UNITED KINGDOM

The Aussie dollar survived a brief selloff in Asia yesterday to bounce back from intraday lows of around 0.9175 and open at 0.9265 this morning.

OPEC is unlikely to cut oil supply at its next meeting in March, Qatar's oil minister said on Monday.

A study by the European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network (EHFCN) and the Center for Counter Fraud Services (CCFS) at Britain's Portsmouth University found that 5.59 percent of annual global health spending is lost to mistakes or corruption.

The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia said on Monday Britain's High Court had ruled in its favor in a patent dispute with IPCom, and it would now seek to recoup legal costs of the case from the German firm.

The Unite union will open a strike ballot for BA cabin crew on January 25 after talks with the airline failed to secure a deal on changes to working conditions, potentially prolonging the winter of travel chaos.

Shares in Cadbury Plc pushed higher on Monday in anticipation of a higher bid from Kraft Foods , which is expected to sweeten its original takeover offer before the January 19 deadline.

Cadbury Chief Executive Todd Stitzer said the British confectioner could be worth more than 10 pounds a share by 2013, in an interview published in the Daily Telegraph's Monday edition.

The Aussie dollar fell below the 93 cent handle in Asia on Friday to enter offshore trade around 0.9275 ahead of key European and U.S economic data releases.

Major powers will only achieve results in their meetings on Iran if they adopt a realistic approach and recognize its nuclear rights, the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday.

In 2010, iron ore prices in India are set to soar by around 15-20%. This is apart from the rise Indian witnessed in Dec 2009 when the iron ore prices jumped by around 30 per cent. While the prices of iron ore with more than 64% ferrous content have already gone up from around $59-61 per tonne to $117 (free on board) per tonne, prices are expected to climb further by 15-20% in 2010.

The British government still hopes to make a profit from its multi-billion-pound rescue of major British banks during the financial crisis, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Saturday.

Some of Cadbury's biggest shareholders, led by Legal & General, continued to reject Kraft Foods' 10.5 billion pound ($17.2 billion) bid and will look for an increased offer over the next four days.

As phone makers increasingly focus on developing their own browsers, mobile browser makers are turning to operators and new software stores to open new sales opportunities to make up for lost sales.

Europe's leading economies showed no sign on Friday of adopting U.S. President Barack Obama's proposal for a levy on banks to repay taxpayers for bailouts but vowed to press on with their own ideas to target the sector. The president of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker, said Obama was right to propose the plan, which foresees Wall Street banks paying up to $117 b...

A crisis tax proposed by the Obama administration would cut substantially into bank earnings across Europe and could sidetrack the sector's recovery, analysts and industry officials said Friday.

Technology shares jumped in Asia on Friday after better-than-expected earnings from sector bellwether Intel, but stocks elsewhere in the region were largely subdued amid fresh doubts about the strength of the U.S. economic recovery.

The Australian Dollar opens higher today at 0.9310 and is consolidating upon its recent gains versus the greenback.

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross on Thursday said he was quite possibly interested in teaming up with Richard Branson's Virgin Money to bid for state-owned British bank Northern Rock.

Cadbury fired the final salvo in its defence on Thursday, branding Kraft Foods' bid as more unattractive than a month ago, as Cadbury shares rose on hopes of a rival bid from Hershey.

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross on Thursday said he was not considering buying American International Group's mortgage insurance unit United Guaranty.

Technological advances have led to a sharp fall in the weight of women's handbags, research from British department store chain Debenhams has revealed.