IBT Staff Reporter

The Nikkei average hit a one-month closing low on Tuesday, declining 0.48 percent as a fall in commodity prices stoked worries about global demand and hit stocks sensitive to the economic cycle such as steel makers.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has urged Bangladesh to consider the economic benefits of the $ 3 billion investment proposal by India's Tata Group, instead of putting it off due to political expediency.

AT&T Inc. said on Tuesday it will launch a new Internet browser based television service that will allow subscribers to watch 20 channels

Business travel company Hogg Robinson set a wide indicative price range on Tuesday for its planned return to the London stock market

India's biggest business conglomerate, the Tata group has indefinitely suspended work on its $ 3 billion investment plan in Bangladesh because of frustrating delays by the Bangladeshi government in approving the proposal.

The inflation rate picked up more than expected in August, boosted by strong rises in toys and computer games

Low cost airline easyJet said on Tuesday it expected tighter security arrangements at UK airports to affect demand.

Chocolate retailer Thorntons Plc posted a 36 percent drop in full year profits on Tuesday because of sluggish high street demand

Oil rebounded above $66 a barrel on Tuesday, with bargain hunting traders ending a six day retreat after Iran sounded a softer note on its atomic programme

Computacenter Plc, the country's biggest seller of computer hardware to businesses, posted a 77 percent rise in first half profit on Tuesday

Thomas Cook, Europe's second biggest tourism firm, said on Tuesday it had narrowed its loss in the first nine months of the year by 21 percent as it cut costs and the number of holidaymakers in Germany rose.

The British government won a partial victory on Tuesday as the top EU court said it could stop companies from making wholly artificial arrangements to avoid tax by setting up foreign units.

Irish state airline Aer Lingus is to price its planned initial public offering at between 2.10 and 2.70 euros per share

Two elderly sisters who have lived together since birth will take the government to a European court on Tuesday to seek the same exemption from death taxes as married and gay couples.

The FTSE 100 index edged lower on Tuesday on fresh tensions in the Middle East and as lower copper prices saw miners turn in another weak start.

Drax Group Plc, which owns Europe's largest coal fired power station, said on Tuesday its first half earnings had more than tripled

Nationwide, the world's biggest building society, is set to merge with rival Portman

Credence Systems Corp. on Monday reported its final results for the third quarter, detailing a $461.4 million loss.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. announced on Monday it expects to report estimated revenues of $110-million for the second quarter of the 2007 financial year, dropping from a revenue of $140-million for last year's second quarter.

U.S. auto sales have been slipping as domestic automakers have struggled to boost sales amid high gas prices this year - a trend that will continue into next year, industry executives and analysts said.

High-level talks to jump start negotiations on a global trade agreement won't be possible until the end of the year or early next year, European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said Monday.

Campbell Soup Co. reported Monday that its profit fell 54 percent in its fourth quarter, largely because of expenses related to the sale of its British business.

Samsung Electronics on Monday announced its new system-on-chip (SoC) that will enable relatively cost-effective making of so-called hybrid disk drives (HHD).

Volkswagen of America Inc. is the greenest automaker according to a survey released on Monday, which ranked the Golf, Jetta and the new Beetle as the lowest emission-releasing vehicles.

Altium Limited, a developer of electronic development solutions, announced the appointment of a new President and Chief Operating Officer on Monday.

The flashy accessories that accompany top designs on fashion runways are well beyond the budgets of many a fashionista, but even the most cash-strapped consumer has one way to copy the looks - rent it.

China's mainland manufacturers plan to raise their export prices by 70 percent within the next year, according to China supplier survey.

Cortina Systems Inc. said Monday it completed the purchase of chip maker Intel Corp.'s optical networking components business for an undisclosed sum.

According to the research released on Monday, rap and hip-hop ring tones are among the most popular type downloaded, accounting for nearly a quarter of the market.