UNITED KINGDOM

A fast car with a James Bond image held onto its place atop a list of the coolest brands in Britain in a newly released survey on Thursday.

Asian stocks took a breather on Monday after four straight weeks of gains, with expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut this week helping to offset renewed worries about a global credit squeeze.

European Union finance ministers and central bankers agreed on Saturday to step up co-operation among themselves to improve their handling of cross-border financial crises.

Deutsche Telekom has clinched an exclusive deal with Apple Inc to sell the coveted iPhone in Germany, an industry source told Reuters.

Your mobile phone may be one of the last spots around that's relatively free of advertising -- but not for long.

India's Mahindra & Mahindra has decided not to bid for Ford Motor Co's Land Rover and Jaguar brands, the Economic Times reported on Friday, citing investment banking and industry sources.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Friday that it will take time to work through the problems contributing to current financial market turmoil but expressed confidence U.S. growth will not be derailed.

Stocks were little changed on Friday as weakness in semiconductor makers after a broker downgrade of Intel Corp was offset by strength in energy producers.

Shares in British housebuilders fell sharply on Friday, with sector leaders skidding over 8 percent, as reports of falling house prices and liquidity problems at mortgage lender Northern Rock raised concerns over reduced home demand.

Wall Street grew anxious on Friday after news that Britain's central bank was forced to rescue mortgage lender Northern Rock, suggesting a global credit crisis was spreading.

Northern Rock Plc's share price plunge after needing a lifeline from the Bank of England has turned the mortgage lender into a stricken target, more likely than ever to fall prey to a takeover bid.

Stock futures fell on Friday, suggesting Wall Street shares could open under pressure after British mortgage lender Northern Rock became the biggest UK casualty of the current liquidity squeeze.

Britain's Cadbury Schweppes Plc rejected a private equity bid for its North American drinks unit over the terms rather than price after it was asked to finance a third of the deal, industry sources said on Friday.

The Bank of England has offered an emergency loan to Northern Rock after the mortgage lender became the biggest British casualty of the credit squeeze sparked by the crisis in the U.S. subprime mortgage market. The British central bank's support is the first time it has acted as lender of last resort in this way since becoming independent on interest rate policy in 1997.

Apple Inc is calling a London news conference next Tuesday as speculation mounts that the consumer electronics guru will unveil long-awaited plans to bring its iconic iPhone cell phones to Europe.

Most Asian stocks rose on Thursday with energy stocks higher as oil held near a record peak above $80, while expectations of an U.S. rate cut next week pinned the dollar near an all-time low versus the euro.

Cellular phones do not pose short-term health risks, but it remains too soon to say whether they can cause brain cancer or whether children face greater risks than adults, British scientists said on Wednesday.

Top South Korean retail bank Kookmin on Wednesday reaffirmed its intention to buy Korea Exchange Bank (KEB), even though its smaller domestic rival is subject to a bid from UK-based HSBC.

Yahoo Inc announced on Wednesday an exclusive partnership with Bebo to manage display advertising on the social networking Web site in Britain and Ireland, giving it access to more than 11 million sought-after users.

McDonald's Corp. on Tuesday reported an 8.1 percent rise in August same-store sales, easily beating analysts' expectations on strong breakfast and beverage sales in the United States and extended store hours in China and Australia.

Britain's Barclays said its investment bank arm traded profitably last month and its prospects remain strong, despite the credit market turmoil, but the bank's offer for ABN AMRO could be beaten.