Reuters - U.S. stocks opened sharply higher on Monday after the government's takeover of troubled mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac raised hopes of a recovery in the U.S. housing market, sparking a global equity rally.

Reuters - Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's stocks took a dive while their debt soared on Monday, as investors bet the U.S. government's takeover of the mortgage finance firms would wipe out shareholders but fully guarantee their bonds.

Reuters - Altria Group Inc has agreed to buy smokeless tobacco company UST Inc for $10.4 billion, the companies said on Monday, in a move that will combine the Marlboro cigarette brand with the Skoal and Copenhagen smokeless tobacco products.

Reuters - U.S. stock index futures rallied on Monday, putting Wall Street on track for a surge of 2 percent or more at the open, as the government bailout of U.S. home finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stoked a global equity surge.

Reuters - Aerospace groups dusted off contingency plans on Monday for a potentially lengthy strike at Boeing, whose workers halted production for a third day, while shares in the parent of European rival Airbus got a sharp boost.

Reuters - Stock index futures rallied on Monday, putting Wall Street on track for a surge of 2 percent or more at the open, as the bailout of U.S. home finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stoked a global equity surge.

Reuters - Russia aims to extend its control over energy deliveries to the West and it is important that European countries push forward on efforts to diversify routes for oil and gas supplies, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in an interview with U.S. radio broadast on Monday that a plan to take control of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae had been structured in a way to protect U.S. taxpayers.

Reuters - China and Japan, the biggest buyers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae bonds, praised Washington for its rescue of the ailing mortgage giants, but investors had no illusions the bailout would end the global credit market misery.

Reuters - Cigarette maker Altria Group Inc has agreed to buy Skoal and Copenhagen smokeless tobacco maker UST Inc for about $10.3 billion in cash, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.