LONDON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,000 people were trapped for hours inside the Channel Tunnel after four Eurostar trains broke down due to cold weather, according local news reports on Saturday.

The trains failed as they left the cold air in northern France and entered the warmer tunnel. The trains were coming from Brussels and Paris, and Eurostar said the change in the atmospheric conditions caused a problem with their electrics.

Eurostar said the four trains had been moved from the tunnel and passengers were being transferred to England.

"Four Eurostars broken down at one time -- it's absolutely unprecedented," said a spokesman from Eurotunnel, the operator of the Channel Tunnel.

"There's never actually been an evacuation of a Eurostar train in the 15 years that the tunnel has been opened and last night we evacuated two whole trains to get people off," he said.

Eurostar services have been cancelled until noon Saturday and will be severely disrupted at the weekend easy to get unsecured personal loans.

Heavy snowfall caused travel chaos, forced schools to close and cut off power supplies in parts of Britain on Friday. Meanwhile, more snow and freezing temperatures are expected for parts of Scotland and southeastern and eastern England.

Stranded passengers wait at St Pancras Station in London, capital of Britain, Dec. 19, 2009. More than 2,000 people were trapped for hours inside the Channel Tunnel after four Eurostar trains broke down due to cold weather, according to local news reports on Saturday. Eurostar services have been cancelled until noon Saturday and will be severely disrupted at the weekend. Eurostar said the four trains had been moved from the tunnel and passengers were being transferred to England. (Xinhua/Guo Rui)
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Cold snap traps four trains in Channel Tunnel

BARCELONA (Reuters) – Vivendi could exit from U.S. media group NBCU Universal as it has no intention to be part of the future joint venture being discussed by Comcast and General Electric, its chief financial officer said on Thursday.

Philippe Capron also told the Morgan Stanley Media & Telecoms conference that selling its 20 percent stake in NBCU would give Vivendi "additional financial headroom" after it gained control of Brazil&&9;s telecoms operator GVT last week.

"We are not interested in staying onboard a new GE-Comcast ownership of NBCU ... we will exit and it will give us more headroom," Capron said, adding "We are not there yet."

Capron later told Reuters on the sideline of the conference: "We have never been closer to the end of this story."

But Vivendi&&9;s board had made no decision on the matter, he said.

When asked if negotiations over NBCU were about the price, he said: "It often is."

General Electric, which owns 80 percent of NBCU, and Comcast Corp have agreed on the structure of the board for the proposed joint venture with NBC Universal, a person familiar with the matter said last week payday loans.

Any deal between GE and Comcast would depend on Vivendi selling its NBCU stake.

Each year between mid-November and mid-December, Vivendi has to decide whether to exercise its put option to sell the stake.

This year, Vivendi is eager to dispose of the stake and is determined to get good value for it, sources have said.

Last week, Vivendi snatched Brazilian telecom group GVT from under Telefonica&&9;s nose in a dramatic and high-priced purchase.

Vivendi&&9;s bid values GVT at 7.2 billion reais, or about &&6;4.8 billion against Telefonica&&9;s offer of &&6;4 billion.

Faced with a more costly acquisition pricetag, Vivendi was however more likely to now sell its holding in U.S. media group NBCU to help fund the deal, some analysts have said.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

Vivendi eyes NBC Universal exit: CFO

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- After months of paying off debt, some Americans pulled out their credit cards and started charging in October, according to data from two credit tracking firms. The data suggest consumption habits don't ever really die, especially when the busiest shopping season of the year is at hand.

Synovate Mail Monitor and Credit Karma both said that average credit-card balances increased as consumers added new purchases. But Synovate also said that credit-card consolidation contributed to higher average balances.

The most recent government figures for consumers' use of credit are from September, when the Federal Reserve said outstanding consumer credit fell at a 7.2% annual rate, the eighth straight month of declines.

How much do you pay for your 401(k)?

Few investors know what they're paying in administrative and other fees for their 401(k), but there are ways to find out, says Ryan Alfred, president of BrightScope, a retirement-plan ratings and research firm. MarketWatch's Andrea Coombes reports.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Commerce Department said Monday that October sales increased more than expected, thanks mostly to an appetite for new cars, but also due to consumers buying a variety of other goods.

