WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has drifted lower following strong economic figures from the US.
At 0630 AEST on Monday, the local currency was trading at 93.73 US cents, down from 94.06 cents on Friday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher after solid gains on Wall Street with the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching a fresh high.
At 0645 AEST on Monday, the September share price index futures contract was up 10 points at 5,390.
ELSEWHERE:
PARIS - France is close to finalising a deal to take a 20 per cent stake in Alstom, paving the way for the acquisition of the French group's energy business by US giant General Electric.
LISBON - Several thousand protesters have taken to the streets of Lisbon in the latest demonstration against the austerity policies of Portugal's centre-right government.
TOKYO - Japan's electronics giant Panasonic will sell the plant where it first got into the television business half a century ago as it shifts away from the money-losing division, a report said.
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund is rethinking bailouts in the wake of the eurozone crisis, with an eye to giving governments near default better options to stabilise their finances.
DETROIT - The Presbyterian Church (USA) has became the most prominent religious group in the United States to endorse divestment as a protest against Israeli policies toward Palestinians, voting to sell church stock in three companies whose products Israel uses in the occupied territories.
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