David L Vanloo

Barack Obama may get to keep his Blackberry, but David Axelrod is losing his IM. The lawyers broke the bad news to Obama aides at a briefing Friday morning convened by incoming Deputy White House Counsel Cassandra Butts: "They just told us flat out we couldn't IM in the White House," groused one senior staffer Friday.

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have discovered that mice that lack a gene called Snf2l have brains that are 35 per cent larger than normal. The research, led by Dr. David Picketts and published in the prestigious journal Developmental ...

Now that recession-weary consumers have been shedding debt, banks are doing their best to convince you to get that spending back up. Somewhat tricky moves from various credit card companies could result in a high balance if you're not careful. The L.A. Times' David Lazarus highlights a recent example involving Chase Freedom MasterCard. Holders of these cards were informed that they no longer have credit limits, but instead something called

Friends and foes of 'Net neutrality faced off at Harvard Law School today. The star of the show was Comcast EVP David L. Cohen, with FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin, Columbia Law School professor Timothy Wu, and others playing supporting roles. We've got audio of the debate between Cohen, Wu, and the general counsel of Free Press inside.

Billionaire Industrialist David Koch promised to help support Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) who is up for a recall election and his promise just came through by way of a $1 million donation.

French construction company Vinci SA (DG.FR) said Monday it has signed a five-year syndicated credit line worth 1.79 billion euros ($2.17 billion) for its unit which runs and upgrades highways in southern France.

Dutch electronics major Royal Philips Electronics (PHIA.AE) said Monday it swung to a second quarter profit as sales picked up at all its units, especially in the U.S. and emerging markets, offsetting weak European markets and as cost-cutting plans launched last year started to take effect.

Norwegian oil and natural gas major Statoil ASA (STO) said Monday it has awarded CHC Helikopter Service AS three new helicopter contracts worth a total of NOK5 billion to provide offshore flights from Kristiansund and Bronnoysund, as well as the search and rescue helicopter stationed on the Heidrun

Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (ISP.MI) and Russia's Gazprombank (GZPR.RS) said Monday they have signed a joint venture for private equity investments in companies from the two nations.

South Africa's tepid growth in recent years has been propelled by the financial sector and consumer spending, the central bank said Monday, as the traditionally strong mining and manufacturing sectors have slumped.

Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) has agreed to the Indonesian government's request that it sell a stake in its Indonesian unit via an initial public offering on the local stock market, a senior Indonesian economic minister said Monday.

Singapore beverage company Fraser & Neave Ltd. (F99.SG) has appointed Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to advise it on Heineken NV's (HEIA.AE) 5.1 billion Singapore dollar (US$4.06 billion) offer to buy Fraser & Neave's stake in Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd. (A46.SG), a person familiar with the situation

Trading in Italian bank shares were suspended Monday morning after sharp drops in share prices following new concerns about the euro-zone debt crisis.

Nokia Corp. (NOK) is considering ripping up its traditional mass marketing strategy when it unveils its new Windows 8 smartphone in the autumn, in an attempt to recreate the excitement around Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) exclusive launch of the original iPhone in 2007, the Financial Times reports Monday.

Fears that Spain will require a full-fledged sovereign bailout helped push Spanish government bond yields to another round of euro-era record highs Monday.