IBT Staff Reporter

Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader mocked President Barack Obama for voicing confidence over victory in Afghanistan, in an Internet message posted on Monday.

IBM's quarterly revenue missed Wall Street's expectations as a weaker euro hurt overseas sales, although firm growth in the company's higher-margin services and software units bolstered profit.

A report by China's state-run television station accusing Baidu Inc of promoting counterfeit drugs through its Web search engine should not prove as damaging as a 2008 TV critique that triggered a 40 percent decline in Baidu's shares, analysts said on Monday.

Convicted former media mogul Conrad Black will be released from prison on bond pending the outcome of his appeal, following a favorable U.S. Supreme Court decision on a law used to convict him, an appeals court ruled.

Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs' offer of free phone cases mitigates the public relations damage the iPhone 4 antenna issue has caused, analysts said.

Stocks rose on Monday, spurred by optimism ahead of earnings from key technology companies and after Dow component Boeing announced strong orders.

IBM's quarterly revenue missed Wall Street's expectations and a decline in services contract signings further damaged investors' confidence, sending its shares down 3 percent.

Honda is also considering building hybrids in the United States

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc said on Monday that the recent price cut to its Kindle electronic reader has spurred sales of both the device and e-books.

Apple Inc's attempt to smooth over a controversy surrounding its iPhone 4 failed to impress investors, as the computer maker's shares stumbled on a day when technology stocks rose.

Stocks rose on Monday, spurred by optimism ahead of earnings from key technology companies and after Dow component Boeing announced strong orders.

IBM's quarterly revenue missed Wall Street's expectations as a weaker euro hurt overseas sales, although firm growth in the company's higher-margin services and software units bolstered profit.

Aircraft leasing firms made a major comeback on Monday, as industry veteran Steve Udvar-Hazy dropped $4 billion on A320s and former arch-rivals at General Electric doubled his efforts.

A man who died Wednesday possibly from Lyme disease will be autopsied on orders of the Supreme Court to determine if the bacterial infection that affects the brain is the cause of his death.

Stocks rose on Monday, boosted by solid earnings from Halliburton and a strong order outlook from Boeing, but gains were capped by a drop in homebuilder sentiment and some disappointing corporate revenues.

U.S. asset managers are expected to post strong quarterly results compared with last year's dismal showings, but still face challenges from erratic stock markets that have encouraged many retail investors to focus on less risky products.

One in four Australian aged 16 to 24 have mental disorder in 2009, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Hasbro Inc on Monday posted a sharper-than-expected quarterly sales decline from a year ago when it benefited from merchandising tie-ins to Hollywood blockbusters like G.I. Joe.

Stocks were modestly higher on Monday, but gains were hemmed in as downbeat homebuilder sentiment offset solid earnings from Halliburton and a strong order outlook from Boeing.

How much would the U.S. economy have to weaken for the Federal Reserve to try to push borrowing costs even lower?

(Corrects title, location of Michael Sheldon in 6th paragraph)

Fifty-four percent of large U.S. businesses that laid off employees in the past year want to rebuild their workforces but some will have trouble finding sufficiently skilled people to hire, a study said on Monday.

A Swiss court for the first time cleared the way for the transfer to Washington of bank data about to a UBS client, following the Swiss parliament's approval of a key tax deal.

A story is told of Edward Steichen who became one of the world's most renowned photographers. He almost gave up on the day he shot his first pictures. At 16, young Steichen bought a camera and took 50 photographs. Only one turned out - a portrait of his youngest sister at the piano.

Nokia Siemens Networks will buy Motorola's telecom network equipment business for $1.2 billion, in an effort to add mew customers in markets such as Japan and North America where it has been seeking growth.

Strong U.S. land drilling drove Halliburton's better-than-expected 83 percent jump in quarterly profit, sending its shares up nearly 5 percent and lifting the entire oilfield services sector.

Strong U.S. land drilling drove Halliburton's better-than-expected 83 percent jump in quarterly profit, sending its shares up nearly 5 percent and lifting the entire oilfield services sector.

The Obama administration may have acted hastily in demanding that General Motors Co and Chrysler accelerate the closing of dealerships to ensure their viability

Speech-recognition software maker Nuance is launching software apps for the Apple iPhone in Britain as the company grows more confident that its voice-to-text technology is ready for global markets.