AFP - Europe's leading stock markets extended gains on Tuesday as crude oil futures slid close to 100 dollars a barrel, traders said.

Reuters - Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE) said on Wednesday it has signed a deal with Microsoft to expand corporate e-mail access to 80 million Nokia phones as the world's top handset maker battles Blackberry-maker RIM .

Reuters - Chief financial officers are more optimistic about the direction of the U.S. economy, but remain concerned about consumer demand and weak credit markets, according to a quarterly survey.

Reuters - Lehman Brothers is set to announce key initiatives on Wednesday that could include plans to sell a package of British real estate assets to BlackRock Inc to raise much-needed capital to survive the global credit crisis.

Reuters - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) has told one of its units to stop insuring bank deposits above the amount guaranteed by the U.S. federal government, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Reuters - State-run Korea Development Bank is seeking a controlling stake in Lehman Brothers for about $6 billion, Yonhap reported on Wednesday, citing a high ranking KDB official.

AP - British natural gas producer BG Group PLC on Tuesday abandoned its hostile takeover bid for Origin Energy Ltd., Australia's second-largest power retailer.

AFP - Global stocks soared Monday in a massive relief rally after the US government took over ailing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, easing fears of a global financial meltdown.

Reuters - The U.S. government's move to take control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will help shore up the housing market, the banking system and the wider economy, a senior International Monetary Fund official said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Pending sales of existing U.S. homes fell more sharply than expected in July, partially erasing gains from the previous month, data from a real estate trade group showed on Tuesday.

Reuters - Stocks sank on Tuesday, as concern about Lehman Brothers' ability to raise much-needed capital battered financial shares on renewed fears about the impact of mortgage losses.

Reuters - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc shares sank as much as 40 percent on Tuesday on concern that talks on a possible investment from Korea Development Bank had broken down and that the fourth-largest Wall Street investment bank would be unable to raise needed capital.

AP - World stock markets soared Monday after Washington announced a bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — a move that could help bolster a shaky U.S. housing market and renew global investor confidence.

Reuters - UK gas producer BG Group admitted defeat in its hostile bid for Australian coal-bed methane producer Origin Energy, but analysts said BG may shift its focus to another target or become a target itself.