IBT Staff Reporter

Apple began selling its iPhone in France on Wednesday exclusively through carrier Orange.

Intel on Wednesday unveiled a new toolset for upgrading the latest version of Apple's operating system, Leopard.

A Nigerian company sued the One Laptop Per Child (OPLC) association for violating its patents on a multilingual keyboard.

Economic growth slowed in October and the first half of November as a glut of homes for sale pushed home prices down and tighter credit took some would-be buyers out of the market, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.

AMD, Freescale seem to be losers revealed a research company, iSuppli Corp. in its 2007 projected rankings. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc. are most likely to drop out of the top 10 with best 2007 sales.

As Nintendo shatters its own sales records, a lack of supply is hurting third-party software vendors, making this holiday season ripe for a blockbuster releases on Microsoft's Xbox360, according to one analyst.

Nintendo of America has broken its own sales records in the first week of this holiday shopping season, and analysts fear there may not be enough supply to meet the demand.

The dollar fell against the euro on Wednesday, after a Fed report that the U.S. economy is slowing down more, and signs from the central bank that a further cut in interest rates may be possible.

Demand for U.S. goods had a set-back as orders for its durable goods fell more than forecast in October with companies losing confidence in the possibility of economic expansion. Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn today warned that turbulence may discourage businesses and consumers from spending. Economists also added less investment adds to risks that growth will falter and force the central bank to cut interest rates again. James O'Sullivan, a senior economist at UBS Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut, projected orders would drop 0.5 percent. We do expect growth to be weak for the next couple of quarters, he said. The department of Commerce revealed on Wednesday that the demand for cars, planes and other items was down by 0.4 percent for years, with September this year posting further 1.4 percent decline noting that demand fell by 0.7 percent. Economists forecast a 0.1 percent drop in orders after against 1.7 percent decline that was posted in September.

Crude oil fell 4 percent on Wednesday after a U.S. government report said stockpiles dropped less than expected, reducing worries over supply.

Apple Inc. has a number of chic, high-tech products that consumers can't get enough of, but among its computer lines, the MacBook reigns as king.

Gold futures dropped nearly 2 percent on Wednesday following gains in the dollar and lower oil prices causing traders to lose appeal for the metal.

Gold slid under the $800 mark in increasingly volatile conditions on Wednesday, as softer oil prices and a firmer dollar against the euro dented the metal's wider appeal for investors.

Stocks charged ahead on Wednesday as hopes for an interest cut by the Federal Reserve boosted financial services companies for a second day, while falling oil prices eased fears of higher energy costs. The surge put Wall Street on track for its biggest two-day advance in 4 1/2 years. Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn said renewed financial market turmoil could slow the economy more abruptly than previously thought.

Oil prices tumbled 4 percent on Wednesday, after a U.S. government report showed crude stockpiles fell less than expected last week, easing supply concerns in the world's top consumer.

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Wednesday it would recall 215,020 units of the Lexus GS, Crown and three other high-end car models in Japan to fix a faulty fuel pipe that could lead to a fuel leakage.

Bear Stearns Cos Inc (BSC.N) is cutting 650 jobs or 4 percent of its global workforce as the investment bank seeks to lower costs after losing bets on risky subprime mortgages. Of those cuts, around 20 will be in London, both in the front and back office, a source familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. The bank employs about 1,500 in London.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday oversupply of memory chips used in personal computers was expected to ease in 2008 as growing demand for portable gadgets prompts a shift in production to flash chips.

China Life Insurance, the country's top life insurer, plans to boost its equity investments, especially in the financial, power and ports sectors, and expand its asset management business.

The European Union, United States and Russia urged Serbs and Albanians on Wednesday to avert any slide to violence following the failure of their talks on the future of the breakaway province of Kosovo. Kosovo's 90-percent Albanian majority is preparing to declare independence within months, and is counting on recognition from Washington and the major EU capitals -- a move Serbia says will unleash chaos in the fragile Balkans.

U.S. President George W. Bush has set himself the Herculean task of shepherding an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the end of next year, but doubts remain about his commitment. As Bush proudly beamed behind them, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shook hands on Tuesday over an agreement to immediately begin their first formal peace negotiations in seven years.

US stocks surged on Wednesday as all three major indexes climbed more than 2 percent and Dow Jones industrials rose more than 200 points for the second consecutive day. The climb came after a Federal Reserve official hinted that it may lower interest rates.

Indian fund assets could more than triple to $500 billion in the next five years, with half of that held in global products as investors seek diversified portfolios, the head of ING Groep's Indian fund arm said.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes dropped to a record low in October and businesses slashed spending on new equipment, according to reports on Wednesday that added to signs of a rapidly slowing economy. The dire housing market worsened in October as banks tightened lending standards and prices fell at a record pace. Sales of existing homes fell 1.2 percent in October to an annual rate of 4.97 million.

Technology stocks rallied early Wednesday after the broader market gained and hopes for a Fed interest -rate cut sparked.

The world's top cellphone maker Nokia is expected to issue new profit targets at next week's investor day in Amsterdam and to tout its plunge into Internet services.

Mobile phone group Vodafone and Spanish carrier Telefonica are taking stakes in a mobile advertising company in a move to battle the threat of online giants Google and Yahoo Inc.

Video game maker Nintendo Co Ltd and telecoms operator NTT's regional units said they would cooperate in Japan to promote the broadband Internet access of Nintendo's hot-selling Wii game console.

World stocks steadied while the dollar hit one-week highs on Wednesday as investors took heart from firmer U.S. stock futures and banking stocks, which calmed investor jitters about the impact of the credit woes on the financial sector.