"It's silly to expect people to have a complete change in the model of how they buy things forever -- and especially in the holiday season," said John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education for Credit.com.

Synovate Mail Monitor, which tracks credit-card acquisition volume and response rates throughout the U.S., saw average balances edge up about 8% to $8,083 in the third quarter, from $7,489 in the second.

CreditKarma.com, a consumer research and credit-score site that follows a smaller percentage of cards, saw a bigger jump in card usage in October, with the average consumer carrying $7,573 of credit-card debt, a 14% increase from $6,641 a month earlier.

The holidays typically account for some 40% of spending at national retail stores with most shopping done in the four to six weeks before Dec. 25. But this year, Christmas came sooner as retailers began promotions and discounts as early as July.

"The seasonal aspect can be pretty strong," said Ken Lin, founder of Credit Karma. "Consumer spending is so much higher in the fourth quarter than any other quarter of the year."

Tighter limits also push balances higher

Anuj Shahani, director of competitive tracking services for Synovate, agrees that consumers are spending a little more but said the bigger impact on balances is a result of fewer cards and tighter credit limits in force payday loan lenders.

By Synovate's estimation, the average number of credit cards per household slipped to 2.8 in the third quarter from three in the first quarter. Many consumers saw their credit limits slashed, so some transferred their charging to one or two main cards. Consequently, the average balances went up.

Of course, one month does not make a trend. But if Americans' love affair with their credit cards is reheated, the eight months of steadfastly paying down debt may turn out to be nothing more than a temporary hiatus from credit cards.

"I don't see many people staying on the wagon and completely giving up credit cards permanently," said Credit.com's Ulzheimer. "As much as it pains me to say this, the best vehicle for buying things on a convenience basis is a credit card."

Sales rise in some sectors

There's no question that the consumer is still gun-shy about spending, despite the 1.4% rise in U.S. retail sales last month. The Commerce Dept. said a chunk of those sales were fueled by new demand in autos, rebounding from the post "cash for clunkers" stimulus crash.

Housing-related merchandise sales were sharply lower and electronic and appliance sales slipped, as did sporting goods and hobby sales.

But restaurant and bar sales, mail order and Internet purchases, and general merchandise sales got a boost -- all indicating that consumers were more flexible in their spending than they've been for most of the year.

What's troubling, however, is that last month also saw a slowdown in the number of credit-card defaults at a time when delinquencies -- mostly those 30 days or more late -- were on the rise. (Defaults, however, are still at high levels at the largest credit-card issuers.)

Delinquencies can be a harbinger of future losses and tend to lag default rates by three to six months. "It doesn't make any sense that delinquency rates are going up and default rates going down," Ulzheimer said. "There may be another wave of defaults coming."

Credit-card balances rise as holidays approach

BEIJING (Reuters) – China should keep the yuan stable, in part because that is beneficial for a global economic recovery, a Commerce Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

The yuan&&9;s exchange rate has little to do with its trade imbalance, spokesman Yao Jian told a news conference.

He added that it was unfair to urge just one country to increase the value of its currency, as other currencies fall in value.

Yao was speaking shortly after International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said a stronger yuan is part of the reforms that Beijing needs to implement to increase domestic consumption and help ease global imbalances fast cash.

(Reporting by Aileen Wang and Jason Subler; Editing by Ken Wills)

China should keep yuan stable: commerce ministry

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department is in talks with GMAC Financial Services Inc about a possible additional cash infusion to the company, an Obama administration official confirmed on Tuesday night.

The official declined to say how much additional money was under discussion for GMAC, which already has received &&6;12.5 billion of taxpayer funds high risk personal loans.

GMAC is the traditional lender to General Motors Co and is taking over the auto loan business of Chrysler.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville; Editing by Eric Walsh and Carol Bishopric)

Treasury talks to GMAC about more cash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) &<51; Michigan again had the highest unemployment rate of all states in September at 15.3 percent, followed by Nevada and Rhode Island, which set records, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

Nevada, at 13.3 percent, and Rhode Island, at 13 percent, were followed by California, at 12.2 percent. Florida also hit its highest rate since records began 33 years ago, 11 percent.

