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Big European companies such as Alcatel, Siemens, Total, Maersk and Rolls-Royce, and a number of timber companies, are still doing business with Burma - despite the Burmese junta's human rights violations and environmental destruction, Friends of the Earth Europe revealed. The group demands that European governments and the European Commission forbid European companies from trading with Burma, as voluntary CSR policies and warnings from the United Nations are doing nothing to curb their trade with the regime.

European Energy Commissioner Piebalgs welcomed the inauguration of the Norwegian Ormen Lange gas field, which will bring new gas supply to Easingtone, UK. At full production, Ormen Lange is expected to meet 20 percent of the UK's gas requirements for 30 - 40 years.

The NYSE Group, Inc. reported short interest as of the close of business on the settlement date of September 28, 2007. Based on information received from members and member organizations, short interest increased to 11,878,834,897 from 11,841,051,529 as of September 14, 2007.

The average cost for setting up a new company in the EU 15 has fallen to € 554 in 2007 compared to € 813 in 2002 and coping with the administrative procedures to register a company was reduced from 24 days in 2002 to about 12 days today. As they are also the biggest providers of new jobs in the EU, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have become truly central to policy-making in the EU. This is the main conclusion of the European Commission’s mid-term review on SME policy.

NYSE Euronext reported strong transaction volume in U.S. and European trading operations for September 2007, complemented by excellent listings activity and robust market quality.

The DSL Forum announced new broadband and IPTV statistics at the Broadband World Forum Europe in Berlin. The statistics, prepared for the DSL Forum by industry analyst Point Topic, show that the number of people using IPTV services increased by 179 per cent in the 12 months to 30 June 2007. On the broadband access side, DSL continues to dominate with almost 66 per cent of subscribers using this technology.

The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence, which had declined to 45 in the second quarter of 2007, edged down to 44 in the third quarter. A reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses. The survey includes about 100 business leaders in a wide range of industries.

Employment rose in September, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 4.7 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 110,000 following increases of 93,000 in July and 89,000 in August (as revised). In September, health care, food services, and professional and technical services continued to add jobs, while employment trended down in manufacturing and construction. Average hourly earnings rose by 7 cents, or 0.4 percent.

New data has revealed six distinct consumer payment segments, according to a survey released by First Data’s STAR® Network. The 2006/2007 Consumer Payments Usage and Segmentation Study includes a segmentation analysis of specific market groups based on their payment tendencies at the point of sale. The six segments found in the research include the signature debit, PIN debit, cash/PIN debit, cash, check and credit card segments. The segments - determined by an analysis of payment behavior, demographics, attitudinal characteristics, payment preference and value-based characteristics - provide a new way to look at the point of sale payments landscape.

E-commerce spending in the United States is expected to grow 18% in 2007 to $259 billion, reflecting increased consumer comfort with online shopping. That is almost $1 of every $10 spent across all retail channels. But with such growth comes higher shopper expectations.