Investors’ growing dread of higher interest rates sent stocks sliding sharply in the United States today, with a solid retail sales report and expectations of higher inflation providing the latest catalyst for a sell-off.

European Union regulators have rejected as insufficient Microsoft’s latest offer to settle long-running antitrust charges but are continuing talks, sourced said today.

Stocks were mixed in New York today as investors sought a direction for the market.

RealNetworks is to supply Vodafone with software to stream live video to mobile users.

Microsoft is to pay $750m (€1bn) to settle a lawsuit brought by AOL Time Warner in relation to its Netscape unit.

The EU Commission says that the Microsoft bundling of its video playing software Media Player with its Windows operating system puts other products, such as RealNetworks and Apple Computer's QuickTime at a disadvantage.

AFTER a court settlement by Microsoft in the US, the battle now shifts to Europe where Competition Commissioner Mario Monti may soon impose his own set of sanctions against the software giant.

Vintage music show The Old Grey Whistle Test is being given a high-tech revamp for online viewers, it was announced today.

Napster, the former US music industry bad-boy, has struck a distribution deal with three major record labels that are launching a music subscription service this summer.

Microsoft and America Online are attempting to thrash out a deal that could see AOL's internet service become a default feature of Windows.

MSN has unveiled a trial version of a new internet music service to let fans look for and listen to recordings online.

Bertelsmann, AOL Time Warner and EMI have announced they are to create an online music service.