Fifteen states and Puerto Rico now have unemployment rates above 10 percent &<51; meaning more than one person in 10 looking for a job is not working there.

Still, the Labor Department said, unemployment rates were little changed on the month in most states, and dropped in 19 states.

The federal car-buying incentive program known as cash for clunkers helped slow the exodus of work in Michigan, which is the heart of American automobile manufacturing, the state&S217;s employment department said.

Manufacturing jobs have increased in the state for three consecutive months, according to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, while the monthly increases in the state&S217;s unemployment rate have shrunk.

Still, the work force picture was not as rosy in terms of jobs numbers in a majority of states.

Nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 43 states and the District of Columbia in September. Only seven states gained jobs, and the largest increase &<51; 4,400 in Indiana &<51; was small when compared with the biggest drop of 81,700 in New York.

Texas shed 44,700 positions, California 39,300, Wisconsin 21,700 and Michigan 21,500 no fax no teletrack payday loan. The nation&S217;s capital, Washington, experienced the largest percentage drop, 1.4 percent.

Since September 2008, all states and the District of Columbia have lost jobs, with California shedding the most, 732,700.

In Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and California, the unemployment rate dropped from August, but so did the number of jobs.

While Wisconsin found encouragement in its jobless rate falling to 7.7 percent in the state&S217;s fourth monthly decrease, Ohio read a different story in the discrepancy.

&S220;Ohio&S217;s unemployment rate declined in September as more Ohioans dropped out of the labor force,&S221; said Douglas Lumpkin, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services director, about the decline to 10.1 percent, from 10.8 percent in August.

Laid-off workers can become so discouraged about the prospects of new jobs that they give up looking and are not counted as part of the labor force. At the same time, with the downturn in housing and automobile manufacturing, analysts have begun to worry about structural unemployment creeping into the economy.

The unemployment rate increased the most in any state in Illinois, to 10.5 percent, the highest since October 1983.

Illinois lost 14,200 jobs, the 20th month that payrolls in the state had shrunk, resulting in the smallest number of jobs in the state in 14 years.

Michigan Again Reports Highest Jobless Rate

After pulling off two consecutive quarterly profits, Citigroup posted a loss in the third quarter as spiraling consumer losses overwhelmed its strong trading results.

The banking giant said that it had a loss to stockholders of 27 cents a share or $3.2 billion, compared with a loss of $2.9 billion, or 61 cents a share, in the third quarter a year ago. The bank reported a profit from continuing operations of $101 million.

The results included $8 billion in credit losses and come as Vikram S. Pandit has been struggling to turn around the troubled bank, in which taxpayers own a 34 percent stake.

Mr. Pandit, the chief executive, has been trying to shrink the bank&S217;s balance sheet and whip its businesses into shape amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. All the while, he is also trying to find a way to repay part the $45 billion in federal aid and get out from the under the government&S217;s thumb. Citigroup&S217;s resultson Thursday came on the coattails of its trading operations, which cranked out good results from its bond and currency businesses. Still, its credit card and mortgage businesses are hemorrhaging money. And the bank added another $802 million to reserves as it braces for several more quarters of losses.

Revenue increased about 25 percent, to $20.39 billion from $16.25 billion.

&S220;This was an important quarter for us. The completion of the exchange offers and the significant actions taken during the last few quarters have created a strong foundation short term personal loans. With strong capital, strong liquidity and a strong franchise, we are looking forward,&S221; Mr. Pandit said. &S220;We continue to execute steadily against our plan, and sustainable profitability remains our primary goal in the near term. While consumer credit trends are improving in international markets, the U.S. consumer credit environment remains challenging.&S221;

In addition, Citigroup broke its results into two segments for the second consecutive quarter. Citicorp, its core consumer and corporate banking operation, had $2.2 billion profit in the third quarter. Citi Holdings, which contains the money-losing businesses and toxic assets the bank plans to sell, showed a $1.9 billion quarterly loss. It was weighed down by the heavy losses tied to private-label credit cards, mortgages, and consumer loans.

