PREVIEW / Some of the major business and economic events scheduled for this week

* Northwest Airlines Corp., the nation’s fourth-largest airline, and its mechanics union continued contract talks Sunday as a Presidential Emergency Board prepared to issue recommendations to settle the 4-year-old dispute over pay and benefits. Northwest and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. resumed discussions Saturday for the first time since negotiations collapsed in March and President Bush intervened to stop a threatened strike. The National Mediation Board, which is overseeing the talks at its offices in Washington, described the newest round as an “assessment of the status of negotiations” ahead of the emergency board’s recommendation, which is due by Thursday.