A series of market reports on the fourth quarter of 2008 showed an abrupt decline in transactions, tottering prices and buyers who are still looking but unwilling to sign a contract.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), the world's biggest automaker, is to halt production at all its Japanese plants for a total of 11 days in February and March in a bid to reduce stocks of unsold cars as demand has slumped.

Reuters - Bob McCann, head of brokerage at Merrill Lynch & Co, announced his plans to leave the securities firm, just days after its acquisition by Bank of America was completed.

Toyota announces that it is to halt production at its domestic plants for 11 days in February and March.

Several European countries report major disruption to their gas supplies from Russia following Moscow's row with Ukraine.

State-run French TV stations stop showing ads in prime time as part of President Sarkozy's plans to reform public broadcasting.

US prosecutors call for Bernard Madoff to be put in prison until his trial after it emerges he sent jewellery and watches to friends and family.

Apple boss Steve Jobs's health hot topic at Macworld

House prices fell by 15.9% last year, according to the latest survey by the Nationwide building society.

Next and Debenhams see sales fall over the Christmas period, as a survey puts UK consumer confidence at a new low.

Reuters - Asian stocks inched higher for a seventh day on Tuesday on hopes for a global economic recovery later in 2009, but the yen's gains against high-yielding currencies suggested scope for optimism was limited.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is to halt production at its Japanese plants for 11 days in February and March as a sharp slide in U.S. sales has left dealers' lots full of unsold cars.

Inflation in the eurozone falls more than expected to 1.6% in December, which is the lowest level for 26 months.

German luxury carmaker Porsche announces that it now holds more than 50% of Volkswagen's shares.

Shareholders in Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus show little appetite for a Ryanair takeover.

Venezuela's US-based oil subsidiary is halting a programme to provide cheap heating oil to low-income communities in the US.

Millions of trucks in India are off the roads in an indefinite strike, with operators demanding a lowering of diesel prices.

French nuclear energy group Areva is awarded a licence to build and operate a uranium mine in Niger.

India's state-run carrier Air India dismisses 10 stewardesses who had earlier been grounded for being overweight.

Reuters - Stock futures pointed to a firmer Wall Street start on Tuesday, with futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.4 to 0.5 percent at 5:20 a.m. EST.

AP - British house prices fell by their biggest annual amount in at least 56 years during 2008 as credit seized up and incentives to enter the market evaporated amid sliding home values, a leading mortgage lender said Tuesday.

Russia?s gas dispute with Ukraine escalated as several European countries reported supplies had been cut.

Toyota Motor will idle its plants in Japan for 11 days in February and March to reduce output in the face of steeply declining global vehicle sales, the company said Tuesday.

The euro weakens against the pound and the US dollar as data suggests that a eurozone interest rate cut next week is likely.

India's state-run carrier Air India dismisses nine hostesses who had earlier been grounded for being overweight.

Russia ups ante in bitter gas dispute with Ukraine

Marks and Spencer will announce on Wednesday that it is cutting 1,000 jobs from its workforce of 70,000 employees, the BBC confirms.

Reuters - Logitech International SA , the world's largest computer mouse maker, said it plans to cut 15 percent of its salaried workforce and withdrew its fiscal 2009 financial targets, citing deepening global recession.

Reuters - Technology companies may have wooed rivals with alluring, pricey buyout offers in 2008, but this year, nothing says sexy like safe deal-making.

Reuters - If you thought things couldn't get worse for Japanese stocks after their poorest performance ever in 2008, a tongue-in-cheek research report forecast this year to be grim as well because of its Chinese zodiac animal.

A report showing inflation plunged last month in the countries using the euro raised expectations that the European Central Bank will cut rates next week.

Reuters - Stocks opened higher on Tuesday as rising oil prices boosted energy shares and investors awaited factory and services data for a fresh snapshot of the recession-hit economy.

Reuters - Dow Chemical Co said on Tuesday that it would pursue legal and other options to fulfill rights under its agreement with Petrochemical Industries Co of Kuwait.

AP - House prices in Britain fell by their biggest annual amount in at least 56 years during 2008, as credit seized up and possible buyers stayed out of the market, a leading mortgage lender said Tuesday.

Russia?s gas price dispute with Ukraine escalated, disrupting deliveries to the European Union in the midst of a bitter cold spell.

Crude oil prices rose above $50 a barrel, their highest levels in more than a month, and Wall Street rose in early trading.

The Institute for Supply Management said its services sector index rose as new orders and employment picked up. Another report showed pending home sales fell to a 7-year low.

The mystery is why so many wealthy people handed over so much money with so little due diligence.

