UNITED STATES

Technological changes and personal privacy have been at odds ever since modern notions of privacy emerged more than a century ago. Numerous mechanical devices threaten to make good the prediction that 'what is whispered in the closet shall be proclaimed from the housetops', wrote two Boston lawyers in 1890 in a seminal paper that articulated the modern right to be left alone that is the basis of U.S. privacy law.

World economic growth may be cresting after the strongest showing in three decades, making it imperative that countries revive global, market-opening talks to tap the benefit of expanded trade, the head of the IMF said on Tuesday.

U.S. coal firm Peabody Energy Corp. raised its bid for Australia's Excel Coal Ltd. by nearly 12 percent to A$2 billion ($1.5 billion), but speculation about a rival offer pushed Excel shares above Peabody's new offer price.

Global economic integration could come apart if rich countries continue to hoard its benefits from the developing world, economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz said in an interview.

U.S. and Chinese standards groups are collaborating to launch a standards Web site designed to boost trade between the two countries.

Yahoo Inc. plans a new integrated marketing campaign in U.S. and overseas markets that includes television, radio, cinema and online advertising, the Internet media company said on Monday.

Euro zone government bonds tumbled and the euro edged higher on Monday after hawkish comments from European Central Bank officials, while European stocks tracked Asian markets higher.

The world's asset managers and pension funds do not see eye to eye on the type of investment products that are most needed to deal with the rising cost of a greying population

The Nikkei average sagged 0.47 percent on Friday as a government downgrade of its view on private consumption and exports spurred selling, but Advantest Corp. and other chip stocks rose, curbing market losses.

U.S. shares are expected to rise again on Monday, underpinned by hopes that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged at its policy-setting meeting on Wednesday, and as oil prices stayed below $64 a barrel.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Monday a strong U.S. dollar was in the interest of the United States and he was not seeking any quick fixes on China's currency situation.

UK stocks edged up on Monday, led by mining stocks based on higher commodity prices.

Investors who have seen energy prices rocket due to scarce supplies are starting to wager that forecasted shortages will cause the value of water to skyrocket

They are jumping ship or receiving the pink slip. America's real estate agents and mortgage lenders, that is.

Computer hardware group Radstone said on Monday that it was recommending a 130.4 million pound bid from U.S. based GE Fanuc

Finance ministers on Monday backed a controversial new World Bank strategy for tackling corruption in developing countries but insisted on overseeing how it is implemented

Stocks edged up on Monday, led by mining stocks based on higher commodity prices.

Oil prices nudged higher for a second day on Monday, struggling to end their steepest slump in more than a decade amid robust winter fuel stocks and easing geopolitical and weather risks to oil supplies. NYMEX crude for October delivery

Oil giant BP has denied misleading a U.S. environmental regulator about having installed safety equipment at its Texas City refinery

European investors will focus on the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision next week and clues about the U.S. economy, while a smattering of company results will also roll on in Europe and the United States.

Leading mobile operator, Idea Cellular, has tied up with U.S.-based cellular phone manufacturer, Motorola Inc. to provide user-ready Motorola handsets at economical price.