UNITED KINGDOM

Technology magazines, facing dwindling advertising and lost luster for big-ticket gadgets, may be turning their attention to helping readers make home improvements or beef-up devices they already own.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it would stop controversial targeted advertising company Phorm from using its Web pages to gather data on Internet users.

Amid a brutal advertising downturn, the UK's main free to air commercial broadcaster ITV is seeking options to shore up its balance sheet before debt repayments come due in 2011.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul called on Wednesday for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, hoping that a U.S.-Russian pledge to join forces to eradicate nuclear weapons will encourage the region.

Royal Bank of Scotland is in talks with three banks interested in buying its Asian retail and commercial banking assets as it pulls back to core markets, a person familiar with the matter said.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday Iran had prepared proposals to end a stalemate over its nuclear ambitions with six world powers, state television reported.

Rio Tinto Ltd/Plc's first-quarter aluminum output fell a steeper-than-expected 6 percent, iron ore production was down 15 percent while refined copper rose 33 percent as the firm struggled to balance supply with global demand.

AT&T Inc is in talks with Apple Inc to extend its exclusive U.S. agreement to sell the iPhone from 2010 to 2011, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

A new racing car made with potatoes and carrots and is powered with chocolate waste is been developed by the Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre of the University of Warwicks in the U.K.

A British police watchdog group will investigate a second suspected incident of police violence during demonstrations against the G20 this month after video footage emerged on Tuesday of an officer lashing out at a woman.

The European Commission started legal action against Britain on Tuesday for what it called a failure to keep people's online details confidential.

General Motors stock fell sharply in Frankfurt on Tuesday on renewed bankruptcy fears, weighing on autos stocks across the region, as peer Chrysler pinned its hopes on a tie-up with Fiat .

The Security Council on Monday unanimously condemned North Korea's long-range rocket launch nearly two weeks ago as contravening a U.N. ban, and demanded enforcement of existing sanctions against Pyongyang.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday that Group of Seven finance ministers will meet in Washington on April 24 and follow that gathering up with a Group of 20 ministerial session.

Britain said on Saturday it was still looking into the possibility of introducing a car scrappage scheme to boost the recession-hit vehicle industry, despite a report that the Treasury was blocking the idea.

Iran said on Monday it would welcome constructive dialogue with six world powers, including the United States, in its clearest signal yet it will accept an invitation for talks on its disputed nuclear work.

India's Tech Mahindra will pay more than $550 million for a controlling stake in Satyam Computer Services , throwing a lifeline to the fraud-hit firm and propelling itself into the top tier of Indian outsourcing firms.

Two of Pakistan's biggest banks, Habib Bank Ltd (HBL) and MCB Bank (MCB), are competing to bid for Royal Bank of Scotland's local assets, which the market values at $266 million.

Britain's PZ Cussons has made it onto the shortlist of bidders for the European household and personal care business of U.S. consumer goods group Sara Lee , the Sunday Times reported without citing sources.

U.N. Security Council negotiations on how to respond to North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket are deadlocked, U.N. diplomats say.

Islamic finance is slowing as the global financial crisis hits its hubs in Malaysia and the Gulf, but the sector now has a chance to move on to Western economies seeking to boost their financial centers.