UNITED KINGDOM

Rio Tinto is reportedly considering a counter-bid for BHP Billiton as a defense against a $140 billion takeover proposal from its bigger mining rival, but analysts said such a move was unlikely. Rio was considering a broad array of potential options to fight off BHP, including a so-called Pac-Man defense, selling assets and other moves that could raise shareholder value, according to reports

World stocks fell on Thursday while the dollar edged lower as a better-than-expected trading update by Barclays failed to wipe away broader credit concerns.

Oil drifted lower on Thursday ahead of U.S. government data expected to show a further fall in crude oil supplies in the world's biggest oil consumer.

Barclays Plc, Britain's third-biggest bank, unveiled a 1.3 billion pound ($2.7 billion) writedown for losses on securities linked to the U.S. subprime housing crisis, less than was feared. In a surprise trading update on Thursday, the Barclays Capital investment bank unit said it would write down 500 million pounds for the July-September quarter and 800 million pounds for October.

Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto hopes to forge an alliance with Islamists and other opposition parties to launch a campaign to force military president Pervez Musharraf from power.

Tom Cruise's Lambs got slaughtered at the worldwide box office.

Sanctions are not the way to resolve the deepening international confrontation over Iran's nuclear ambitions, China said on Tuesday, while also urging Tehran to be more compromising.

Nervous investors sold stocks and generally deserted the dollar on Tuesday, still gripped by lingering worries over the global financial impact of the slumping U.S. housing market.

Detained Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto called on Tuesday for military leader Pervez Musharraf to step down as president, isolating him in the run-up to a general election.

Last Monday morning, production on Fox's multigenerational family drama pilot The Oaks began in Pasadena.

A Tokyo court rejected UK asset manager Silchester International Investors' request to block a bond issue by auto goods retailer Autobacs Seven in the latest rebuff of shareholder activists in Japan.

The former head of UK bank Abbey and veteran troubleshooter Luqman Arnold is preparing a move for Northern Rock which could avoid a sale or breakup, sending shares in the battered lender up as much as 11 percent.

Shares in Standard Life rose more than 14 percent on Monday after the former mutual insurance firm pulled out of the battle for Resolution, handing victory to rival suitor Pearl.

World stocks hit 8-week lows while the yen raced to 18-month peaks versus the dollar on Monday as fears about credit-related losses at financial firms prompted investors to reduce bets on risky trades.

Metals prices slipped on Monday on fears of waning demand, but mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, engaged in a takeover battle, were among the big gainers on the London stock market.

The box office power of Bollywood showed itself this weekend as Saawariya emerged the surprise No. 1 hit internationally, outgrossing Tom Cruise's Lions for Lambs by more than $5 million.

BHP Billiton, the world's biggest mining group, is considering the sale of one of its largest units, BHP Petroleum, to help finance a hostile takeover of Rio Tinto, the UK Sunday Times newspaper said.

Britain must try to prevent a European Union satellite navigation system from going ahead until its costs, risks and benefits have been thoroughly assessed, lawmakers said on Monday.

The European Union's top diplomat and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator agreed on Sunday to hold a new round of talks on Tehran's disputed atomic ambitions by the end of this month, Iranian news agencies said on Sunday.

Japan's Health Ministry, eager to trim swelling health-care costs, proposed changes to prescription forms on Friday in a bid to boost the use of cheaper generic drugs, sending shares in the nation's generic drug makers soaring.

British bank Barclays Plc categorically denied rumors it was about to announce a $10 billion writedown and see its top management quit, after the market talk sent its shares tumbling over 9 percent. There is absolutely no substance to those rumors, a spokesman for Britain's third biggest bank said when asked about a possible $10 billion writedown.