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Fresh evidence of the severity of the credit squeeze has forced Chancellor Alistair Darling to consider new measures to get lending flowing again, The Times reported on Saturday.

New reports from the world's leading economies showed manufacturing continuing to slump amid the worst slowdown since the Great Depression.

Hanger reported 28% earnings growth during its last quarterly announcement.

Fund managers in the UAE have expressed their outlook for stocks, all agreeing that real estate and banking, finance and investment sector stocks will continue to face pressure throughout 2009, Gulf News has reported. An ING Investment Management manager said his picks would be Air Arabia, Aramex, Dubai Financial Market, etisalat, Aldar and Emirates Foodstuff and Mineral Water Company. [AMEInfo.com]

MARINA DEL REY, CA - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced in a press release that it has published the 2008 annual report online on December 31, 2008.The report covers in detail the organization's achievements and progress during 2008, including three major initiatives ICANN has undertaken this year: the process for introducing new generic top-level domains (...

NEW YORK - Signs grew that the economy could turn even weaker in 2009 as an index of December manufacturing activity sank to its lowest point in 28 years. Every corner of the sector was down, from bakeries to cigarette-makers to aluminum smelters ...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il paid a new year's visit to soldiers from a leading tank unit in his first reported public appearance of 2009, state-run media reported Saturday. The dispatch did not specify the exact location of Kim's military visit but said...

Romania's economy minister has called a meeting with gas officials after supplies from Russia through a pipeline traversing Ukraine dropped by around a third. National news agency Rompres reports that minister Adriean Videanu says Romania has enough gas for...

Thousands of people were advised to stay indoors yesterday after a fire at a chemical works released a large cloud of toxic gas.The thick, low hanging cloud of phosphorous peroxide was reported to be heading south over houses and towns in the West Midlands after a fire at Rhodia Consumer Specialities chemical works in Langley, near Birmingham. Police said the cloud, which measured about 15 metres by 122 metres (50ft by 400ft), was blown south towards the M5. They advised motorists to keep moving and keep windows closed and air vents off.The chemical reacted badly when it came in contact with water and was likely to cause skin irritation and breathing difficulties, a police spokesman said. He added: 'If you experience any of the mentioned symptoms please seek medical advice.'Oldbury residents were told to keep windows and doors closed until the cloud dispersed after four hours, at about 4pm. There were no reports of any injuries.Fifty firefighters tackled the blaze at the chemical plant

Wall street started 2009 with a big rally Friday as investors, brushing aside a disappointing report on manufacturing, sent the Dow Jones industrials up more than 250 points and to their first close above 9,000 in two months. All the major indexes shot up...