Asian stocks rose on Monday on hopes for the global economy, with Taiwan shares hitting a near 7-month closing high, while oil prices slipped below $52 after a dramatic oil demand downgrade by the International Energy Agency. But trade was thinned with many Asian and European centers still out for the long Easter holiday weekend,

The chief executives of Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc met last week to discuss potential partnerships between the companies' Internet search and advertising operations, the technology blog All Things Digital reported on Friday. Wide-ranging talks have taken place between executives at the companies, the blog reported, including discussion of the potential for Microsoft to handle

Standard & Poor's cut its rating on General Motors Corp's (GM.N) $4.5 bln senior secured revolving credit facility deeper into junk, due to a shrinking pool of assets available to repay lenders and weak demand for its light vehicles while Toyota’s operating loss could balloon to over 500 bln yen ($5 bln) in the year

More than three months into a medical leave from Apple, Chief Executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook runs the day-to-day operations, but Jobs has continued to work on the company's most

EBay Inc has agreed to buy a controlling stake in South Korean online retailer Gmarket Inc for $413 million, at a 32.5 percent premium, news service eDaily reported on Monday. The long-discussed deal would help U.S. online auctioneer eBay emerge as a dominant player in South Korea's customer-to-customer online market by taking control of its

The founders of Web telephone service Skype, currently owned by eBay Inc, are interested in bidding for the company they sold some four years ago, according to a media report. Co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis have contacted several private equity firms in order to make a bid for the company, the New York Times

The chief executives of Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc met last week to discuss potential partnerships between the companies' Internet search and advertising operations, the technology blog All Things Digital reported on Friday. Wide-ranging talks have taken place between executives at the companies, the blog reported, including discussion of the potential for Microsoft to handle

Orascom Telecom (ORTE.CA)(ORTEq.L), the largest Arab mobile operator by subscribers, said on Sunday it was not paying any fines over a delay in a transaction with France Telecom (FTE.PA). France Telecom said on Thursday that Orascom should be paying $50,000 per day in penalties, accusing the Egyptian firm of missing an April 10 court-ordered deadline