Citigroup&S217;s numbers follow the strong showings by JPMorgan Chase, whose higher-than-expected $3.6 billion profit on Wednesday ignited the stock market, and Goldman Sachs, which reported a profit of $3.19 billion earlier Thursday. Although consumer loan losses throughout the industry remain high, there are signs that they might start moderating.

Citigroup’s Struggles Continue in Third Quarter

Filed at 7:00 a.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- World stock markets rallied Wednesday after an upbeat earnings statement from Intel Corp., the world's largest chipmaker, and China's economy showed more signs of a recovery.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose to a year high while the dollar slid to a 14-month low against the euro amid the rising appetite for risk.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 89.57 points, or 1.7 percent, at 5,243.72 while Germany's DAX jumped 109.05 points, or 1.9 percent, to 5,823.36. The CAC-40 in France was 66.26 points, or 1.7 percent, higher at 3,867.65.

Wall Street is poised for big gains too when the markets open -- Dow futures were 106 points, or 1.1 percent, at 9,915, while the broader Standard &&8; Poor's 500 futures rose 13.8 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,082.60.

Intel has been the catalyst to Wednesday's advance. In an after-hours statement on Tuesday, Intel unveiled better-than-expected third quarter profits and upped its earnings guidance for the year as demand for computers recovers.

''The better than expected numbers show one of the first major companies to report a more sustainable recovery instead of heavily cutting costs,'' said James Hughes, market analyst at CMC Markets.

Investors around the world are focusing in on the third-quarter earnings statements, which are kick up a gear this week to see how much companies have been able to drive up earnings by generating revenues as opposed to cutting costs.

The market reaction to Intel has been positive because the company is seen as a bellwether for the health of the U.S. economy.

Major U.S. financial institutions take center stage over the rest of the week. JP Morgan Chase &&8; Co. unveils its third-quarter earnings later, followed on Thursday by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc. On Friday, it's Bank of America Corp.'s turn.

The financial sector, which led the market down at the outset of the crisis, generally outperformed other sectors, leading the market on the way up since March's lows.

''The figures from the banks could be a defining moment in the current rally; strong results could be seen as confirmation we are on the way to recovery, though the market will be very sensitive to any signs of bad news on the horizon,'' said Tom Salmon, head trader at Spreadex in London guaranteed cash advance.

Other companies due to report this week include Google Inc., IBM Corp. and General Electric Co.

World markets have also been buoyed by the news that the slump in China's exports eased in September -- a further sign that global trade is improving.

Combined with huge amounts of easy money freed up by governments to rebuild their economies and companies, growth in China has helped drive Asia's markets in the last six months

China's Shanghai index jumped 34.34 points, or 1.2 percent, to 2,970.53, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 419.12 points, or 2 percent, to 21,886.48.

Japan's market was the region's only major laggard with the Nikkei 225 stock average shedding 0.2 percent to 10,060.21 amid a stronger yen, which hurts exporters.

Elsewhere, Australia's market gained 1 percent, India's benchmark added 1.2 percent and Taiwan's key index advanced 1.3 percent.

The slumping dollar sent commodities -- which are largely priced in dollars and therefore tend to rise when the U.S. currency falls -- surging once again. Gold traded near an all-time high around $1,070.

Oil blew past its previous 2009 high of $75 a barrel for a while, hitting $75.15, its highest level since October 2008. By late morning London time, a barrel of crude for November delivery was up 79 cents to $74.94.

The dollar fell 0.6 pen to 89.15 yen while the euro rose 0.3 percent to $1.4899, having earlier struck a new 14-month high of $1.4913.

Wednesday's fall in the dollar has echoed developments in the currency markets ever since the financial crisis exploded over a year ago. Whenever investors grow more willing to take on risk, stocks have rallied and the dollar has dropped against the euro.

--------

AP Business Writer Jeremiah Marquez in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Stocks in Europe and Asia Rise on Trade and Intel Data

CHICAGO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved the sale of Sun-Times Media Group to a group of Chicago businessmen led by James Tyree.

According to sources of Sun-Times Media Group, the sale is expected to close by the end of October.

Tyree's group, STMG Holdings LLC, offered about 25 million U.S. dollars, 5 million dollars in cash and about 20 million dollars in liabilities, to purchase the publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and its 50-plus sister papers.

