IBT Staff Reporter

European Union antitrust regulators have set a hearing next month for Microsoft to respond orally to EU charges that it sought to stymie rivals by tying the firm's Web browser to its Windows operating system.

Pending sales of previously owned homes rose for a second straight month in March, while construction spending edged higher, according to reports on Monday that suggested a moderation in the housing slump.

American International Group Inc is near a deal to sell its Japanese headquarters for about $1 billion in what would be one of its largest asset sales since a September rescue, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

A new web software, called Wolfram Alpha, has already been hyped as the next Google killer, even before its official launch later this month.

The Boston Globe and its biggest union suspended talks on Monday over concessions that parent company The New York Times Co is seeking to keep the 137-year-old newspaper open.

AEI Capital Corporation on Monday said it has increased its investments to buy more than $30 million in Best Buy for its net leased property to protect investor’s capital, using all-cash without debt.

Hewlett-Packard Co and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd said they have formed an alliance to provide services for the BlackBerry.

Research In Motion is planning a next-generation version of its touchscreen BlackBerry Storm smartphone as part of a continuing push into the retail market, its co-CEO said on Monday.

Stocks rose on Monday on bets the government's stress tests on the financial sector won't force banks to raise as much capital as originally thought and housing data reinforced hopes the economic slump is easing.

Sprint Nextel Corp posted a surprise quarterly profit excluding items, thanks to cost cuts and strong growth in a new service where customers pay for calls in advance, sending its shares up 12 percent.

For over three decades, India's West Bengal state has been run by the world's longest-serving democratically-elected communist government.

Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose in March for a second straight month, while construction spending edged higher, according to reports on Monday that suggested a moderation in the housing slump.

Global sales of investment grade real estate plunged 73 percent to $47 billion in the first quarter from a year ago, or just one-sixth of the level two years ago, according to real estate research firm Real Capital Analytics on Friday.

True to their reputation as leisure-loving gourmets, the French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's wealthy nations, according to a study published Monday.

Research In Motion is planning a next-generation version of its touchscreen BlackBerry Storm smartphone as part of its continuing push into the retail market, its co-CEO said on Monday.

U.S. bank shares rose on Monday after analysts said government stress tests of financial institutions would show most would need less new capital than previously feared.

U.S. construction spending rose in March for the first time in six months, edging up 0.3 percent, according to government data on Monday.

A radical overhaul of the car industry moved a step closer on Monday as Fiat's chief executive set his sights on General Motors' Opel German unit just four days after clinching a deal with Chrysler.

Stocks rose on Monday as investors bet the government's stress tests on the financial sector won't force banks to raise as much capital as originally thought, driving the market higher.

Senator Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party appears to be paying off with a poll on Monday showing him ahead in his 2010 re-election race in Pennsylvania.

Iran will not suspend its disputed nuclear program even if the United States imposes sanctions targeting companies that ship fuel to the Islamic Republic, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

The new H1N1 flu virus appears to be fairly widespread in the United States and seems to be hitting mostly younger people, with very few cases reported in people over 50, U.S. health officials said on Sunday.

Survivors of China's devastating earthquake last year face detention and harassment if they protest over collapsed schools, corruption claims and other grievances, Amnesty International said.

Oil prices rose to a five-week high near $54 a barrel on Monday on hopes an easing of the global economic recession would pave the way for a recovery in world energy demand.

An earthquake sent residents running from their homes and shook buildings across oil exporting Venezuela's densely populated coastal region, including the capital Caracas, before dawn on Monday.

A radical overhaul of the car industry moved a step closer on Monday as Fiat's CEO prepared to pitch a bid for Opel to Germany's leaders as part of a planned takeover of General Motors' European assets.

Nepal's Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda resigned on Monday after a crisis sparked by his sacking of the country's army chief, plunging the Himalayan republic into political turmoil.

Greek parliament deputies vote on Monday on a bribery scandal that has rocked the conservative government for months and may prompt a snap election as Greece struggles with a slowing economy and social unrest.

Pakistani forces battled Taliban fighters on Monday as the militants denounced the army and government as U.S. stooges and said a peace pact would end unless the government halted its offensive.