Clear Channel is trying something radically different at a commercial radio station in Texas: getting rid of the commercials.

Barclays agrees a deal to merge with ABN Amro for about £90bn but the Dutch bank is also talking to a rival consortium.

Reuters - Britain's AstraZeneca Plc is near a deal to buy U.S. biotechnology company MedImmune Inc. in a transaction that could be worth more than $13 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Sunday.

Reuters - Morgan Stanley on Monday named Stephen Roach, its high-profile chief economist known for his pessimism on the U.S. economy and early foretelling of China's rise, as its Asia chairman.

AFP - US-based Citigroup and Britain's HSBC were among a group of banks that started providing local-currency retail services in China Monday after receiving the final green light, state media said.

Barclays agrees to buy ABN Amro for about £45bn, but the Dutch bank is also talking to a rival consortium.

British Airways says it is considering making a takeover bid for Spanish flagship carrier Iberia.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average sets yet another closing high, its third consecutive record close.

Reuters - Britain's AstraZeneca Plc has agreed to buy U.S. biotechnology company MedImmune Inc. for $15.2 billion in the biggest transaction since the creation of the Anglo-Swedish drugs group in 1999.

Reuters - British bank Barclays Plc has agreed to buy Dutch rival ABN AMRO for just over 67 billion euros ($91.1 billion) as it seeks to head off rivals to clinch the world's biggest ever bank takeover.

HSBC and three other commercial lenders will offer bank services to private customers in mainland China.

A group of senior former World Bank officials urge embattled head Paul Wolfowitz to resign.

Google knocks Microsoft off the top spot in the annual Brandz Top 100 Most Powerful Brands ranking.

Nestle, the maker of KitKat and Perrier water, reports a strong rise in sales for the first three months of the year

Cadbury Schweppes is to be prosecuted over the salmonella outbreak which forced it to recall one million bars of chocolate.

Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is to boost its drug portfolio by buying US firm MedImmune for $15.6bn (£7.8bn).

Reuters - AstraZeneca Plc has agreed to buy U.S. biotechnology company MedImmune Inc. for more than $15 billion in the biggest transaction since the creation of the Anglo-Swedish drugs group in 1999.

Reuters - CNH Global NV said on Monday its first-quarter profit more than doubled, helped by higher sales at its agricultural and construction equipment businesses.

China's CITIC Bank raises $5.4bn through a dual share sale in Shanghai and Hong Kong, valuing it at $28.9bn.

French retail giant Carrefour agrees to buy Brazilian store chain Atacadao in an 825m euro deal.

Total mortgage lending is still rising strongly despite interest rate rises, says the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Alfred McAlpine says managers at its quarrying business committed 'extensive and systematic' fraud.

Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis posts an 11% rise in first quarter profits, buoyed by strong demand.

Reuters - U.S. stocks appeared headed for a weaker start on Monday with eyes on another batch of quarterly earnings, including from Texas Instruments , and on shares in companies involved in M&A activity.

Stephen S. Roach, the bank?s chief economist, will become the chairman of Asia operations.

The companiy that makes the Blackberry is making its software available to other phone manufacturers.

The energy regulator Ofgem has urged customers of EDF Energy and Scottish Power to switch to new suppliers.

Europe's fifth largest carmaker Fiat says strong sales helped drive profits higher in the first quarter of the year.

Reuters - British bank Barclays Plc has agreed to buy Dutch rival ABN AMRO for about 67 billion euros ($91 billion) in shares as it attempts to fight off rivals to clinch the world's biggest bank takeover.

Reuters - Kimberly-Clark Corp. posted a higher first-quarter profit on Monday, driven by growth in developing and emerging markets, and stood by its expectations for the full year as it faces higher fiber costs.

Reuters - Bank of America Corp. agreed to pay $21 billion for ABN Amro Holding NV's LaSalle Bank Corp. unit, filling a big hole in its nationwide branch network by becoming Chicago's largest bank, and also becoming the biggest bank in slower-growing Michigan.

Reuters - American Real Estate Partners L.P. , which is run by investor Carl Icahn, said it will sell its Nevada gaming operations to a unit of Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds for about $1.3 Billion.

Global oil prices rise on the back of violence and political turmoil in Nigeria, the world's eighth largest crude exporter.

Reuters - British bank Barclays Plc has agreed to buy Dutch rival ABN AMRO for about 67 billion euros ($91 billion) in shares as it attempts to fight off rivals to clinch the world's biggest bank takeover.

Reuters - U.S. stocks were little changed on Monday as brokerages lowered their ratings on two blue-chip stocks, offseting the latest stronger-than-expected earnings news and leaving the Dow industrials treading water just short of 13,000.

Delta Air Lines, which is due to exit bankruptcy protection, manages to substantially reduce its losses.

Reuters - U.S. stocks were flat on Monday, with the Dow pausing in its ascent to the milestone 13,000 level, as brokerage downgrades of Pfizer Inc. and Exxon Mobil offset stronger-than-expected profits.

