UNITED KINGDOM

The British arm of Toyota Motor Corp is to cut UK staff pay and working hours by 10 percent to save money in the face of a sharp downturn in global demand, the Japanese auto maker said on Wednesday.

Vodafone, the world's largest mobile phone group by revenue, is to sell music without any anti-piracy protection in a deal that will allow users to listen to songs on any digital device.

The world's advanced economies are moving too slowly in ridding banks of problem assets, which could jeopardize a global economic recovery in 2010, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

Nokia unveiled three new music phones on Wednesday and laid out further expansion plans for its music service as the world's top cell phone maker seeks additional revenue streams.

A drop in Chinese exports and falling prices in Japan and Germany underscored the weakness of the world economy, while the IMF said governments are moving too slowly to rid banks of their toxic assets.

China's exports tumbled in February and Japan's wholesale prices fell by the most in six years, stark illustrations of a bleak world economy even as Citigroup boosted investor confidence in the banking sector.

Citigroup said it was profitable in the first two months of 2009 and Toshiba was reported to be set for an operating profit of $1 billion next year, two rare shards of corporate news to lift markets.

The U.S. dollar slipped and world stocks rallied in their biggest single-day gain in three months on Tuesday after a Citigroup memo saying the troubled bank made a profit in January and February fuelled the appetite for risk.

On March 10, the total number of U.S. soldier deaths stood at 4,256 who died since the Iraq war began the same month six years ago according to an Associated Press count.

Oil fell nearly 3 percent a barrel on Tuesday as the U.S. government revised down its forecast for world oil demand in 2009.

Solar power, wind and biotech made record money last year and promise excellent results in the future, but first, companies must survive the world financial crisis, a report said on Tuesday.

Oil fell below $46 a barrel on Tuesday as the U.S. government revised down its forecast for world oil demand in 2009.

A breakaway Irish republican group said on Tuesday it had shot dead a policeman in Northern Ireland, the second such attack in two days on a power-sharing deal that has brought peace to the British-ruled province.

A United Nations investigator urged U.S. allies from Britain to Pakistan on Tuesday to fully investigate whether they helped in secret renditions that led to the illegal torture or disappearance of terror suspects.

Asian shares outside Japan posted their best gains in a month on Tuesday while safe-haven flight to the dollar eased, but the moves were seen as only a momentary reprieve from a gloomy economic outlook.

The European Union is set to back an International Monetary Fund call for $500 billion to fight the global financial crisis, a document showed on Monday as Japan posted its first current account deficit in 13 years.

Lloyds Banking Group said Britain's requirement for banks to hold enough capital to withstand a severe downturn was key to its decision to insure 260 billion pounds ($370 billion) of risky assets with the UK government.

Britain should cast aside its hesitation and press ahead with carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, especially as it needs to replace many coal-fired generators, a government advisor told Reuters.

Virgin Group will return to the mortgage market and obtain a license to operate a high street bank, the group's billionaire founder Richard Branson told the Times newspaper.

Lloyds Banking Group starts meeting investors on Monday to garner support for its plan to insure 260 billion pounds ($370 billion) of risky assets with the UK government, which further dilutes shareholders and sent its shares tumbling.

European Union finance ministers are set to back a call from the International Monetary Fund to double its funds to $500 billion to fight the global financial crisis, a document showed on Monday.