The bid came with a request for steep pay cuts and other concessions from 16 unions, 14 of which have approved the contract changes online cash advances.

The closing remains contingent upon approvals by the two other bargaining units, which are expected to be reached in the coming days, the company said.

"We're very pleased and very excited with this result," said Sun-Times Media Group interim CEO Jeremy Halbreich. "It could not have happened without the dedication and hard work of our employees."

Bankruptcy judge approves Sun-Times Media sale to Tyree group

BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China contributed 19.2 percent of the world economic growth in 2007, up from 2.3 percent in 1978, a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said.

It said China tops the world in contribution to the global economic growth.

The report was the 18th by the NBS. It showcased the improving international status and influence of new China over years of development.

According to the NBS, China's gross domestic product (GDP) was 30 billion U.S. dollars in 1952, more than doubling by 1960, and reached 3.86 trillion U.S. dollars in 2008.

China had also become the world's third largest economy in 2008by accounting for 6 payday loan company.4 percent of the global GDP.

Meanwhile, the country's gross national income (GNI) per capital has been catching up with the world average. The GNI per capita was 10.1 percent of the world average in 1978, and 32.3 percent in2008.

In terms of GNI per capita ranking among 209 countries and regions by the World Bank, China was 130th in 2008 at 2,770 U.S. dollars, up 15 places compared 750 U.S. dollars in 1997. Special Report: Global Financial Crisis

China top contributor to world economic growth

LONDON (Reuters) – European shares look set to finish the third quarter with their best performance in nearly a decade on expectations of economic recovery while world stocks also rose strongly though not as much as in the previous period. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 (.FTEU3) index put on 0.4 percent on Wednesday and the MSCI world index added the same, while commodity prices were also firmer but the dollar fell against a basket of currencies.

"We&&9;re ticking higher on the last day of a strong quarter but investors remain a touch cautious ahead of the start of October, always a volatile month, and Friday&&9;s U.S. jobs report," said Mic Mills, senior trader at ETX Capital in London.

Equities have been rallying hard since early March as investors have become more confident about the prospects for economic recovery.

The European benchmark index is up more than 18 percent in July-September, on course to record its biggest quarterly rise since December 1999. It rose nearly 16 percent in the previous quarter but is still 38.5 percent below its peak in mid-2007.

Global stocks gained 17.6 percent this quarter after rising more than 21 percent in April-June, its best ever quarterly rise, while Britain&&9;s FTSE 100 (.FTSE) was set to register its best quarterly gains since the index was launched in 1984.

The corporate outlook has also showed some signs of revival, with the world economy recovering from its worst recession since the 1930s Great Depression.

British retailer Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) on Wednesday posted an improvement in its quarterly sales trend and raised its forecast for full-year profit margin, but cautioned 2010 was likely to be a tough year.

"GDP and earnings are still being upgraded, valuations are not horribly expensive and cash is still zero percent, we are in a sweet spot," said Khiem Do, head of Asia multi-asset group at Baring Asset Management guaranteed approval cash loans.

Crude prices were higher, rising above &&6;67 a barrel as the dollar eased, while investors are focusing on talks over Iran&&9;s nuclear plans.

Metal prices also stayed firm, helped by the weaker dollar. Gold was poised to post its best quarterly performance since the first quarter of 2008.

The U.S. dollar (.DXY) slipped against major currencies on month- and quarter-end buying lifting sterling and the yen. The greenback was down 0.4 percent at 89.76 yen.

The euro held firm ahead of the European Central Bank&&9;s one-year cash tender results. Attention will focus on the amount of liquidity pumped into the system.

Lacklustre demand would strengthen the ECB&&9;s belief that money markets are on the mend, But strong demand would mean levels of cash held by banks remain at exceptionally high levels until the middle of next year, unless the ECB takes steps to drain it from the market.

The Australian dollar, which has been on the uptrend after recent market talk about an imminent rate hike lifts its yield allure, received a further boost as data showed consumers continue spending even as the stimulus programme nears its end. The Aussie dollar was up 1 percent at &&6;0.8795.

Yields on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasuries were up 2 basis points at 3.316 percent, while the 10-year euro zone Bund yield was up 1 basis points at 3.232 percent.