Reuters - British bank Barclays Plc has agreed to buy Dutch rival ABN AMRO for about 67 billion euros ($91 billion) in shares as it attempts to fight off rivals to clinch the world's biggest bank takeover.

Reuters - Kimberly-Clark Corp. said on Monday that first-quarter profit jumped 64 percent, driven by growth in developing and emerging markets, and stood by its full-year profit view despite topping Wall Street's expectations as it faces higher fiber costs.

Reuters - Affiliated Computer Services Inc.'s chairman and Cerberus Capital Management LP raised their unsolicited offer for the technology services company 4.6 percent, valuing it at about $6.1 billion.

Hasbro's latest results swing back into profit thanks to strong sales of its Spider-Man toys.

Reuters - U.S. stocks fell on Monday, on rising oil prices and concerns that U.S. mortgage market woes could spread into other sectors after a General Motors executive said overall auto sales have been hurt by the housing market problems.

Reuters - Best Buy Co. Inc. said on Monday it will carry the U.S. broadcast radio industry's high-definition radio technology at all of its stores nationwide, a move that could boost exposure for the nascent system.

Reuters - Shares of Bausch & Lomb Inc. surged more than 10 percent on Monday amid market chatter that the eye-care products maker could be taken private in a leveraged buyout, traders said.

Arnold Worldwide and Nitro will share an assignment with spending at around $150 million to $200 million.

The ongoing crisis in the US mortgage market is affecting car sales, says the vice-chairman of General Motors.

Reuters - U.S. stocks fell on Monday after oil prices rose and a General Motors executive said the crisis in U.S. mortgage lending hurt U.S. auto sales this month, stirring concerns of an even wider economic impact.

Reuters - The Los Angeles Times will offer buyouts to up to 150 employees to offset declining circulation and advertising in the latest effort by parent company Tribune Co. to cut jobs ahead of its plan to go private in an $8.2 billion deal.

Reuters - Network equipment maker Juniper Networks Inc. reported a decline in quarterly profit on Monday as expenses rose despite higher sales to telecommunications companies.

The current construction craze along Las Vegas strip is driven by a 95 percent weekend occupancy rate.

In a surprise facet of the deal, ABN Amro said that it had arranged to sell LaSalle Bank to Bank of America.

The suspension came after complaints about the broadcast of a prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant that was peppered with ethnic and sexual slurs.

Richard Scrushy admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to give up money the government said he made from an accounting scheme.

The deal is perhaps the most emphatic sign yet of the push by big drug makers into the biotechnology business.

Reuters - Google Inc. has knocked Microsoft Corp. from its perch as the world's top-ranked brand, according to findings released on Monday.

Reuters - Private equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts and its consortium partner said they have raised their offer for Alliance Boots to 1,139 pence per share after buying 49.7 million shares at that price.

Reuters - BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) Ex-HealthSouth Corp. CEO Richard Scrushy agreed to pay an extra $10 million to stockholders to settle U.S. Security and Exchange Commission charges, his attorney, Art Leach, said on Monday.

Reuters - New York financier Carl Icahn once again demonstrated his skill at corporate activism with Monday's sale of MedImmune Inc. , which added to $1 billion made on the sale of four Nevada casinos, also announced today.

The deal with Barclays reduces, but does not eliminate the chance of another suitor coming in with a higher bid to buy the bank.

The former chief executive of HealthSouth agreed to pay more than $81 million to settle a case over accounting fraud.

Ford Motor?s chief executive, Alan R. Mulally, appointed Susan M. Cischke to create a long-range strategy on sustainability matters.

Reuters - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has hired a high-profile lawyer who hopes to present to a special bank committee Wolfowitz's case that he was not unethical in directing a promotion for his girlfriend.

Reuters - Bank of America Corp.'s agreement to buy ABN AMRO Holding NV's LaSalle Bank Corp. unit for $21 billion is a pricey bet that it can energize a franchise operating in Chicago, one of the hottest U.S. banking markets, and in Michigan, one of the weakest.

Two former executives expect to be sued this week by the S.E.C. over the company?s backdating of employee stock options.

China has given U.S. regulators permission to investigate whether suppliers exported contaminated pet food ingredients to the U.S.

David Halberstam was the tireless author of books on topics as varied as America?s military failings in Vietnam and the high-pressured world of professional basketball.

Overseas, high-speed rail service with amenities like Wi-Fi is luring business travelers away from airports.

The $15.6 billion deal to acquire MedImmune is perhaps the most emphatic sign yet of the push by big drug makers into biotechnology.

Ford Motor?s chief executive, Alan R. Mulally, appointed Susan M. Cischke to create a long-range strategy on sustainability matters.

William Gross, manager of the bond powerhouse Pimco, will donate the proceeds from an auction of his rare stamp collection to Doctors Without Borders.

