UNITED KINGDOM

Vodafone Plc announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Apple, Inc to sell its iPhone device in ten countries and two carriers in Italy.

Sterling witnessed a sluggish movement yesterday in the absence of any major data.

Sterling continued weak against the dollar on Friday after the release of Halifax house price survey which showed the first annual fall in property prices in around a decade boosting expectations for interest rate cuts.

Warren Buffet, the billionaire investor who heads Berkshire Hathaway Inc believes the U.S. dollar will continue to be weaker versus other currencies and was happy to invest in firms which didn't earn income in dollars.

Gold futures edged higher on Friday after recovering from earlier losses on a stronger dollar while posting a weekly loss of nearly $32 an ounce.

Sterling fell against the dollar yesterday as traders trimmed their bet on currency due to the strong recovery in the counterpart after the Fed decision on interest rate.

The FTSE 100 share index finished unchanged on Thursday, ending as it began the day at 6,087.3 points.

Copper fell over 5 percent today as the dollar rose against the euro, diminishing demand for commodities used to compensate for inflation.

Gold futures fell to a four-month low on Thursday as the dollar gained against the euro and dampened the investment appeal of the precious metal.

British Airways PLC said on Wednesday that it is considering opportunities of cooperating with American Airlines Inc. and Continental Airlines Inc.

Oil futures fell on Wednesday as the U.S. Energy Department reported today crude supplies rose more than expected.

Sterling fell sharply against the dollar yesterday as downbeat Consumer Confidence data further dampened the sentiments of investors.

Royal Dutch Shell and BP Plc, the two largest public oil companies in Europe, reported record profits on Tuesday for the first three months of the year as oil prices reached new highs.

Oil giant BP said on Tuesday that its profits had risen 48 per cent to $6,588 million in the first quarter of 2008. The company said that its net cash from operating activities in the quarter was $10.9 billion, up from $8.0 billion one year ago.

Crude futures fell more than $3 a barrel on Tuesday as the North Sea pipeline restarted operations and the dollar gained strength versus the euro.

Sterling rose against the dollar yesterday as the traders took clue from the slightly brighter stock market sentiment.

Four countries have been given the go ahead from a newly issued UN resolution to chase and thwart off- would-be Somali pirates from their coasts and in their waters.

Crude prices were steady on Monday retreating from a new record high near $120 a barrel in overnight trading, as concerns on supply disruptions appeared after a major pipeline in the U.K. was closed and an oil terminal was attacked in Nigeria.

U.S. stocks rose on Monday for the fourth day after billionaire Warren Buffett financed the $23 billion takeover of Wm. Wrigley Jr. by privately held mars, and investor Kirk Kerkorian bought a stake in Ford Motor Co.

Vodafone India, the arm of UK based world's largest wireless telecom company Vodafone, is likely to bring the much awaited, versatile and Macintosh operating system based Apple's iPhone to India this September as per market speculations ripe in the country.

Sterling rose against the dollar on Friday due to short covering after declining for continuous days.