IBT Staff Reporter

The world's first commercial mobile network using upcoming LTE technology opened on Monday in the capitals of Norway and Sweden, ahead of schedule.

Iran worked on testing a key component of a nuclear bomb as recently as 2007, a British newspaper said on Monday, a finding which if proven would be at odds with Iran's assertion its nuclear work is for civilian use.

Major British and U.S. companies are focusing on a return to revenue growth in 2010 over cost-cutting, and IT is central to their recovery strategies, according to a survey by consultants Gartner.

The National Basketball Association on Monday announced the launch of its first-ever online and mobile sites designed for fans in India.

The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it would decide whether privacy rights covered a worker's personal text message on employer-owned equipment, hearing a case about a police officer who sent sexually explicit messages from his department-issued pager.

NASA WISE, which stands for Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope, launched Monday morning at 9:09 a.m. EST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

President Barack Obama's top economic adviser said on Sunday that the United States is a long way from the point where merit trumps background in higher education, adding that scholarship assistance is crucial to leveling the playing field.

Lloyds completed a record 13.5 billion pound ($21.9 billion) rights issue on Monday, ending a turbulent period for the bank and shifting investor focus to a potential government stake sale in 2010.

President Barack Obama planned to get tough with executives from top U.S. banks on Monday and tell them that they must help lift the country out of the economic crisis they helped to create.

Death can do wonders for a star's image, with a survey of online sites showing singer Michael Jackson and actor Patrick Swayze were among the celebrities that generated the most positive comments this year.

They sped into the Oil Ministry in armoured convoys, flanked by muscled guards and men in dark suits, but oil executives marked a milestone this week when they attended an oil auction outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

Shares of Rockwell Automation Inc rose as much as 3.6 percent to a new 52-week high on Monday after a J.P. Morgan analyst said the maker of factory-control systems could be a good fit within General Electric Co's industrial lineup.

Jefferies raised its price target on Google Inc's stock to $695 from $600, while reiterating its buy rating, citing optimism among advertisers for fiscal 2010 amid improving macro environment.

Toyota Motor Corp will begin selling affordable plug-in hybrid cars in 2011, upping the ante on General Motors and Nissan Motor as they aim to take the lead in the field of rechargeable cars.

EU regulators signaled they could clear Oracle Corp's $7 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc , after the U.S. software company promised measures to ease competition concerns.

U.S. stocks gained on Monday on relief that Abu Dhabi's $10 billion aid would help neighboring Dubai avoid default, and a takeover deal by oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil Corp fed optimism about the growth of mergers and acquisitions.

Dubai's debt relief request has shattered faith in its once-booming property market and Abu Dhabi's $10 billion bailout will do little to tempt overseas buyers back to the emirate until late 2011 and beyond.

Citigroup laid out a plan to repay the money it owes the U.S. government, including issuing $17 billion of stock immediately, as the bank looks to end the executive pay restrictions that came with the funds.

The aftermath of climategate, the leaked emails from a leading climate research institute, are giving new ammunition to those who don't follow the consensus argument on man-made global warming. The following is a summary of what arguments arise from the leak.

British commercial property values posted the largest monthly increase in 15 years, up 2.4 percent in November, as the market's recovery accelerated after a two-year downturn, data showed on Monday.

President Barack Obama may have some tough words for executives of Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and other financial firms when he meets with them on Monday.

Media production firm Ten Alps Plc (TAL.L) posted a rise in first-half pretax profit due to cost cuts and improved margins and said it was comfortable with the full-year consensus view, sending its shares up 5.8 percent.

Having an integrated clean technology strategy will be a big part of winning business in the 21st century, a Coca-Cola executive told Reuters.com on Monday, and its investments in refrigeration will likely have the biggest impact on that strategy long-term.

Thousands of British Airways (BAY.L) cabin crew voted to strike, hours after the airline revealed a 3.7 billion pound ($6 billion) hole in its pension fund that will require deft handling by management if a proposed merger with Iberia (IBLA.MC) is to stay on track.

Nearly a dozen photos of the Google Phone, or as it's formally known as, the Nexus One, has been posted online. The photos, posted on Engadget, show that the Smartphone comes with only four buttons which are touch sensitive. The phone has a new grid icon at the bottom of the home screen, which when pressed brings up a webOS card-style preview of all home screen pages, according to the post.

Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC) said on Monday it had acquired some assets of General Motors' Saab unit as part of a push to develop its own-brand cars.

The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a lower court to dismiss a legal challenge by three Indiana pension funds to the government-backed sale of bankrupt automaker Chrysler LLC to a group led by Italian carmaker Fiat SpA.

A Chinese IT outsourcing company and an optical components maker are aiming to select investment banks in the next two weeks with the goal of making U.S. initial public offerings by as soon as the first half of 2010, one of their investors said on Monday.

Saturday Night Live featured more skits inspired by Tiger Woods' extra marital affairs' scandal over the weekend.