IBT Staff Reporter

British insurer Prudential Plc unveiled a $21 billion cash call as it tried to put its takeover of AIG's Asian unit back on track and launched a charm offensive to woo wary shareholders.

A retired Croatian seamstress has won a court victory against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in an improbable case implicating her in an insider-trading ring.

The pace of the U.S. economic rebound may be slowing, manufacturing data hinted on Monday, as concerns grow about the impact of Europe's debt crisis on global growth.

Astellas Pharma , Japan's No.2 drugmaker, agreed to buy U.S. biotech OSI Pharmaceuticals for $4 billion in cash in a sweetened bid that will add OSI's blockbuster cancer drug Tarceva to its line-up.

Washington Mutual Inc reached agreement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp on an amended plan of reorganization, bringing the company closer to exiting bankruptcy, according to court documents filed Monday.

European finance ministers prepared on Monday to discuss tighter regulation on hedge funds a week after launching a $1 trillion debt rescue plan, as the euro was hit by fears austerity measures would stifle recovery.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Monday as data measuring New York factory activity came in far below forecasts, offsetting optimism over a flurry of mergers.

My father's voice came through the phone as if he were next door, not 4,000 miles away. Are you fluent yet? he asked.

The next generation of high-speed Internet services, tablets, smartphones and other mobile gadgets could arrive faster than you would expect.

Private equity firm Apollo Global Management is in talks to buy U.S. packaging maker Pactiv Corp in a leveraged deal, according to media reports.

The following are comments by euro zone finance ministers and other officials in connection with their regular meeting in Brussels on Monday.

The euro rallied against the dollar on Monday on a rise in risk appetite after a U.S. report showed strong demand for U.S. long-term securities and a flurry of short covering by investors who had bet the currency would fall further. Earlier the euro fell to a four-year low against the dollar on persistent concerns with euro zone sovereign debt and fears that planned austerity measures will hurt growth in the region, but its fortunes revived amid German bank euro buying.

India's Reliance MediaWorks, part of the Reliance ADA group, is training a small army of artists to meet the rise in demand for 3D films following the huge success of James Cameron's Avatar and other films.

The pace of the U.S. economic rebound may be slowing, manufacturing data and retailers results hinted on Monday, at the same time as concerns grow about the impact of Europe's debt crisis on global growth.

British insurer Prudential launched its long-awaited $21 billion cash call and a delayed offensive to woo wary shareholders to back its takeover of rival AIG's Asian unit.

U.S. stocks futures pointed to a flat open on Monday after data showed manufacturing activity in New York State grew at a slower pace than expected, offsetting optimism on the back of a flurry of mergers.

General Motors Co posted a first-quarter profit on Monday and said it is making progress toward a turnaround expected to put it on track toward its first full-year profit since 2004.

Lowe's Cos gave a disappointing profit forecast for the rest of the year, sounding a note of caution about the pace of a U.S. economic recovery and sending its shares down more than 3 percent.

Britain's Prudential Plc is planning to launch its delayed $21 billion rights issue on Monday, the Financial Times reported, citing a person close to the situation.

A gauge of manufacturing in New York State continued to grow in May but at a slower pace, although the jobs gauge reached its highest level in about six years, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Monday.

(Reuters) - HIV prevalence among gay and bisexual men has hit alarming levels in Asia and most of them do not have access to services and care due to punitive laws which drive them underground, a U.N.-backed report said on Monday.

The euro hit a four-year low on Monday on fears that austerity measures would stifle recovery, as European finance ministers prepared to discuss tighter regulation a week after launching a $1 trillion rescue plan.

British bank Standard Chartered is replacing the BlackBerry, currently its standard corporate communications device, with the iPhone, a move that could eventually result in thousands of bankers switching to the Apple device for business communication on the go.

American Express Co has teamed up with UK private equity firm Permira to bid for Royal Bank of Scotland's $4 billion payment processing arm, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc gave a muted quarterly outlook despite posting stronger-than-expected results for the latest period, and its shares fell nearly 4 percent.

British insurer Prudential launched its long-awaited $21 billion cash call and a delayed offensive to woo wary shareholders to back its takeover of rival AIG's Asian unit.

BY Chuck MikolajczakU.S. stocks futures rose on Monday as a fresh wave of mergers and acquisitions helped dissipate worries over the impact of heavy euro-zone debt loads on a global recovery.

Global gold demand is set to fall in 2010 if the sales of the yellow metals on Akshay Tritiya were any indication. Most of the buyers stayed home instead of visiting jewellery shops on Akshay Tritiya, an auspicious day for Indians to buy gold. Most of the jewellery showrooms wore a deserted look on Akshay Tritiya (May 16) even though the price of gold eased from a record high Rs 18,508 on Friday to Rs 18,397 per 10 gm.

Stock futures were higher on Monday as a fresh wave of mergers and acquisitions helped dissipate worries over the impact of heavy euro-zone debt loads on a global recovery.