FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Talks on the way banks around the world gird themselves for shocks can be wrapped up at the weekend, the head of Germany's Bundesbank Axel Weber said on Wednesday, warning no country should stand in the way of a deal.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Industrial gas supplier Airgas Inc rejected the latest takeover offer from rival Air Products and Chemicals Inc on Wednesday, saying $65.50 per share is not an "appropriate value" or "sensible starting point for negotiations."

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Women's clothing retailer Talbots Inc posted lower-than-expected quarterly sales and its shares fell 11.6 percent as efforts to keep inventory lean and preserve margins left it short of items to sell.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Oil giant BP is open to talks about selling assets to Russian companies as part of its $30 billion fund raising programme to help pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the group's Russia chief said on Wednesday.

Sep.8 - Overseas tourists flocking to sites linked to the British royals is generating around 500 million pounds a year, reveals research from VisitBritain.

Basmah Fahim, Reuters.

BANGALORE (Reuters) - No. 2 U.S. tax-preparer Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss, as a drop in total expenses offset the decline in revenue.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans applied to buy homes at the highest pace last week since May, but more than 8 of every 10 loan requests was for a refinancing, Mortgage Bankers Association data show on Wednesday.

Sep.8 - After two months of strong gains, German exports fell unexpectedly in July, adding to evidence that slowing world economy could hit Europe's biggest economy.

Joanna Partridge, Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's finance minister acknowledged currency intervention is an option for the first time since the yen's 14 percent rise since May, and a candidate to become prime minister sanctioned solo intervention as the yen jumped to a 15-year high versus the dollar.

Sep.8 - Vodafine Group Plc sells its share of China Mobile for 6.5 billion U.S dollars.

Basmah Fahim, Reuters.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc's internal probe of the deadly April 20 blowout that unleashed the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill will assign blame to BP as well as other companies involved in the well's operations, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Foster's Group Ltd , Australia's largest brewer, rejected a private equity offer worth up to $2.5 billion for its wine business as too cheap, sending its shares up as much as 6 percent on hopes of higher bids.

TORONTO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's state-owned Sinochem Corp has invited Temasek, the Singapore sovereign wealth fund, to join a consortium that may bid for Canada's Potash Corp, the world's largest fertilizer supplier, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

Sep 8 - Japan's Nikkei leads Asian share markets lower, as the yen's advances send exporter stocks downward. Dan Sloan reports.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks fell on Wednesday, led by shares in Japan's big exporters as a rise in the yen to a new 15-year high threatened to erode their overseas earnings.

XIAMEN, China (Reuters) - The dollar will remain the world's dominant currency for a long time, and the yuan will only gradually emerge as an alternative, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said on Wednesday.

Sep 8 - China's state-owned Sinochem has invited Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek to join it in a bid for Canada's Potash Corp. Dan Sloan reports.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc's internal probe of the deadly April 20 blowout that unleashed the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill will assign blame to BP as well as other companies involved in the well's operations, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co sued former Chief Executive Mark Hurd and asked a court to block him from joining Oracle Corp, saying his hiring by the rival technology firm puts HP's trade secrets "in peril."

Sept 07 - One day after Oracle announced it was hiring former Hewlett Packard CEO, Mark Hurd, HP filed a suit against Hurd potentially thwarting the move. Jeanne Yurman reports.