IBT Staff Reporter

Canadian researchers say massive volcanic eruptions, burning coal and accelerated greenhouse gas “could literally be the smoking gun” that explains the Earth's most severe extinction event - latest Permian extinction, also known as the Great Dying.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.04 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.03 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.1 percent at 5:27 a.m. ET.

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - If Oprah can do it, so can schools in Singapore.

(In January 14 story, corrects paragraphs 2 and 12 to clarify only two schools are currently handing out iPads to students.)

Tunisia has arrested the owner of a private TV station and his son for treason for inciting violence and working for ousted leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's return, the state news agency said on Sunday.

Philips Electronics reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter net profit, as poor TV sales hit its lifestyle division, and warned that consumers in mature markets will be reluctant to spend this year.

Profit-taking took the euro off two-month highs on Monday and caused euro zone stocks to pare back recent gains amid signs of an improving if uneven recovery by the region's economy.

Facebook founding president Sean Parker has yet again hit out against the movie 'The Social Network' for portraying him as a morally reprehensible human being.

Fans lit up internet in memory of Heath Ledger on his third death anniversary. 'The Dark Knight' with the actor portraying Joker was the favorite to watch.

A recent PhD graduate has launched an online business to sell academic papers, charging between 10 to 20 thousand yuan for each paper.

California-based Tri-valley University found to run a racket that facilitated illegal student immigration status for foreign nationals and authorized them to remain in the United States.

Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> kept its spot at the top of the global sales ranking in 2010, outselling General Motors Co by less than 30,000 units as the U.S. rival achieved faster growth in the world's two biggest markets.

The latest sex scandal surrounding Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has damaged his public image but support for his party has risen, meaning he would likely win an early election, a respected pollster said on Sunday.

Rio Tinto's $3.9 billion bid for Africa-focused coal miner Riversdale gained steam on Monday after a representative of Riversdale's top shareholder Tata Steel backed the offer.

Asian stocks rose on mild bargain buying after a sell-off last week, while the euro hovered near a nine-week high before a Fed meeting this week where it is expected to paint a cautious view of the world's biggest economy.

Legendary classical singer Bhimsen Joshi passed away in Pune on Monday morning after prolonged illness, a doctor who attended to him said.

The BSE Sensex should open higher on Monday, with heavyweights Reliance Industries and State Bank of India in focus after their quarterly results.

The BSE Sensex was up 0.8 percent on Monday led by financial firms, but trading was choppy a day before the Reserve Bank's monetary policy and mixed Asian markets.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to resume its rate hike cycle at its quarterly monetary policy review next week as soaring inflation stalks Asia's third-largest economy.

A Morgan Stanley banker named Kamal Ahmed is under investigation by U.S. authorities for leaking information regarding an upcoming takeover that ultimately was passed on to Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people close to the situation.

Consumers in most countries globally look set to keep a tight grip on spending in coming months as they worry about job security and rising inflation, a survey by the Nielsen Company showed on Sunday.

The U.S. Treasury's toxic asset funds have gained 27 percent since they were created to help revive the mortgage-backed securities market, according to data expected to be released later on Monday.

It has pushed Green Hornet 3D to second place

Packaging and paper company RockTenn Co has agreed to buy bigger rival Smurfit-Stone Container Corp for $3.5 billion in cash and stock seven months after Smurfit emerged from bankruptcy with less debt and higher profit potential.

Asian stocks outside Japan struggled to hold on to early gains on Monday, as investors remained wary before a slew of corporate earnings and a Fed meeting this week expected to give a cautious readout on the health of the world's biggest economy.

Jon Chu, the director, twitters his frustration

he boy escaped from them by playing aloud Overcome by Creed

The younger sister of the Olsen twins is in two films showing at the festival

Gucci will record a few lines for her new song Hit