POLITICS

Sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in August but sales in July were weaker than first thought, while new orders for durable goods fell, according to government reports on Wednesday giving mixed indications about the economy's direction.

The head of the World Trade Organization said on Wednesday that aid for trade is a key piece necessary for trade development and growth to occur.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. may repay 695 billion yen ($5.91 billion) in bailout aid it owes to the government earlier than expected, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.

Hibernian Life & Pensions announced the beginning of a new advertising campaign to “highlight the importance of saving to sustain current lifestyle habits,”

Aviva Plc today announced the appointment of Tim Harris to the position of group chief accountant.

Nokia today announced that it had extended its WCDMA 3G network frame agreement with Taiwan Mobile (TWM), “to cover the Nokia High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) solution and the new Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station,”

Nokia today announced the launch of a new range of music phones at Nokia Theatre in Times Square, New York.

Barclays today announced that it had renewed its global title sponsorship of the Premier League.

Japan's Ambassador has urged the United Nations to lead global efforts in ending world conflicts in order to establish peace and promote economic development.

New minister of education Bunmei Ibuki said Wednesday it's not necessary to make English a mandatory subject at elementary schools in Japan.

A report from Datamonitor has revealed that the UK is the most indebted nation in all of Western Europe. All of one third of unsecured debt in Western Europe is because of the UK.

New orders for U.S.-made durable goods fell unexpectedly in August and orders excluding transportation or defense goods also declined surprisingly, a government report showed on Wednesday.

From excessive force by their security guards to helping support corrupt regimes, oil companies have long faced accusations of helping trigger human rights abuses in the far-flung countries where they operate.

Housebuilder Barratt Developments beat market forecasts with a 3.4 percent rise in year underlying pretax profits on Wednesday

SCi Entertainment Group, the country's biggest computer game publisher, said gamers' appetite for the firm's Tomb Raider and Hitman titles had helped it to swing to profitability.

Aerospace firm Smiths posted a 22 percent rise in annual underlying profit before tax on Wednesday, slightly topping brokerage forecasts

Viridian Group said on Wednesday that half year trading was in line with its expectations and that it still planned to raise its yearly dividend over the next four years.

Foreign media will be free to travel around China and enjoy uncensored access to the Internet during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, organizers said on Wednesday. Non-Chinese journalists currently need permission to move around the country, while websites containing material considered sensitive by the Chinese government are frequently blocked.

Canadian mining company Bema Gold Corp. on Tuesday acknowledged mounting debt in a South African gold mine and said it was pursuing a joint venture there.

Africa's biggest media company Naspers has sold a 15 percent stake in its core newspaper and magazine business to black investors for 730 million rand, it said on Wednesday.

Kesa Electricals, owner of retailers Comet and France's Darty, posted a 61.7 percent rise in its first half pre tax profit on Wednesday

Mortgage approvals rose by just three percent in August from a year ago to 71,278, British Bankers' Association data shows

Listings by big European and emerging markets companies are helping equity capital markets activity pick up steam again after the market correction in May and June

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released a security patch to fix a critical hole in its Internet Explorer Web browser that the world's biggest software maker said could allow an attacker to take control of a user's computer.

Honda Motor Co. launched its top-line sedan Acura in China on Wednesday, joining BMW and other foreign luxury car brands to compete in the world's second-largest auto market.

The FTSE 100 index opened higher on Wednesday, led by miners and after an unexpectedly big jump in consumer confidence in the U.S. on Tuesday

General Motors Corp. is prepared to tell Nissan and Renault that its price for a three-way alliance is a multi billion dollar payment from Nissan and Renault, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday that none of its European premium brand car businesses was for sale at this stage except Aston Martin, but added it would continue to examine all its options.

GlaxoSmithKline won a partial victory on Wednesday in its bid to stop Spanish drug wholesalers from re-exporting its medicines at high premiums.