Time Warner Cable extended a deal to carry CBS television stations, CBS said on Tuesday, avoiding what could have been another heated industry dispute.

German billionaire Adolf Merckle commits suicide after his business empire runs into trouble in the global economic slowdown.

Reuters - U.S. stocks edged higher on Tuesday as investors bet on strength in the tech sector despite data on slumping factory orders and the lowest pending home sales in at least seven years that spurred concerns about the economy.

Reuters - Pending sales of existing U.S. homes dropped to a seven-year low in November, data showed on Tuesday, as rising job losses and a deepening economic recession kept potential house buyers on the sidelines.

Reuters - New orders received by U.S. factories plunged a much-greater-than-expected 4.6 percent in November, the fourth straight monthly decline and a sign the sharp drop in manufacturing is deepening the recession, a government report showed on Tuesday.

Wall Street fluctuated after reports showed the service sector continued to struggle at the end of the year and factory orders plunged amid the deepening recession.

Adolf Merckle?s speculation in volatile Volkswagen shares pushed his sprawling business empire to the edge of ruin.

At MacWorld, an Apple executive said more songs would be offered free of the encoding that limits how they can be copied.

The judges ordered that the former chief executive, Jeffrey K. Skilling, convicted for his role in the once-mighty energy giant?s collapse, be resentenced.

Reuters - Strength in the tech sector boosted stocks on Tuesday, overshadowing data showing slumping factory orders and dismal pending home sales.

Reuters - Talbots Inc shares jumped 24 percent on Tuesday, a day after the women's apparel retailer said it entered into agreements with three banks to secure a total $150 million in committed lines of credit.

Wall Street rose after economic reports showed that although the economy continues to weaken, the downward curve may be tapering off in some sectors.

Meeting last month, Fed officials worried that even a dramatic cut in interest rates would not be enough to cauterize the country?s economic troubles quickly.

Apple said it would begin selling song downloads without anticopying measures and change its pricing structure.

Reuters - Stocks gained on Tuesday as bets rose on the likelihood of a government stimulus package after the release of minutes from the last Fed policy meeting painted a dismal picture of the U.S. economy.

Reuters - A judge on Tuesday extended an order barring well-known hedge fund founder Ezra Merkin from withdrawing or liquidating millions of dollars in his funds, which invested with accused swindler Bernard Madoff.

Adolf Merckle?s speculation in volatile Volkswagen shares pushed his sprawling empire to the edge of ruin.

Citing the economic downturn, the aluminum producer said that 1,700 contractors also will be cut and that it will implement a global salary and hiring freeze.

Developers and economists say Denver benefits from a diversified economy and downtown investments.

The US recession is likely to drag on well into 2009, according to forecasts from the US Federal Reserve.

Reuters - Stocks gained on Tuesday on the increased likelihood of a government stimulus package after the release of minutes from the last Federal Reserve policy meeting painted a dismal picture of the U.S. economy.

Reuters - A California court has approved a jury verdict against Boeing Co , which means the plane maker and defense contractor must pay former customer ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Ltd $631 million in damages, according to ICO on Tuesday.

Reuters - The second-ranking Democrat of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday introduced legislation that would let bankruptcy judges erase some mortgage debt in an effort to stem foreclosures.

Adolf Merckle?s speculation in volatile Volkswagen shares pushed his sprawling empire to the edge of ruin.

Environmental groups in the U.S. and Canada are pushing for a slowdown to oil sands development.

Although jet fuel prices have dropped, industry executives say they are determined to become less dependence on a single source of fuel if prices rise again.

Meeting last month, Fed officials worried that even a dramatic cut in interest rates would not be enough to cauterize the country?s economic troubles quickly.

The aluminum maker said it would cut 13,500 jobs, 13 percent of its total work force, as well as slash spending and output to cope with the global economic slowdown.

Do you enjoy watching the bracing rudeness of New Yorkers? J&R, the music and electronics retailer, is counting on it.

The financial costs of making redundancies

UK car sales figures for the past year are expected to be more than 10% lower than sales in 2007.

The number of new workers being recruited is falling sharply due to the worsening economic downturn, a survey finds.

Reuters - The U.S. government is beefing up a task force to fight mortgage crimes and safeguard federal financial bailouts, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

AFP - FTSE 100 stocks continued their New Year bounce on Tuesday as investors looked forward to possible interest rate cuts and further government aid in 2009.

Sonja Kohn made few friends gathering billions for Bernard L. Madoff from wealthy investors in Russia and across Europe. Now she?s dropped out of sight.

Although jet fuel prices have dropped, industry executives say they are determined to become less dependence on a single source of fuel if prices rise again.

A debate persists over the most effective form of stimulus and what role tax cuts should play.