(Additional reporting by Jon Hopkins and Jamie McGeever in London and Umesh Desai in Hong Kong, editing by Mike Peacock)

Europe shares set for best quarterly rise in 10 years

I HAVE always professed to dislike the grandly named George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

For years, I associated that airport with two annoyances: One, the incessant repetition on loudspeakers of a grating security announcement that warns passengers that they face arrest for making &S220;inappropriate comments&S221; about security. And two, the mad dash I usually have to perform between terminals to make my connection on Continental, the airline I fly most often to and from that airport, Continental&S217;s main hub.

Evidently nothing can be done about the irritating security announcements except to stick your fingers in your ears and loudly sing, &S220;La, la, la,&S221; which I presume is not an inappropriate comment.

But not long ago, thanks to the reduction in schedules being made by all airlines, I had a layover of almost three hours at the Houston airport. For the first time, I was able to actually experience the place.

For lunch, I had decent ribs at Harlon&S217;s Bar-B-Q. I had my shoes shined. Then I wandered over to the next terminal, past an expanse of nice shops and restaurants, and entered a Continental Presidents Club, where I had free Wi-Fi to check e-mail messages, browse the news and write some posts. On the way to my gate, I bought a book I had been planning to read.

It was one of those &S220;duh&S221; revelations, I recently told Greg Principato, the president of Airports Council International North America, the trade group representing airports. As it turns out, I like the Houston airport just fine, security announcements aside. My previous negative assessment, I realized, came solely from the fact that all I knew about the place was that 20-minute dash from one terminal to another.

Mr. Principato said that was not an uncommon reaction.

&S220;For years, airports have been sort of behind the eight ball in public perception. When you have a lost bag, or your flight is canceled, or the screener doesn&S217;t treat you right, whatever happens, you tend to say, &S216;Oh, I hate that airport,&S217;&<60;&S221; he said.

It seems to me that the only thing about air travel that has actually improved over the last 15 years is the airport, or at least most airports.

&S220;Part of the stress of the airport experience is running from Point A to Point B after an airline drops you on one concourse and expects you to be at another one in 20 minutes online payday loans. So you never get a chance to kind of smell the roses along the way,&S221; said Joan Ryzner, the senior vice president for retail at HMSHost, which manages shops and restaurants in airports.

Now I&S217;m not going to argue that spending extra time in an airport is desirable. It is, however, inevitable as airlines cut schedules and reduce customer service in the terminal and in the air.

In recent years, moreover, the airport more often steps in to assist passengers who are inconvenienced by airlines. While there is a perception that airlines are increasingly indifferent to customer opinion, airports are almost always owned and managed locally. As such, they see a need to fill in gaps left by deteriorating airline service, Mr. Principato said.

&S220;There was no meeting where airlines and airports got together and the airlines said, &S216;We can&S217;t do this stuff any more, you have to do it.&S217; It just happened over a period of time,&S221; he said.

Nerves have frayed between airports and airlines over the issue of so-called stranded passengers, people who are held on parked planes for three hours and more without food or water, while toilets malfunction and cabin ventilation deteriorates.

Though the responsibility lies with the airlines, Mr. Principato said, many local airport authorities have developed contingency plans to deal with these events. Some airport officials even intervene, in some cases taking the initiative to get food, including pizza deliveries, to passengers on a stranded airplane.

&S220;The airport is there, it&S217;s part of the community,&S221; Mr. Principato said. &S220;The folks who run the airport feel that, and they can&S217;t turn their backs. They need to step up to the plate.&S221;

&S220;Of course there are limits,&S221; he added. &S220;As I testified in Congress, we are not looking for the authority to go out and get a plane and bring it back in against an airline&S217;s wishes. And we&S217;re certainly not going to go out and pound on the locked airplane door and go, &S216;Let me in! I got pizza!&S217;&<60;&S221;

On the Road: Airports Step Up When Airlines Fall Short

LONDON (Reuters) – The world cannot be complacent about economic recovery and will need to keep emergency stimulus packages in place well into next year, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Saturday.

