UNITED KINGDOM

Weaker commodity stocks and banks pushed Britain's top share index lower early on Tuesday, after gains in the previous session, as confidence prompted by China's decision to give its currency more flexibility faded.

Asian stocks and commodities retreated on Tuesday as wary investors took profits from a rally ignited by China's weekend decision to give its currency more flexibility.

Asian stocks retreated on Tuesday as investors booked profits a day after China's weekend decision to give its currency more flexibility triggered a risk rally.

The AUD has opened lower this morning currently trading around USD0.8765 as profit taking entered the market following the announcement from the Chinese central bank regarding the Chinese Yuan.

Press release service Business Wire said on Monday it will no longer accept releases by email after it inadvertently distributed a hoax statement involving a small pharmaceutical company, days after its main rival was burned in a similar fashion.

Commodity currencies rallied on Friday, with the Aussie advancing to a new monthly high reaching 0.8712 USD.

Upgrades to a wastewater treatment plant in Colorado helped filter out gender-bending chemicals that were affecting fish, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Japanese carmaker Toyota UK and French utility EDF are starting three year trial of the Plug-In hybrid Prius car in Britain, the companies said on Monday.

When Philip Mould began as a professional art dealer 22 years ago, the buying and selling of high-end artwork was confined to a small group of well-versed art historians who scoured the globe in search of masterpieces.

BP is eyeing relatively modest new bank lending lines and is not planning bond sales or new increases in asset sales to fund its Gulf of Mexico oil spill clean-up, sources familiar with the company's thinking said on Monday.

For avid gardeners, the ultimate luxury is a designated garden shed for corralling tools and accessories; preferably with a utility sink for tidying up. Here's a roundup of a few outbuildings spotted in the portfolios of architects we admire.

Financial market stress eased further on Monday as investors cheered Beijing's vow to make its currency more flexible, but interbank euro funding costs rose again with excess money market liquidity set to drop.

The biggest threat to Britain's economy is its huge budget deficit, and an emergency budget on Tuesday will save the country from the fate of debt-stricken Greece, British finance minister George Osborne said on Sunday.

The Australian Dollar opens higher this morning and is exchanging at 0.8678. In the offshore session to dollar moved between 0.8580 and 0.8680 as risk appetite returned to the markets.

The biggest threat to Britain's economy is its huge budget deficit, and an emergency budget on Tuesday will save the country from the fate of debt-stricken Greece, British finance minister George Osborne said on Sunday.

(Corrects maximum payroll tax break size in paragraph 14)

Tensions in global financial markets stemming from the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis appear to be easing, setting the stage for investors to dip back into risky assets in the second half of this year.

Europe will push for a swift exit from fiscal stimulus programs and a focus on budget consolidation at the G20 meeting next week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday.

With the U.S. team playing in the World Cup tournament, Wall Street traders are taking advantage of mediocre volume to focus on the games, with trading floor atmosphere anything but dull.

BP shares gained in London on Friday after its boss survived a bruising encounter with U.S. lawmakers and as hopes rose its $20 billion oil spill compensation and clean-up fund will cap public anger.

With gold prices soaring to new heights, people are lining up to sell off their old gold at jewellery shops. But Britain is witnessing a strange phenomenon with jewellery shops fleecing many customers.