British finance minister Alistair Darling will downgrade the 2009 economic outlook when he presents his pre-budget report next month but still point to growth resuming at the turn of the year as he predicted in April.

Japanese core consumer prices fell in the year to October with increasing signs that weak demand is weighing on prices amid weak household incomes, while a tumbling dollar added to price pressures.

Asian stock markets tumbled on Friday as concerns about a new international banking crisis erupting in Dubai rattled investor confidence. Hong Kong led the way with a 4.8 percent dive, other major indices in Tokyo, Taipei and Seoul declined over 3 percent each.

The dollar fell to its lowest level in 14 years against the yen on Friday and the yen crosses also fell, with one trader saying investors were shunning risk trades on concern about debt problems in Dubai.The dollar fell as far as 85.84 yen on trading platform EBS, its lowest since 1995.

Japan's Nikkei average is likely to fall broadly on Friday after debt problems in Dubai hit financial markets, dragging European shares down to their worst daily loss in seven months.

British retail sales rose at their fastest pace in two years in November and retailers expect a further rise next month, according to a survey on Thursday that will boost hopes of a strong Christmas shopping period.

Ever wished your cab driver would stop nattering and just get to where you're going? Well the new driverless cabs being trialed at London's Heathrow airport could be for you.

The worsening state of Britain's balance sheet means the country should be stripped of its 'great' title, as the British public are "sleepwalking" into major spending cuts, Andy Brough, fund manager at Schroders, told CNBC.

The U.S. will need to eventually enact national value added tax in order to raise revenue and decrease its deficit, Paul Donovan, MD & deputy head of global economics at UBS, said Thursday.

Lloyds Banking Group investors on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the bank's record rights issue but gave executives a grilling for mistakes made during the financial crisis.

China's ballooning stock market bubble, fuelled by excessive liquidity, is likely to burst in the first half of 2010, punctured by economic concerns arising from higher-than-expected inflation, Morgan Stanley Asia Executive Director Jerry Lou said on Thursday.

China has unveiled its first firm target to curb greenhouse gas emissions, laying out a "carbon intensity goal" on Thursday that Premier Wen Jiabao will take to key climate talks in Copenhagen next month

Social enterprises — companies which hope to have a social impact and at the same time make a profit — are becoming a new asset class for pioneer investors who are more ethically-minded, especially after the financial crisis.

Dubai struggled to ease fears of debt default on Thursday after its move to delay repayments at two flagship firms shook confidence in the Middle East as a centre for investment and a source of capital.

Japanese cabinet ministers increased the pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Tuesday to respond to persistently falling prices after the government declared the country has entered its second bout of deflation in less than a decade.