SWEDEN

Kosovo Albanian leaders said on Monday they will start immediate talks with Western backers towards an independence declaration as the EU came closer to unity in support of the province's drive to secede from Serbia.

The U.S. local food movement -- which used to be elite, expensive and mostly coastal -- has gone mainstream, with a boost from environmentalists who reckon that eating what grows nearby cuts down on global warming.

A delectable opening in Germany helped Ratatouille take the top spot at the international box office, with estimated weekend ticket sales of $19.7 million from 30 markets.

The researchers who pioneered the creation of "designer mice" to track the role of different genes in human development and disease have won the 2007 Nobel medicine prize, Sweden's Karolinska Institute said on Monday.

The Qatar Investment Authority filed for regulatory approval to take a bigger stake in OMX on Tuesday, raising the prospect of a bidding war for the Nordic firm with rival Dubai and its ally Nasdaq.

The chief executive of investment bank Carnegie resigned on Friday after regulators called for sweeping management changes following a trading scandal and fined the bank 50 million Swedish crowns ($7.7 million).

British drinks giant Diageo Plc is very interested in buying Sweden's Absolut vodka valued at $6 billion and Chief Executive Paul Walsh says he can see solutions to any possible anti-trust problems arising.

Cellular phones do not pose short-term health risks, but it remains too soon to say whether they can cause brain cancer or whether children face greater risks than adults, British scientists said on Wednesday.

Nasdaq Chief Executive Robert Greifeld said on Wednesday the unvarying response from OMX shareholders has been that they prefer its bid to a rival higher cash bid from Borse Dubai.

Exchange owner OMX wrote to a Swedish regulator saying it had not tried to interfere with Borse Dubai's takeover bid, according to a copy of the letter.

European share indexes rose on Monday as remarks by executives of Barclays and Deutsche Bank eased fears of losses from the recent credit market turmoil, but utilities fell after news of a big French merger.

The dollar steadied versus the euro and yen on Monday at the start of a busy week for U.S. data which should shed light on the extent to which the credit markets turmoil is taking a toll on growth.

Sweden's IKEA said on Friday the contribution from Asia-Pacific to the group's total sales could triple to 10 percent in 5 to 6 years, creating a huge challenge for the world's largest furniture retailer.

Nasdaq may sell its stake in the London Stock Exchange to Borse Dubai and make a joint bid with the Gulf exchange for Nordic exchange owner OMX, The Daily Telegraph said on Monday.

Nasdaq Chief Executive Robert Greifeld said on Wednesday he was listening to OMX owners and repeated the U.S. exchange group was flexible on the terms of its offer for the Nordic firm.

Shareholders in OMX are weighing a $4 billion bid by Borse Dubai for the firm and waiting to see whether U.S. rival Nasdaq sweetens its $3.7 billion offer, Borse Dubai's head said on Tuesday.

Nasdaq is abandoning its 797 million pound ($1.58 billion) stake in the London Stock Exchange, five months after its takeover bid failed, as it focuses on buying Nordic exchange operator OMX. Nasdaq Stock Market Inc, which needs overseas acquisitions to gain an international foothold, is locked in a $4 billion bidding war with Borse Dubai for OMX.

Borse Dubai launched a $4 billion cash offer for Nordic exchange owner OMX on Friday, trumping an agreed deal with U.S. exchange Nasdaq, in a bid to create a group with global reach.

Sweden's financial regulator said on Friday it had requested information from Borse Dubai regarding its move this week to acquire shares in OMX and was considering whether a statement from the state-run firm may already represent an offer to buy all of OMX.

Beer-breaths beware. A new concept car with breathalyzer-like detection systems may provide even greater traction for Japanese efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road.

High yielding currencies fell sharply in volatile markets on Friday as a sell-off in credit and stock markets led investors to pare risky carry trades.