UNITED KINGDOM

U.S. stocks advanced on Tuesday on an uptick in corporate deal activity while the weak dollar led to gains in commodities, lifting shares of oil and mining companies.

U.S. stocks advanced on Tuesday on an uptick in corporate deal activity while the weak dollar led to gains in commodities, lifting shares of oil and mining companies.

U.S. stocks advanced on Tuesday, led by gains from oil and materials companies, while an uptick in M&A activity spurred recovery hopes, making equities more appealing to investors.

Scientists have found three new major genetic links to Alzheimer's, affecting up to 20 percent of people with the brain-wasting disease, and said on Sunday it was the most significant such discovery in 15 years.

A complete ban on alcohol advertising should be imposed and a minimum drinks price set to help deter excessive drinking in Britain, medics said on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as natural resource shares gained from higher commodities while Kraft Foods Inc's offer for confectioner Cadbury raised hopes about more mergers and acquisitions.

Stocks climbed on Tuesday as natural resource shares rose alongside commodities and Kraft's bid for Cadbury buoyed hopes that more merger and acquisition activity was on the horizon.

Deutsche Telekom AG and France Telecom SA plan to merge their British mobile units, responding to intense competition with a venture that would grab top spot in the crowded UK market.

Airbus on Tuesday rejected U.S. calls to renounce government loans for its next airliner after the WTO gave a preliminary ruling against earlier loans, while a Boeing executive hit out at unfair subsidies.

Royal Bank of Scotland has appointed Goldman Sachs to consider a sale or other options for RBS Aviation Capital, one of the world's biggest plane leasing businesses, a person familiar with the matter said.

Wall Street was set to open nearly 1 percent higher on Tuesday as rising commodity prices and an uptick in merger and acquisition activity fueled hopes the economy is strengthening.

Higher car production propelled British factory output to its fastest monthly pace in 1-1/2 years in July, according to official data, fuelling expectations the economy has emerged from recession.

Volkswagen Financial Services AG (VOWG.DE) announced plans on Monday to securitise auto leases in a benchmark-sized public deal that would reopen Europe's asset-backed securities (ABS) market after a year-long freeze.

Britain's Cadbury has few options but to look for a higher bid and more cash after Kraft's 10.2 billion pound ($16.7 billion) offer for the world's No 2 confectionery group, analysts said on Tuesday.

British singer-songwriters Florence and the Machine and Bat for Lashes are among the front-runners competing on Tuesday for the Mercury Prize, one of Britain's most prestigious annual music awards.

Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom have launched exclusive talks to merge their British mobile units in a joint venture that would grab the top spot in the cut-throat UK market.

Switzerland knocked the United States off the position as the world's most competitive economy as the crash of the U.S. banking system left it more exposed to some long-standing weaknesses, a report said on Tuesday.

Asian shares touched a one-year high on Tuesday, while gold prices hit $1,000 an ounce for the first time in six months in a sign of investor concerns about the sustainability of the global economic recovery.

Asian shares touched their highest level in a year on Tuesday, while gold futures hit $1,000 an ounce for the first time in six months on investor concerns about the sustainability of the global economic recovery.

:: Australian Dollar: The Aussie dollar continued to power ahead holding on to the psychological 85 cent support level to open this morning around 0.8550. Yesterdays ANZ job advertisement survey revealed a 4.1% rise in August from the previous month, the first monthly rise since April 2008. The news gave investors some confidence that this Thursday's employment report will show continued improvement in the labour market spurring the AUD higher. With the U.S on holidays it was a relatively quiet ...

Kraft Foods said it was intent on pursuing Britain's Cadbury , which soared in value after it snubbed a premium-rich bid from the U.S. group, reinforcing hopes of a broader-based pick-up in merger activity.