IBT Staff Reporter

China Forestry Holdings Group, a forestry plantation operator backed by the Carlyle Group, plans to raise up to $203 million via an initial offering of shares in Hong Kong late this month.

Criminal gangs are making millions of dollars out of the H1N1flu pandemic by selling fake flu drugs over the internet, a web security firm said on Monday.

The Atlantis space shuttle has been fueled and is ready for blast off later on Monday for its 11-day mission trip. The Atlantis is scheduled to lift off at 2:28 p.m. ET from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla to the International Space Station.

Afghanistan will form a new anti-corruption unit to investigate high-level graft after widespread criticism and demands from Washington for it to do more amid a wider regional strategy review.

Samsung Life, South Korea's largest life insurer, said it was aiming to go public in the first half of next year and planning to pick lead managers in December.

Brazilian meatpacker JBS, the world's largest beef processor, plans to announce the terms of a $2.5 billion private placement of debt in 30 days, the company's chief executive Joesley Batista said on Monday.

Motorola Inc on Monday said that it would buy privately held BitBand, an Israel-based video-on-demand technology provider, to expand its home video business.

President Barack Obama has promised to raise the issue of the yuan's exchange rate during his visit this week to Beijing, putting the spotlight on a major bone of contention which has the potential to shake currency markets and diplomatic ties alike.

A Federal Reserve official said on Monday that the U.S. economy still faced significant weaknesses and urged policymakers to allow large financial institutions to fail if needed.

Tenants in a vast New York City apartment complex and owner Tishman Speyer on Friday said they had opened talks to settle a rent clash, one day before a planned rally against the landlord.

U.S. stocks rose sharply on Monday, adding to two weeks of gains, as data showed consumers spent more than expected in October and a decline in the U.S. dollar helped lift commodity prices and boost natural resource stocks.

Britain's largest wine warehouse chain Majestic Wine said it would get a boost from First Quench Retailing's fall into administration as it posted a 9 percent rise in first-half profit and robust current trading.

The Russian and U.S. presidents said on Sunday they hoped to strike a new deal for arms cuts by the end of the year.

Lowe's Cos Inc, the second-largest U.S. home improvement chain, posted a 30 percent drop in quarterly profit as consumers put off big renovations as the U.S. housing market remains sluggish, sending shares down 2.1 percent in premarket trading.

India has put its nuclear power plants on alert and tightened security after intelligence about possible attacks, a report said on Monday.

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (HMb.ST) posted an unexpected 3 percent drop at established stores in October, blaming weak sales in some of its major markets on the global downturn and knocking its shares.

A landslide in northern China has buried about 20 people from one village, though two people have already been pulled out alive, a government official said on Monday.

Vaccination programs against H1N1 swine flu are under way in the United States, China and Australia and will begin soon in parts of Europe.

French dairy group Danone said on Monday it will launch a public offer to buy some of its bonds, in a move to simplify its debt structure and lower its cost.

The United States has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to expand its fight against Taliban and al Qaeda militants, the New York Times reported on Monday, as a suicide bomber killed four people in the latest militant attack.

The World Health Organization issued the following guidelines on Saturday about ways to prevent and fight flu, especially in poor areas where medical facilities may lack staff, beds and drugs:

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday he hoped for improved China-Taiwan ties and said economic links had helped lower tensions over Taiwan.

Home sales will increase 15 percent to about 5.7 million units and REALTOR® income will be up 20 percent in 2010, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun told a packed room of REALTORS® today in a residential economic update at the 2009 NAR Conference & Expo.

Here are some facts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how swine flu spreads in humans:

Belgian holding company Ackermans & van Haaren said on Monday that its third-quarter turnover and operational cash flow was in line with expectations, boosted by full fleet usage in its dredging business.

British Airways faces a strike ballot among cabin crew over proposed changes to working practices, just days after it announced a merger deal with Spanish carrier Iberia.

Boeing is set to enter a strategic pact with Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi government-owned investment firm, a senior Boeing executive said on Monday.

Devon Energy Corp said on Monday it plans to sell its Gulf of Mexico and international assets and focus on its onshore fields in the United States and Canada.

President Barack Obama said on Monday that al Qaeda remained the biggest threat to U.S. security, as his aides stepped up pressure on Afghanistan and Pakistan to cooperate with Washington's strategy in the troubled region.