IBT Staff Reporter

Australia has overtaken the United States, the heartland of the McMansion, to boast the world's largest homes, according to a report by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

The World Health Organization, which has been stressing the safety and importance of H1N1 shots, on Monday had its own staff vaccinated against the pandemic virus.

People who work in detergent factories are at increased risk of developing respiratory problems, including asthma, probably from exposure to chemicals contained in detergent, two new studies hint.

With the help of their doctors, women planning to become pregnant should take an inventory of the medications they take, researchers from Canada advise.

he annual Muslim haj pilgrimage has ended without the major flu outbreak feared by some experts and with only five deaths from the H1N1 flu virus out of 73 recorded cases, the Saudi health minister said.

A lasting rally?; Credit card freeze; AOL a cheap buy, says Barrons

Countries should phase out the use of Stavudine, the most widespread antiretroviral, because of long-term, irreversible side-effects in HIV patients including wasting and a nerve disorder, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

Let the arguments begin. The best films of the decade are, in my opinion, as follows.

The Michael Jackson documentary This Is It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on January 26.

British singer Robbie Williams has said he was not engaged to his girlfriend, Ayda Field -- despite proposing to her on a radio show.

Sundance faves Sin Nombre and Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire scooped the bulk of awards at the 20th Stockholm Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday.

Taiwan director Leon Dai's harsh real-life drama No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti won best feature over the weekend at the Golden Horse Film Awards, regarded as the Oscars for Chinese-language movies.

Thomas Dekker, Lynn Collins, Jeremy Piven and Kate Walsh are starring in the indie drama Waska.

Clint Eastwood fans just might feel the actor and filmmaker has made their day when Warner Home Video announces Monday an Eastwood DVD collection of significant scope.

U.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Monday on optimism over holiday retail sales and as concerns eased that a possible debt default by two of Dubai's flagship firms could damage a global economic recovery.

Hundreds of Philippine journalists and human rights activists staged a protest near the presidential palace on Monday, demanding justice for 30 colleagues who were among 57 people massacred last week in the troubled south.

Israeli inspectors armed with aerial maps and empowered to confiscate construction equipment have begun enforcing a limited government moratorium on new building in West Bank settlements, officials said on Monday.

Leaders from top U.S. companies including Google , AT&T , Disney and FedEx will attend a jobs summit on December 3 at the White House, a White House spokeswoman said on Sunday.

The governor of the Bank of Japan said the bank will act decisively in the event of renewed financial market turmoil, his strongest hint yet at fresh support for the economy that analysts say could involve buying more government bonds or a return to quantitative easing.

Oil prices recovered a little on Monday, rising above $76 a barrel as the dollar weakened, but investors kept a wary eye on debt-laden Dubai and its impact on the global economy.

The United Nations called on richer governments on Monday to provide a total of $7.1 billion in 2010 to fund urgent humanitarian assistance for 48 million people in 25 countries.

Cash was king for consumers who shopped over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to survey results released on Sunday, and that factor could have cost retailers additional sales.

The trial of John Demjanjuk, an 89-year-old former Nazi camp guard, started on Monday on charges of helping to force 27,900 Jews into gas chambers at Sobibor death camp in 1943.

The euro zone returned to inflation in November, data showed on Monday, as more expensive oil boosted consumer prices by more than expected after five straight months of falls.

General Motors expects sales growth for China's auto market to drop dramatically in 2010, as the carmaker nears the end of a year of government stimulus-fueled growth in the world's biggest car market, the head of the company's China operations said on Monday.

Corrects headline, second bullet point, first and second paragraphs to clarify the 10-15 percent sales growth forecast for 2010 is for the overall China market, not for GM's sales

Somali pirates have seized a Greek-flagged oil tanker 700 miles off the coast of Somalia, near the Seychelles, Greece's coastguard said Monday.

Honduras' disputed presidential election is likely to set Washington against emerging Latin American power Brazil over whether to recognize the winner of a vote promoted by the leaders of a June coup.

In the chill of a massive cave beneath an orthodox Christian cathedral, a city power firm is preparing what it thinks will be the greenest data center on the planet.