IBT Staff Reporter

Oil and gas company Sterling Energy PLC said it would launch an open offer at 1.3 pence per share to raise about 20.6 million pounds ($34.60 million).

U.S. consumer prices rose more than expected in October, chiefly from increases in energy and motor vehicle costs, according to government data on Wednesday that showed the economy may have to confront some inflation threats during its recovery from the worst recession in 70 years.

New U.S. housing starts in October unexpectedly fell to their lowest level in six months, weighed down by a sharp decline in construction activity for both single-family and multi-family dwellings, a government report showed on Wednesday.

Heart patients in Norway -- where unlike many countries foods are not enriched with folic acid -- were more likely to die from cancer if they took folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements compared with those who did not take them, Norwegian researchers said on Tuesday.

The captain of a Virgin-Islands owned chemical tanker hijacked this week has died from gunshot wounds sustained when the ship was attacked, a Somali pirate said on Wednesday.

Sales at Slovenia's largest fuel retailer Petrol fell by almost a quarter to 1.7 billion euros ($2.53 billion) in the first nine months of the year, as recession took a toll on volumes and prices.

More than half of Britons being offered vaccination against pandemic H1N1 flu are turning it down because they fear side-effects or think the virus is too mild to bother, a survey of doctors showed on Wednesday.

Runny nose, fever, cough, even pneumonia -- the symptoms sound like swine flu but children hospitalized at one U.S. hospital in fact had a rhinovirus, better known as a common cold virus, doctors said on Tuesday.

Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president vetoed an election law on Wednesday over the number of seats for refugees, prompting poll workers to halt preparations and casting fresh doubt on whether the vote can take place in January.

A doctor who died at the Kahrizak detention center, closed after the deaths there of several protesters against June's disputed election, committed suicide, state media said on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama gave his sternest warning yet about the need to contain rising U.S. deficits, saying on Wednesday that if government debt were to pile up too much, it could lead to a double-dip recession.

U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for talks that will focus on how to tempt North Korea back to nuclear disarmament talks and a delayed trade pact between Seoul and Washington.

Future supply shortages could drive up contracts for oil use in several years' time, as they mimic a market for near-term delivery that has more than doubled since the start of the year.

Hong Kong Wednesday announced a political reform blueprint for electoral arrangements in 2012 that will have a key bearing on the city's struggle to realise direct elections in 2017.

U.S. President Barack Obama aims to bring the Afghan war to an end before he leaves office, he said on Wednesday, the eve of a swearing-in ceremony Western officials hope can help salvage Hamid Karzai's tattered reputation.

U.S. President Barack Obama took time out of his busy diplomatic schedule in China to meet with his half-brother, who lives in the southern part of the country -- but only for five minutes.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group posted a 59 percent rise in quarterly profit helped by stronger lending, becoming the third major Japanese bank to post market-beating results, in a sign that Tokyo's lenders may now be on the mend.

European stocks were up 0.5 percent around midday on Wednesday, rising for the ninth time in 11 sessions, led by banks while buoyant commodity prices boosted shares of oil producers and miners such as Rio Tinto (RIO.L).

Chocolate makers Hershey Co and Ferrero SpA are considering a joint bid for Cadbury Plc that could help the British confectioner fend off a hostile takeover by Kraft Foods Inc

U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Wednesday as weakness in the U.S. dollar underpinned natural resource shares, including gold miners, ahead of key data on October housing starts and consumer prices.

The European Ombudsman rebuked European Union regulators on Wednesday for procedural errors in their antitrust probe of Intel but the censure will not affect a 1.06 billion euro ($1.58 billion) fine against the U.S. chipmaker.

Gold hit a fresh record high near $1,150 an ounce on Wednesday, boosting precious metals across the board, as a dip in the dollar index added to momentum buying as prices broke through key technical resistance levels.

* U.S. stock index futures pointed to a mixed opening on Wall Street on Wednesday as investors await U.S. inflation and housing start figures.

Gold prices hit a record high and oil and stock prices around the world rose on Wednesday, while the dollar eased off ahead of U.S. inflation data and minutes from the Bank of England's November meeting.

The dollar weakened broadly on Wednesday as dealers took profit on the currency's biggest rise in three weeks the previous session and pushed the euro back to the middle of its range of the last fortnight.

The dollar eased back on Wednesday from its biggest rise in three weeks the previous session, as traders awaited U.S. inflation data and minutes from the Bank of England's November meeting for further direction.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a mixed opening on Wall Street on Wednesday as investors await U.S. inflation and housing start figures.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc, facing criticism over its outsized profits and bonuses, will contribute $500 million to programs that help small businesses, the company said on Tuesday.

John Thain, former Merrill Lynch & Co Inc chief executive, wants the world to know that he has never thrown a chair.