UNITED KINGDOM

Google has taken the unusual step of using real-world advertising to promote its Chrome web browser in Europe ahead of a regulatory change that will make it easier for consumers to switch Web browsers.

(Corrects 7th paragraph to show Google did not initiate the EU case against Microsoft but entered as an interested third party)

The Lancet medical journal formally retracted a paper on Tuesday that caused a 12-year international battle over links between the three-in-one childhood MMR vaccine and autism.

Chocolate maker Hershey Co defended its decision to back away from a Cadbury bid and a bigger stake in the global confectionery market, saying it remained confident about its growth prospects and was raising its dividend.

Kraft Foods is set to receive enough acceptances from Cadbury shareholders to seal its 11.7 billion pounds ($18.6 billion) takeover by around 1700 GMT (12 noon EST) Tuesday and start the tough integration of Cadbury's 45,000 worldwide employees.

President Barack Obama asked Congress to approve a record $708 billion in defence spending for fiscal 2011, but vowed to continue his drive to eliminate unnecessary, wasteful weapons programs.

This morning the AUD opens higher at 0.8906 against the greenback regaining more than 1% from an intraday low of 0.8787 on Monday.

JPMorgan Chase is rethinking its purchase of RBS Sempra and could pick up only the joint venture's oil operations and all the non-U.S. businesses, a source familiar with the matter said.

Publishing group Pearson and phone maker Nokia have formed a joint venture to deliver English-language learning materials to mobile phone users in China, the two companies said on Monday.

The dollar held at its highest levels in six months on Monday, while the euro huddled near seven-month lows on fiscal concerns, and higher yielding currencies remained pressured by the closing of leveraged trades. The Australian dollar hovered at its weakest since mid-December as investors briefly unwound yen-funded carry trades on a report that a UK regulator would like to restrain carry trading generally.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Sunday urged the United States, Britain and other countries to cooperate on new policies and regulations in the wake of the financial crisis.

The Australian Dollar (0.8790) begins the new week under pressure and is at a six-week low.

No successor has yet been lined up to follow UBS chief executive Oswald Gruebel, the chairman of the Swiss bank's executive board was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview on Saturday.

The chairman of Britain's regulator the Financial Services Authority branded so-called carry trades economically valueless, the Times reported on its website on Friday. Adair Turner said banks and hedge funds that borrowed cheaply in U.S. dollars to bet on higher yielding investments in emerging markets were adding no value to the real economy, the paper said.

Leaders from across Iceland's political spectrum met Dutch and British ministers on Friday over more than $5 billion in Icesave bad bank debts, but the talks ended with no signs of progress.

A study of stimulant-deaths in Britain between 1997 and 2007 found that those who died after taking ecstasy were mainly younger and healthier than those who died after taking amphetamines.

Kraft Foods Inc is expected to easily win support from Cadbury shareholders for its $18.73 billion (11.68 million pound) takeover of the iconic British chocolatier.

Lloyds TSB raised $1 billion via a residential mortgage-backed bond on Friday, reopening a U.S. market that had been shut since mid-2008 because of the credit crunch.

Singapore's telecommunications giants SingTel and Starhub could be cut out of broadcasting the soccer World Cup, forcing fans to view matches live on the internet unless a deadlock over rights fees can be resolved.

The Australian Dollar opens at 0.8940 after a volatile 24-hour session which saw it trade between a low of 0.8910 during early Sydney trade yesterday and a high of 0.9044 in early Europe.

Global investors cut back on equities in January in the face of worries about the economy, potentially tighter monetary policy and in reaction to last year's stellar gains.