in its domestic business in recent months.

Manchester United striker celebrated his hat-trick against West Ham on Saturday by swearing into the camera. Here's a video of the incident.

Vodafone emerged on top after it finally sold its stake in France's SFR to Vivendi which, like other recent buyers, paid a full price to secure control in a major realignment of the telecoms sector.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) said it agreed to sell its Capsugel business, a maker of hard capsules, to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Robert & Co. for $2.375 billion in cash.

Stock index futures edged higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 facing a level where selling has clustered in recent sessions.

General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt defended the nuclear industry's safety record on Monday during a trip to Tokyo to show support to the operator of a stricken nuclear plant using reactors designed by the U.S. conglomerate.

After India's sensational World Cup triumph, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has deemed skipper MS Dhoni the best captain he has played under in his 22-year career in cricket.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) said on Monday it has received a Refusal-to-File letter from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for tafamidis, the company’s oral investigational compound for patients with Transthyretin Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP).

Brent crude rose over $119 a barrel and U.S. crude hit a 2-1/2-year high on Monday at more than $108 as unrest in the Middle East and North Africa triggered concern that supplies could be dented while economic growth bolsters demand.

Cash-rich Belgian chemicals group Solvay SA is betting on emerging markets with a 3.4 billion euro ($4.8 billion) cash bid for French rival Rhodia SA , ending a year-long hunt for acquisitions.

Mylan Inc. (Nasdaq: MYL) said it has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Latanoprost Ophthalmic Solution, an eyedrop that lowers pressure in the eye.

NEW YORK Stock index futures pointed to a flat to higher opening for Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.1 percent, Nasdaq futures up 0.1 percent and Dow Jones futures trading flat by 0841 GMT.

A professor from the University of Tennessee analyzed the economic impact of the loss of bats in North America in agriculture and found it to be roughly $22.9 billion a year, with the extremes ranging as low as $3.7 and $53 billion a year.