UNITED KINGDOM

Shooter Bill Simmons wrote me: “…If things continue to muddle along into the progressively improving future as they always have in the grand scheme of things…”

What's Christmas without a little indulgence and a lot of guilt, with a global survey showing two in three people occasionally treat themselves to a luxury purchase, but a third then feel bad about it.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp will spend up to 120 million euros ($172 million) to raise its stake in Sky Deutschland for the second time in a year, sending shares in the ailing German broadcaster soaring.

Look for Final U.S. GDP numbers on Tuesday (2.8%Q/Q, 0.5% Price Index), followed by Existing Home Sales (6.31M) and the House Price Index (0.2%M/M).

Titanic director James Cameron's Avatar, a 3-D extravaganza hyped as a giant leap in cinematic prowess, ruled the worldwide box office during its first weekend even as North American sales were hit by an enormous snow storm, its distributor said on Sunday.

The London Stock Exchange bought a majority stake in platform rival Turquoise, giving its owners a well-timed exit, aligning its interests with those of big clients and granting it immediate access to pan-European share trading.

Relief agencies have been hit by the global recession and falling donations, forcing them to cut jobs and to scale back or slow aid projects, and experts warn they may have to take more extreme measures.

Dubai World will not make any concrete proposals to delay $22 billion in debt when it meets creditors on Monday, a move that is likely to dismay investors who have been left in the dark for weeks.

Dubai World will not make any specific proposals on a debt standstill at Monday's meeting with creditors, a source close to Dubai World told Reuters.

Asian share markets struggled to hold early gains on Monday, with bank shares pressuring some lower even as tech stocks gained, while the dollar held steady on the yen and hovered near a three-month high on the euro.

The Aussie dollar bounced back from Friday's morning sell off towards 88 cents to enter offshore exchange around 0.8880 against the Greenback. Lacking direction during European trade the AUD/USD bounced between 0.8860 and 0.8910 on several occasions, surviving a brief dip to 0.8840 and opening this morning pressing against resistance at 0.8910. With persistent demand for U.S dollars over the last week expected to continue it appears attempts to regain the 90 cent handle will be relatively short ...

Debt-ridden conglomerate Dubai World is expected on Monday to ask key creditors for more time to pay off its loans, but leave them none the wiser concerning their prospects of being paid back in full.

Dubai, set to ask creditors for a standstill on restructuring some $22 billion in debt linked to troubled conglomerate Dubai World , may still repay lenders in full, a local newspaper said on Sunday, citing unnamed sources.

Kraft Foods Inc (KFT.N) will convene a meeting on February 1 to urge shareholders to approve a proposal to issue shares and bankroll its hostile bid for Britain's Cadbury Plc (CBRY.L).

China's largest hotel operator has world-class aspirations and is betting that the U.S. is fertile ground for expansion.

At least seven private equity firms have submitted bids for Pets at Home, increasing the likelihood of a sale of the UK retailer rather than an initial public offering (IPO), sources familiar with the matter said.

The tally at the end of the afternoon on Thursday had gold prices showing a $40.40 loss with the metal quoted at $1093.80 per ounce, a price level not seen since before Thanksgiving

Improving the energy efficiency of Britain's buildings is crucial for meeting the country's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets by 2050, a report by the government-backed Carbon Trust found on Friday.

A cliche recipe for success is to aim for the stars. France's luxury hotels say they need to reach for just one more.

(Deletes incorrect references in paragraphs 1 and 4 to Barclays winning a larger role as a Kraft adviser, as Kraft has denied that has happened)

Barclays Capital, one of the banks providing $9.2 billion of loans to help fund Kraft Foods Inc's hostile bid for Britain's Cadbury Plc , has suspended coverage of Cadbury because of its role.