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Real average weekly earnings rose by 0.5 percent from July to August after seasonal adjustment, according to preliminary data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

A national survey of consumer spending habits indicates that a plunge in consumer confidence may mean tough sledding ahead for retail companies as the peak holiday spending season approaches. The sharp drop in consumer sentiment is reflected in a retail and restaurant sector survey being released in conjunction with the RBC Capital Markets Annual Consumer Conference, being held this week in Naples, Florida.

Education International is concerned that the OECD's policies are paving the way for increased privatisation of education, especially at the tertiary level, instead of promoting greater access to quality public education.

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods fell 1.4 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This decrease followed a 0.6-percent increase in July and a 0.2-percent decline in June. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods moved down 1.2 percent in August compared with a 0.6-percent advance in July, and the crude goods index dropped 3.0 percent after climbing 1.2 percent in the prior month.

Large-scaled commercial project of IPTV in China had started since the second half of 2005, and the IPTV project has expanded to province area from city area, and the designed user capacity amounts to 100,000. The planned capacity in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong etc all amounts to 100,000. Accordingly, the IPTV users rose to 550,000 in China at the end of 2006.

Universities could play a stronger role in the economic, cultural and social development of their regions, according to a new OECD report. Higher Education and Regions: Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged argues that regional engagement by universities is beneficial both to local development and the institutions themselves.

Fitch Ratings has said that the market turmoil that besieged the financial markets in August 2007 will test the robustness of the system following Q207 ratings migration results. These results saw the par-value of corporate bond upgrades in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) again outpace downgrades, this time by a margin of 2.4:1. Moreover, ratings migration for banking and finance, insurance and supranational (BFI) securities (where much of the market dislocation has occurred) were even higher. In contrast, ratings migration for industrial securities (a segment where fundamentals remain benign) still has a slight negative bias.

Electricity and gas are the lifeblood of our day to day lives and our economy. By opening up the European energy markets to competition - a process which started 10 years ago - Europe's citizens have been able to benefit from more choice and more competition to keep prices down, even in times of spiralling global energy prices. Competition opens up the possibility for the different expectation of consumers to be met. Some consumers will be mainly interested in prices, others may want the choice of renewable energy, while others still may seek a higher level of service.

U.S. mobile operators are at a crossroads: Mobile phones have become necessary items for most Americans, and non-voice services make up a growing share of operators' average revenue per user (ARPU).

More widespread university education means more prosperous economies and provides rich rewards in the labour market for those who graduate. Furthermore, the job prospects for the less well qualified do not appear to be damaged by the expansion of higher education and may even be improved, according to the latest edition of the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance.