IBT Staff Reporter

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport will begin using full-body scanners within three weeks to scan people traveling to the United States, after consultations with U.S. authorities, the Dutch interior minister said on Wednesday.

Royal Dutch Shell and its Nigerian unit will face allegations of negligence over oil spills in a court in the Netherlands after the court ruled on Wednesday it was competent to handle the cases.

French ministers scrambled on Wednesday to rescue a carbon tax aimed at cutting energy consumption, which was annulled by the Constitutional Court just 48 hours before it was due to come into force.

Kaufman Bros upgraded Marvell Technology Group Ltd and Nvidia Corp to buy from hold and said it expects the chipmakers to benefit from an improving PC demand market.

General Motors has dropped a December 31 deadline for bids for its Swedish car brand Saab, which will restart some production lines in January after a shutdown, Saab said on Wednesday.

Oil held near $79 on Wednesday as cold weather in the United States and an expected fall in both U.S. crude and distillate stocks including heating oil countered a firmer dollar, shoring up prices after a five-day rally.

China's steel industry association expects foreign miners to call for a 20-30 percent increase in benchmark iron ore prices in 2010, the official China Securities Journal reported on Wednesday.

The chairman of Nordea (NDA.ST) told Swedish daily Dagens Nyhetersaid it is not planning a large merger, refuting recent talk of a possible deal with rival Swedbank (SWEDa.ST).

China Mobile (0941.HK) said on Wednesday that it is moving ahead on schedule with a plan to list in China, after media reported that an investigation into one of its top executives could lead to a delay.

Target Co said it was among the victims of computer hacker Albert Gonzalez, mastermind of the biggest identity theft in U.S. history.

When it comes to blockbuster product introductions, Apple is king. So it's not surprising that Google, which is looking to challenge Apple's iPhone dominance, is stealing a page from the Steve Jobs & Co. playbook.

China will make it easier for foreign investors to start businesses in the country, especially in its western provinces, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.

GMAC Financial Services is close to getting about $3.5 billion in added aid from the U.S. government, on top of the $12.5 billion already received since December 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.1 percent at 4.30 a.m. ET.

Japan's government said it aimed for economic growth of more than 2 percent over the next decade, but its long-term plan unveiled on Wednesday lacked detail needed to convince investors the goal is realistic.

Asian share markets fell on Wednesday as year-end trade dwindled, with profit-taking pulling down shares and bankruptcy worries about Japan Airlines weighing on the Nikkei, while the dollar rose broadly.

Asian share markets fell on Wednesday as year-end trade dwindled, with profit-taking pulling down stocks in Australia and bankruptcy worries about Japan Airlines Corp weighing on the Nikkei, but the dollar rose broadly.

As 2009 draws to a close and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) prepares to meet again at the end of the month, it faces a global oil market that has firmed up in response to production cuts that began to take effect in January 2009.

Global oil prices remained below $79 a barrel mark in Asian trade Wednesday mainly on increase in US crude inventory amid a strong dollar. Light sweet crude for February delivery was seen trading at $78.78 a barrel at 12.00 noon Singapore time while Brent crude was at $77.61 a barrel at the same time.

Gold dropped further in Asian trade Wednesday as the dollar continued to trade higher against its major rivals that curbed bullion's appeal as an alternative asset. Spot gold was seen trading at $1092.64 an ounce at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while gold for February delivery in New York was at $1,093.35 an ounce at the same time.

Aluminium demand in China is expected to grow by 15% in 2010 on the back of revival in construction and auto segments. According to reports, long term prospect of aluminium is bright as China is still in the middle of completing urbanization and its metal intensive growth is likely to continue for many years to come. It added that about 65% of aluminium consumption is in the east and middle south China. The urbanization of North West and south west has great potential for aluminium demand.

Japan's government unveiled a growth strategy for the next 10 years on Wednesday, including creating new demand and jobs in areas such as the environment and health to boost the economy's growth rate. The government plans to finalise the strategy in June next year by nailing down details such as how to finance measures in the strategy and when to implement proposed policies.

In China's latest bid to acquire resource assets abroad, two Chinese firms have offered $650 million for Canadian miner Corriente Resources Ltd. China Railway Construction Corp and Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings Co announced the all-cash $650 million offer this week.

The International Trade Commission said on Tuesday that it would investigate allegations by Prism Technologies that BlackBerry maker Research in Motion violated one of its patents.

The year of the Ponzi scheme will be followed by heightened regulation and more aggressive prosecutions, experts say, as U.S. officials respond to past failures.

Overstock.com Inc said on Tuesday it retained KPMG as auditor, six weeks after firing predecessor Grant Thornton and taking the unusual step of filing an unreviewed quarterly report with U.S. regulators.

The year of the Ponzi scheme will be followed by heightened regulation and more aggressive prosecutions, experts say, as U.S. officials respond to past failures.

The United States and its allies are weighing focused sanctions against Iran's leadership rather than broad-based penalties that they fear could harm the protest movement, officials and diplomats said.

Florida's Miami-Dade County will start using the Internet next month in a bid to help auction off tens of thousands of delinquent properties that have put it on the frontlines of the U.S. foreclosure crisis.