IBT Staff Reporter

These messages have come from my neighbors, from people all over Switzerland and from beyond Switzerland -- from across the world, the Oscar-winning film director wrote in an open letter published on the website of French intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy.

German solar companies in industry association BSW are proposing to cut subsidies faster than planned, Solarworld Chief Executive Frank Asbeck told a German magazine.

Oman has awarded a refinery supply contract worth 31 million rials ($80.5 million) to Germany's Grace, a tender board official said on Monday.

Russia's pipeline monopoly on Monday blamed Ukrainian politicians for setting new unacceptable terms for oil transit via the port of Yuzhny, saying it will cut supplies if no quick deal is reached.

Thailand expelled thousands of ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers from a refugee camp on Monday before their planned deportation to Laos, despite concerns about their fate.

When the first emergency alert from Detroit's airport went out just before noon on Sunday, it looked oddly like a mistaken repeat of the scare from two days earlier: Nigerian national caused disturbance on Flight 253.

Wall Street was set for a modestly higher open on Monday as investors were wary of taking bets that could erode gains heading into year-end.

The family of a Nigerian man who tried to blow up a U.S. passenger airliner said on Monday they had lost contact with him while he was studying abroad and reported his disappearance to security agencies two months ago.

The system aimed at keeping air travel secure failed when a Nigerian man who was suspected of ties to militants managed to smuggle explosives aboard a flight, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Monday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday called on Hong Kong to handle political reform effectively, just as opposition democrats in the city planned fresh protests at the slow pace of change.

Japan's prime minister, who has promised to forge a new place for east Asia in international diplomacy, opened three days of talks in India on Monday focusing on engineering a further thaw in relations and boosting trade.

A Vietnamese court sentenced soldier-turned-democracy campaigner Tran Anh Kim to five-and-a-half years in prison on Monday for subversion, the first in a new spurt of dissident trials in the Communist state.

A suicide bomber blew up a Shi'ite Muslim procession in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi on Monday, killing at least 22 people, the latest in a series of attacks across the country which have killed hundreds.

Police fired teargas on Monday to disperse supporters of reformist leader Mirhossein Mousavi who gathered to express their condolences over his nephew's death in an anti-government rally, an Iranian opposition website said.

Short interest on the New York Stock Exchange rose 2.7 percent in first half of December, the exchange said in a release late Thursday. As of December 15, short interest rose to about 13.53 billion shares, compared to 13.18 billion shares as of November 30.

U.S. municipal bonds already have scored most of the out-sized, bounce-back gains from 2008's bear market and in 2010 will post only ho-hum returns.

Stock index futures indicated a flat to higher open on Monday with investors wary of taking bets that could erode gains heading into year-end.

Stock index futures indicated a flat to higher open on Monday, with investors wary of taking risky bets into year-end.

Oil hit a four-week high above $78 a barrel on Monday as colder weather across the United States and signs of economic recovery helped boost the outlook for fuel demand.

Tighter security measures at U.S. airports following an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound jet could dampen enthusiasm for air travel, hurting the airline industry just as it seemed poised to recover from a period of bruising losses, some industry experts say.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat to higher open on Wall Street on Monday following the Christmas break, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.07 percent, Dow Jones futures flat and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.27 percent at 4.17 a.m. ET.

The dollar held near recent highs against the yen on Monday, helped by demand from Japanese corporates before the year-end, with eyes on U.S. data and Treasury auctions to see if it can maintain its recent rally.

There is no reason for China's yuan to depreciate against any currency, including the dollar, euro or yen, an adviser to its central bank said on Monday, highlighting the polarised nature of debate on the currency.

Russia on Monday inaugurated a new oil export terminal at Kozmino port in its far east. Opening the terminal, Russian PM Vladimir Putin said, It is an important event for Russia and a strategic project, which enables us to enter the growing markets of the Asia-Pacific region.

Gold prices moved up in thin Asian trade Monday as markets yet to pick up momentum after a three day holiday. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1111.05 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time compared with New York's notional close of $1103.80.

Japan's industrial output rose for the ninth consecutive month in November, driven by strong exports and domestic subsidies, but swelling inventories and falling wages threaten to end the longest climb in more than 12 years.

A state-backed turnaround fund may seek to put Japan Airlines Corp through bankruptcy court as part of a restructuring of the struggling carrier, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

A state-backed turnaround fund may seek to put Japan Airlines Corp through bankruptcy court as part of a restructuring of the struggling carrier, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Japanese shares hit a four-month high, leading gains in Asian stocks on growing investor optimism about the global economy, while the U.S. dollar held firm against the yen and euro.