DayJet plans to begin flying the nation?s first on-demand, per seat air taxi service in June.

A New Zealand company said it secured financing to produce ethanol from an untapped source ? carbon monoxide gas.

A new service by Philips Electronics lets people send text messages to seek information about popular destinations in major cities.

Two New York shock jocks have been suspended ? this time for anti-Asian slurs.

Microsoft filed documents defending its demand to be paid royalties for releasing some software code to competitors.

The former chairman of Simon & Schuster alleged he was not compensated for his role in the $2.6 billion acquisition of the music company three years ago.

How to confront a fear of flying, deal with it and get on with business.

Delta Air Lines reported that it narrowed its loss in the first quarter on an 11.4 percent increase in sales.

The consumer products maker also stood by its full-year profit view despite topping Wall Street?s expectations.

Time Warner will let its home broadband customers turn their connections into public wireless access spots.

Texas Instruments struggled with a glut of inventory and shifting demand toward lower-end phones with less expensive chips.

The drug maker posted an 11 percent increase in first-quarter earnings, led by strong sales of its hypertension and cancer treatments.

First-quarter profit fell 64 percent because of declining sales of medical devices used in cardiac patients.

Strong sales of its anemia-fighting drugs boosted profit but its revenue for the quarter failed to meet expectations.

Stocks retreated as concern about rising oil prices outweighed strong earnings reports and new takeover activity.

The F.D.A. said regulators had approved generic versions of Ambien, a blockbuster sleeping pill from Sanofi-Aventis.

The network equipment maker reported a decline in quarterly profit as expenses rose despite higher sales.

Strong sales of Spider-Man toys and its Littlest Pet Shop and Playskool brands sent its shares up sharply.

The unsolicited offer for the company was raised 4.6 percent, valuing it at about $6.1 billion.

Foot Locker said it was not ruling out the possibility of raising its $1.2 billion bid for the footwear and accessories maker.

A.M.D. posted a $611 million quarterly loss, hurt by a price war with Intel, and said it would explore ways to raise new capital.

Nissan will offer buyouts to workers in Japan after slumping domestic sales forced it to cut earnings and sales goals.

Volvo Taps Two Agencies.

Carrefour, the French retailer, said it had agreed to buy a Brazilian discounter, Atacadão, for about $1.09 billion in a deal that would make it the largest food retailer in Brazil. Atacadão operates 34 discount hypermarkets in Brazil, 17 of which are located in São Paulo state. Atacadão?s property portfolio consists of 2.3 million square feet. The company posted net sales in 2006 of about $2 billion, representing a 4 percent market share. Carrefour?s operations in Brazil consist of 109 hypermarkets, 34 Carrefour Bairro and 258 Dia hard discount stores with total net sales in 2006 of $5.16 billion.

British Airways said it was in discussions with several private equity investors about entering a joint bid for Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, increasing the chances of a bidding war for the Spanish carrier. The Texas Pacific Group, the American buyout firm, made a $4.6 billion approach for Iberia last month. One person with knowledge of the negotiations, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said British Airways, which already owns a 10 percent stake in Iberia, was considering either joining the Texas Pacific bid or backing a bid from one of two other private equity firms, which were not named. British Airways, which has ruled out a bid on its own, said in a statement that any bidding group in which it was involved would probably ?include one or more Spanish partners.?.

Eiffage, a French construction company, said its board had rejected a takeover bid of 6.6 billion euros ($9 billion) from a Spanish rival, Sacyr Vallehermoso, for the two-thirds of Eiffage it does not already own. Eiffage, which is based near Paris, challenged the strategic sense of the approach and accused Sacyr of violating merger rules by collaborating with other investors in making its bid. Sacyr, based in Madrid, made the hostile bid for Eiffage, the company that built the Eiffel Tower, after Eiffage blocked Sacyr, its largest shareholder, from taking a board seat. Eiffage decided not to cooperate with Sacyr after the pair held 14 rounds of talks. Eiffage said. ?None of the meetings allowed the companies to identify a common strategy, synergies or even a road map for future joint projects,? Eiffage said in a statement.

A Brazilian iron and steel company, MMX Mineração e Metálicos, plans to sell a large stake in one of its mining projects to the British mining company Anglo American, according to a regulatory filing. According to the preliminary agreement between the two companies, Anglo American will acquire 49 percent of the MMX unit Sistema Minas-Rio for $1.15 billion. Sistema Minas-Rio is the company?s most ambitious mining project, with total investments of more than $2.4 billion. The investments include development of the Minas mine in Minas Gerais state, and a slurry pipeline and, port facilities. Anglo American will pay $704 million for the 30 percent stake in Sistema Minas-Rio held by an MMX affiliate, Centennial Asset Mining Fund.

Reuters - China has made great strides in protecting patents and copyrights and a U.S. complaints over commercial piracy would "seriously harm" cooperation, Vice Premier Wu Yi said on Tuesday.