IBT Staff Reporter

The Nikkei share average edged up 0.20 percent on Wednesday as Advantest Corp. and other chip stocks rose but consumer loan companies such as Credit Saison Co. fell on a report of tighter accounting rules.

Big oil companies were able to avoid paying the government billions of dollars in royalties normally due on drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico because of bureaucratic bungling at the U.S. Interior Department, the department's inspector general told Congress on Wednesday.

Sony Corp. said on Wednesday it will launch a DVD recorder using Blu-ray technology by the end of the year in Japan, fortifying its lineup of high-definition optical disc products.

High oil prices and the bumper profits they bring mask major underlying threats to the biggest oil companies from higher taxes, difficulties in gaining access to new fields and soaring costs, analysts say.

Google Inc. released new updates for Google Earth on Wednesday allowing users to place overlays on top of it s popular earth viewing software.

Telecommunications company Verizon Communications Inc. said on Wednesday that officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, have agreed to let it sell Web-based video service to local residents and that it may drop its lawsuit against the county for blocking it.

General Motors is partnering with the state of Florida and Inland food stores to boost the use of the bio-friendly E85 ethanol fuel in a bid to promote awareness for its “Live Green, Go Yellow” campaign.

The government is likely to announce an easing of air travel rules next week after security was tightened last month

Shipments of converged mobile phones reached an all time high in the second quarter of 2006, according to data released on Wednesday.

Today it was announced that the British Government will be introducing legislation to ensure that the London Stock Exchange will continue to be governed by what Treasury Secretary Ed Balls described as a “light touch risk based regulatory regime.”

Today Rolls Royce Plc announced that it had struck a deal worth US$800 million with Air China. Air China has chosen to use the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine for use on its new fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The FTSE was flat on Wednesday as a rise in retailers led by Next and Marks & Spencer failed to inspire and as a lacklustre performance from heavyweight mining and oil stocks weighed.

Workers who enrol in the proposed new national savings system may not be able to easily take existing pension pots with them if they change jobs.

The most jam-packed event at this year's International Monetary Fund-World Bank meeting in Singapore could end up being an indoor protest.

NBC Sports and Web broadcaster MediaZone will announce on Wednesday a joint Internet sports channel offering viewers of a broader array of sports events worldwide, from rugby to big-wave surfing.

Oil dipped back below $64 a barrel on Wednesday as traders await the debate among members of the U.N. nuclear watchdog over Iran's atomic work.

Billionaire financier George Soros pledged $50 million on Wednesday to help the United Nations tackle extreme poverty and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Wall Street stocks are set for a muted start to Wednesday trade as investors consolidate positions after the push to four-month highs, with crude oil trading at $64 a barrel helping ease inflation concerns.

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released three security patches to fix holes in its Windows and Office software and warned one of the vulnerabilities was critical because it could allow an attacker to take over a user's computer.

The Office of National Statistics is seeking an explanation from the prime minister's office about remarks Tony Blair made on Tuesday predicting a fall in unemployment

A court in China has used a software program to help decide prison sentences in more than 1,500 criminal cases, a Hong Kong newspaper said on Wednesday.

BMW will roll out the world's first hydrogen-burning car in serial production early next year, the German premium automaker said on Tuesday, eager to put its stamp on cars with green credentials.

Film studio owner Pinewood Shepperton plc, famed for the James Bond and Harry Potter films, unveiled a joint venture to develop its business as it reported a big jump in first half profits.

Japan's Softbank Corp said on Wednesday it has begun offering an Apple Computer Inc. iPod nano packaged with one of its own mobile phones.

After a full year of delay, Vivendi Games finally will ship Scarface: The World Is Yours on October 3.

Mobile communications firm Motorola has high hopes for the mobile version of WiMAX broadband, the company's technology head said in a newspaper interview.

The New York Times Co. said Tuesday that it intends to sell its group of nine network-affiliated TV stations in order to concentrate on its newspaper and digital businesses.

Fund managers remain convinced the dollar is expensive and will fall against the Japanese yen

Yahoo Inc.and Intel Corp. said on Tuesday they are teaming up to pipe sports statistics to TV screens, targeting fans who devour data about real-world players to manage their fantasy teams.