UNITED KINGDOM

Bumper payouts to bankers should be seen as part of a longer term investment in London's economy, the vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International told a debate on ethics at St Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday.

The Aussie dollar continued to press higher in Asia yesterday trading marginally above the 93 cent handle following the release of the RBA board minutes with the central bank continuing to send the same bullish signals on interest rates. Support for the high yielding AUD continued throughout European trade with buyers lining up ahead of 0.9250 that was until North American investors entered. Disappointing housing data out of the U.S triggered a flight back into the Greenback and subsequently pus...

Iran's military accused the United States and Israel of terrorism as it held a funeral on Tuesday for high-ranking commanders killed in the deadliest attack in the Islamic Republic since the 1980s.

General Motors looked poised to sign over carmaker Opel to Canada's Magna as fears the EU might scupper the deal were dispelled, but Spanish workers planned strikes to protest looming cost cuts.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai must face an election run-off against his main rival on November 7, officials said on Tuesday, to resolve a disputed first round that plunged the country into months of political uncertainty.

Adecco (ADEN.VX), the world's largest staffing company, is buying American rival MPS Group (MPS.N) for $1.3 billion, boosting its high-margin and more recession-resilient professional staffing business.

Adecco , the world's largest staffing company, is buying American rival MPS Group for $1.3 billion, boosting its high-margin and more recession-resilient professional staffing business.

A sale of Barclays shares by the Qatari Investment Authority (QIA) dented banking stocks, pulling Britain's FTSE 100 index slightly lower by midday on Tuesday, but the move lifted Sainsbury shares by reviving bid talk.

Qatar is selling a 1.3 billion pound ($2.1 billion) stake in British bank Barclays , stoking talk it will use a big profit to make a move on UK food retailer J. Sainsbury .

Switzerland's Adecco , the world's largest staffing company, said on Tuesday it would acquire U.S. rival MPS Group Inc for $1.3 billion in a cash transaction.

Global stocks extended gains to a one-year high on Tuesday, up 75 percent from a crisis low after strong sales numbers from Apple Inc suggested U.S. consumption is returning.

The Aussie dollar opened Monday a nervous note with local investors unsure if the week ahead could see the beginning of a reversal of the recent strong run higher.

Google Inc said more than 2 million businesses now use its online office software, and the Web search leader is going global on Monday with an advertising campaign to lure customers away from Microsoft Corp and IBM products.

Gannett Co Inc, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, reported a lower quarterly profit and a 28 percent drop in publishing advertising revenue on Monday, but the results were better than expected and shares rose more than 8 percent.

Sweden's Spotify, the European digital music service, will be available to customers of British mobile operator 3 through a new HTC Hero phone, the three companies said on Monday.

The government-funded Carbon Trust said on Monday it will commit up to 18 million pounds ($29.34 million) in funding for the UK's clean energy sector.

A Sri Lankan-born billionaire's arrest in the largest U.S. hedge fund insider trading case triggered new scrutiny on Monday in his native country over the possibility his money found its way to the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Britain urged world leaders on Monday to turn up in person to salvage a U.N. climate deal in Copenhagen in December, as Australia and India outlined steps to rein in their greenhouse gas emissions.

Britain urged world leaders on Monday to turn up in person to salvage a U.N. climate deal in Copenhagen in December, as Australia and India outlined steps to rein in their greenhouse gas emissions.

The German trust set up to oversee Opel said on Monday it saw no reason to re-open the sale of the carmaker despite EU concerns that Berlin's promises of state aid had skewed the bidding process.

The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday vowed to retaliate against the United States and Britain after accusing them of backing the perpetrators of a suicide bombing that killed six Guards commanders.