Addressing G20 finance ministers and central bankers meeting in London, Brown noted the improvement in the outlook since the height of the banking crisis last year but said more work was needed to ensure an enduring recovery from the worst recession since World War Two.

"The stakes are simply too high to get these judgments wrong, so to decide now that it is time to start withdrawing and reversing the exceptional measures we have taken would, in my judgment, be a serious mistake," he said.

"With more than half of the total five trillion (dollar) fiscal expansion yet to start, I believe the prudent course is for G20 countries to deliver these fiscal plans and the stimulus packages that have been put in place and make sure that they are implemented in full both this year and the next."

While policymakers appear agreed that economic life-support packages need to remain in place, divisions have appeared over the best way to fix the banking system and ensure no repeat of the credit crisis that plunged the world into recession.

The International Monetary Fund now forecasts the world economy to shrink 1.3 percent in 2009, a shade less than its April forecast of a 1.4 percent contraction, and grow 2.9 percent in 2010, revised up from 2.5 percent previously.

Policymakers remain cautious about declaring victory when unemployment is expected to go on rising and the financial system remains fragile after a two-year crisis that toppled some of the world&&9;s best known banks.

BANKING DIVISIONS

Brown said the G20 group of leading and emerging nations had to think not only about the immediate future but also about how to make the world economy safer for the long-term.

"Making the recovery sustainable does mean, in my view, avoiding unsustainable imbalances between countries," he said business card.

"It makes sense for countries with large current account deficits to boost exports. It makes sense also for countries with large current account surpluses to increase the demand for goods and services from other countries."

Saturday&&9;s meeting will lay the framework for a leaders&&9; summit in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh later this month.

G7 sources have told Reuters that the G20&&9;s communique, due on Saturday, will likely maintain the pledge to keep policy accommodative for as long as was needed.

Fixing the banking system is proving more divisive.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has called for strengthened bank capital requirements aimed at curbing some of the risky lending practices blamed for the crisis.

But French finance minister Christine Lagarde said on Friday she could not see the point. A G7 source told Reuters that Germany was also opposed to the idea.

Both European nations also want to see tight restrictions on bankers&&9; pay to curb excesses which encouraged them to run riot with risk.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has even called for a global tax but Britain and the United States, with their powerful banking industries, have balked at that idea.

Still, ministers are expected to agree some codes at this meeting on the structure of remuneration at financial institutions, many of which have had to be rescued with billions of dollars of public money.

"Pay and bonuses cannot reward failure or encourage risk taking. It is offensive to the public whose taxpayers&&9; money in different ways has helped many banks from collapsing and is now underpinning their recovery," Brown said.

(Writing by Sumeet Desai; editing by Keith Weir)

G20 united on stimulus, divided on bank reform

Hot News: Gates Assails News Agency for Publishing Photo of Marine Killed in Afghanistan

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks were little changed on Thursday after data showed the U.S. services sector shrank again in August, but an index measuring activity was at its highest in nearly a year.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) added 6.73 points, or 0.07 percent, to 9,287.40. The Standard & Poor&&9;s 500 Index ( free credit report online.SPX) gained 1.48 points, or 0.15 percent, to 996.23. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) slipped 1.74 points, or 0.09 percent, to 1,965.33.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr)

Wall Street little changed after ISM data

Auto parts supplier Visteon Corp. has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge for permission to cut health and life insurance benefits for thousands of current and former workers.

Judge Christopher Sontchi said Friday that he needs time to consider the evidence and arguments.

While the Van Buren Township, Mich.-based company acknowledged that cutting off the benefits would cause hardship for some people, it claims the benefits are one of its largest liabilities and keeping them in place would make it tough for the company to reorganize.

Here's where the bankruptcy cases of other auto suppliers currently stand:

DELPHI CORP.: The Troy, Mich.-based supplier, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in October 2005, won permission in March to stop providing health care and insurance benefits to its salaried retirees. More recently, Delphi received court approval to emerge from bankruptcy protection by handing control of the company over to its lenders in exchange for debt forgiveness. The company is expected to emerge from court protection by Sept. 30.

LEAR CORP.: Lear Corp. filed for bankruptcy court protection in New York in July. Its next hearing is set Aug. 25.

Auto suppliers under bankruptcy protection

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