IBT Staff Reporter

Las Vegas Sands , the world's second-most valuable casino operator by market capitalization, said on Monday that its $5.5 billion Singapore casino resort is on track to open around the end of March.

Actress Brittany Murphy, who starred in such films as Just Married and 8 Mile but suffered waning fortunes in recent years, died on Sunday, officials said. She was 32.

Support for the government of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who faces key decisions on next year's budget and relocating a U.S. airbase, have sunk as low as 48 percent in surveys issued on Monday and at the weekend.

The British screenwriter husband of deceased Brittany Murphy does not want an autopsy performed on his wife according to reports from TMZ.

Actress and recording artist, Brittany Murphy, died Sunday following a Cardiac arrest at 32.

Prospects for the four big U.S. banks are brightening, with earnings set to rise markedly in the coming years, the financial weekly Barron's writes in its latest issue.

Mercer is facing a $2.8 billion lawsuit by the Alaska Retirement Management Board that alleges the human resources consulting firm made a number of errors in its work as the state's actuarial consultant, according to a New York Times column published on Sunday.

The Aussie dollar bounced back from Friday's morning sell off towards 88 cents to enter offshore exchange around 0.8880 against the Greenback. Lacking direction during European trade the AUD/USD bounced between 0.8860 and 0.8910 on several occasions, surviving a brief dip to 0.8840 and opening this morning pressing against resistance at 0.8910. With persistent demand for U.S dollars over the last week expected to continue it appears attempts to regain the 90 cent handle will be relatively short ...

OPEC would leave output targets unchanged when it meets this week in Luanda, ministers said on Sunday, as robust oil prices offset concerns in the group about excess supplies.

State-run Saudi Arabian Mining Co and U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa agreed on Sunday to build a $10.8 billion aluminum complex in the world's top oil exporter, targeting the Middle East from 2013.

OPEC will almost certainly leave output targets unchanged when it meets this week in Luanda, ministers said on Sunday, as robust oil prices offset any concerns in the group about excess supplies.

Santa came early for Wall Street this year by giving the S&P 500 a 22 percent gain for 2009, and with just eight trading days left in the year, stock investors are not expecting to find much more under the tree.

Santa came early for Wall Street this year by delivering a 22 percent return for 2009, and with just a handful of trading days to go, stock investors are not expecting to find much more under the tree.

Saudi Arabian Mining Co and U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa have agreed to build a $10.8 billion aluminum complex that is scheduled to start production from 2013.

Debt-ridden conglomerate Dubai World is expected on Monday to ask key creditors for more time to pay off its loans, but leave them none the wiser concerning their prospects of being paid back in full.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised on Sunday his new cabinet would be held to account following mounting criticism over graft in his government.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's approval rating has risen back above 50 percent after an attack against him sparked a wave of sympathy even among opposition voters, an opinion poll showed on Sunday.

Thousands of people marched in Taiwan on Sunday to protest against warming ties with political rival China, a day before Beijing's top negotiator arrives on the island for talks on a landmark free trade pact.

Iran's top dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a fierce critic of the hardline leadership who denounced June's disputed election as fraudulent, has died at the age of 87.

Dutch luxury carmarker Spyker Cars NV submitted a new offer to fast-track a buyout of Saab from General Motors, two days after last-ditch talks to rescue the Swedish manufacturer collapsed.

Royal Dutch Shell , Europe's largest oil company, is planning to sell oilfields in Nigeria valued at up to $5 billion, the Sunday Times reported, citing sources linked to companies interested in the assets.

OPEC will keep supply unchanged when it meets on Tuesday in Angola, Algeria's Energy Minister Chakib Khelil said on Sunday.

Royal Dutch Shell , Europe's largest oil company, is planning to sell oilfields in Nigeria valued at up to $5 billion, the Sunday Times reported, citing sources linked to companies interested in the assets.

About a thousand people marched through Macau's streets on Sunday, urging the government to fight corruption and grant them more political freedom, as the territory marked its 10th anniversary under Chinese rule.

Dubai, set to ask creditors for a standstill on restructuring some $22 billion in debt linked to troubled conglomerate Dubai World , may still repay lenders in full, a local newspaper said on Sunday, citing unnamed sources.

IPhone app developer Tapulous says its sales have approached $1 million a month, providing fresh evidence of the growing success of start-ups designing programs for Apple Inc's mobile device.

Citadel Broadcasting Corp , the third largest U.S. radio broadcaster, plans to file for bankruptcy as soon as Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

U.S. retailers' final weekend sales push before Christmas was under threat as a severe winter snowstorm struck the East Coast, forcing store closures and keeping shoppers at home on Super Saturday.

U.N. climate talks ended with a bare-minimum agreement on Saturday when delegates noted an accord struck by the United States, China and other emerging powers that falls far short of the conference's original goals.