IBT Staff Reporter

Pay settlements held steady in the three months to August, a survey by a leading pay specialist showed on Tuesday, but most deals were worth less than a year ago.

Over a third of homeowners expect to have to work into retirement just to pay off their mortgage, according to a survey.

The number of blog sites in China reached 34 million last month, a 30 fold increase from four years ago, state media said on Tuesday, despite a series of curbs on media and dissent.

Former Enron Corp. chief financial officer Andrew Fastow, whose off the books deals led to the high flying energy giant's destruction, faces a federal judge on Tuesday to find out how long he will spend in prison.

The oil price might have fallen almost 25 percent from its peak, but the commodities sector as a whole is undervalued by around 30 percent giving further opportunity for growth according to one fund manager.

The number of blog sites in China reached 34 million last month, a 30-fold increase from four years ago, state media said on Tuesday, despite a series of curbs on media and dissent.

Oil held above $61 on Tuesday after rebounding from a six-month low as speculators fear a deepening fall could prompt OPEC to rein in output.

August saw $12.7 billion new mortgage loans approved, up 30.6% on July, while new loans drawn down fell 19.1%, to $8.4 billion, the Monetary Authority says.

August saw the value of total exports of goods rise to $226.2 billion, up 9.9% on the same month last year. The figure comes after a year-on-year rise of 10.7% in July.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Frederick Ma says more than 1,000 submissions have been received for the tax-reform consultaton, adding the proposed sales tax is the best option to maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness and broaden its tax base.

RHM reported continued recovery in its Mr Kipling cakes brand on Tuesday, but said high wheat prices and marketing spend meant annual profit would be even more skewed to the second half than last year.

The FTSE 100 index edged up on Tuesday, led by miners after metal prices rose overnight and oil bounced, but weighed by tobacco stocks.

Dairy Crest Group said on Tuesday it was to sell most of its retailer brand cheese operations for 61.9 million pounds to farmer owned dairy business First Milk.

U.S. stocks have returned 6.47 percent to investors so far this year. But the rest of the world has doubled that performance......

The pace of existing home sales in the United States fell for a fifth straight month in August and prices dropped from year-ago levels......

A group of 16 organizers for writers, artists, and musicians in Japan submitted a petition calling for legislation to extend the period of copyright protection from the current 50 years to 70 years after the death of right-holders, according to Japanese media.

Yamato Transport Co. will start its own international delivery service as a replacement for a service deal with United Parcel Service starting on Oct. 1, the company said on Monday.

Japan's Nissan Motor Co. will sell its all stake in Nissan Diesel Motor Co. to Swedish car and truck maker Volvo, Nissan said on Monday.

Vice-Premier Wu Yi has reiterated the Central Government's staunch support to Hong Kong in maintaining its role as an international finance, trade and logistics hub.

Tourist arrivals reach to 2.35 million in August, up 11.25 over the same month last year, Hong Kong Tourism Board said yestoday.

Cathay Pacific Airways announced Monday they got the apporvement of government to resume the passenger services in Shanghai with a daily service......

Shanghai property shares listed in Hong Kong became the focus of market yestoday affected by the news which top leader of Shanghai -Chen Liangyu was removed......

Renault and Nissan are making progress in talks with General Motors Corp about forming a three-way alliance but the outcome is still open, Carlos Ghosn said in a newspaper interview.

The former chief executive of one of the US's largest makers of paper products was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted last year of engineering a $US300 million ($A400 million) fraud in a fruitless bid to save the failing company from bankruptcy.

Instead of borrowing cheaply in global markets, Gulf oil and gas firms are seeking to promote Islamic finance, according to a report from Reuters.

As the author CS Lewis once put it, 100 per cent of us die. But this statistic seems to be lost on many Australians, with too many bread winners punting on longevity, leaving them underinsured when it comes to supporting their families if they suddenly die, a new survey shows.

The pace of existing home sales in the United States fell for a fifth straight month in August and prices dropped from year-ago levels for the first time in 11 years, a US realtors group said.

More than 300 secret documents linked to the AWB kickbacks scandal are expected to start being released on Tuesday as the long-running Cole inquiry resumes its public hearings.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the world's wealthy countries on Monday to “go the extra mile” to re-balance the rules of the trading system in favor of the poor.