A programming language?s versatility and its price (free) makes it a favorite of data analysts.

Russia?s gas price dispute with Ukraine escalated, disrupting deliveries to the European Union in the midst of a bitter cold spell.

Under U.S. tax rules, investors may be able to seek redress from the federal government for losses stemming from the $50 billion Ponzi scheme that Bernard L. Madoff is suspected of orchestrating, tax experts say.

When Nissan said it would not put up a display at the auto show in Detroit, local dealers decided to do it themselves ? until the company intervened.

Bank of America?s chief executive, Kenneth D. Lewis, is joining the growing ranks of top banking executives who are giving up annual bonuses after a dreadful year in the financial industry.

The U.S. operations of LyondellBasell, the petrochemical company, filed for bankruptcy protection in New York on Tuesday, facing a huge debt load and slumping demand for its products.

Warehouses in northern New Jersey are faring better than average in vacancy rates.

Mr. Grinberg amassed a fortune in the U.S. by helping turn expensive wristwatches like Piaget into widely advertised portable status symbols with mass appeal.

Mr. McGillicuddy assembled one of first big bank mergers in the wave of consolidation that emerged from the economic slump of the early 1990s.

The US aluminium maker Alcoa has said it is cutting 13,500 jobs, or 13% of its workforce, due to the global economic slowdown.

Reuters - Top U.S. lender Bank of America , raising cash to weather a dismal market at home, is selling a $2.83 billion chunk of its holding in China Construction Bank (0939.HK) at a 12 percent discount on Wednesday, according to a term sheet obtained by Reuters.

AP - Discount clothing chain Goody's Family Clothing will begin liquidating its stores on Friday as the retailer becomes one of the year's first victims of the worsening economy.

Sonja Kohn made few friends gathering billions for Bernard L. Madoff from wealthy investors in Russia and across Europe. Now she?s disappeared from public view.

Apple said it would begin selling song downloads without anticopying measures and change its pricing structure.

Adolf Merckle?s speculation in volatile Volkswagen shares pushed his sprawling empire to the edge of ruin.

Barack Obama delivered a stark assessment of the economy, saying that his administration would be forced to impose tighter discipline on government.

A programming language?s versatility and its price (free) makes it a favorite of data analysts.

The aluminum maker said it would cut 13,500 jobs, 13 percent of its total work force, as well as slash spending and output to cope with the global economic slowdown.

But the judges ordered that the former chief executive, Jeffrey K. Skilling, convicted for his role in the once-mighty energy giant?s collapse, be resentenced.

The U.S. operations of LyondellBasell, the petrochemical company, filed for bankruptcy protection in New York on Tuesday, facing a huge debt load and slumping demand for its products.

Not one major bank has agreed to handle the planned $460 million initial public offering of the parent of Penthouse magazine.

A surge of post-holiday claims caused New York State?s computerized unemployment insurance system to shut down twice over two days.

Utah?s attorney general said he was investigating a possible violation of federal antitrust laws after the undefeated Utes were left out of the national title game.

The move to enforce a law that bans foreign companies from broadcasting in the country effectively bans Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America and the BBC.

Dr. Gupta is a medical correspondent for the news network and a neurosurgeon.

Journalists have been barred from the battle zone in Gaza, but they are given full access to sites in Israel hit by Hamas rockets.

An ad campaign for atheism in London is aiming to counter religious ads, one bus billboard at a time.

Opposition lawmakers ended their violent, 12-day siege of South Korea?s Parliament on Tuesday after successfully delaying a crucial vote on a United States free-trade deal.

The Indian unit of General Motors will raise its car prices by 1 to 2 percent to cover rising costs and does not expect the market to improve in the first half of 2009, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The European Commission, Europe?s competition watchdog, said it had extended its review of a bid by Lufthansa to buy a smaller Belgian rival, Brussels Airlines.

Kenya and Uganda plan to build a new railway from the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa to cope with increased trade among the East African countries and their landlocked neighbors, officials said.

Credit Suisse said it had injected 7.94 billion rupees ($164 million) into the operations of its nonbanking financial company in India.

Seven European and Balkan countries report a complete halt in gas imports from Russia as its row with Ukraine worsens.

Demand for staff is falling at a record rate, according to a report by Britain's recruiters.

Reuters - Top U.S. lender Bank of America , raising cash to weather a dismal market at home, sold a $2.83 billion chunk of its holding in China Construction Bank (0939.HK) on Wednesday, dragging the Chinese bank's stock 5 percent lower.

AP - The wife of billionaire Chinese appliance retailer Wong Kwong-yu has been detained as police investigate Wong for possible financial offenses, according to news reports.