KUWAIT CITY: Islamic finance, which prohibits charging interest, is set to double in size in five years, but the one-trillion-dollar industry must diversify and regulate to realise its full potential, analysts and economic reports say.

Three-quarters of NZ finance and accounting professionals, who have some responsibility for hiring, say there is a shortage of skills in the domestic marketplace, according to a new survey from global recruiters Robert Half International.

STAMFORD -- The Board of Finance is weighing whether to audit the first phase of the Stamford Urban Transitway , which city officials now say cost more than $68 million.

Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Saturday Tokyo would take decisive steps to stem the yen's rise when needed, while suggesting that coordinated currency market intervention was a difficult option.

Gulf Finance House said the $300 million Jordan Gate property development project in Amman will be completed in early 2011, according to an e-mailed statement from the Bahrain-based investment bank.

Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia) Bhd., a unit of Kuwait’s biggest Islamic bank, is in talks with institutions in Japan to form “strategic alliances” for Islamic banking deals, Al-Anba reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti said in an interview with la Repubblica that no new budget measures are needed this year.

Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said it would be “difficult” to gain support for international coordination to halt the yen’s gains, signaling any sales of the nation’s currency would have to be unilateral.

The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services announced today its plans for conducting provincewide budget consultations. The process will be based on the Budget 2011 Consultation Paper, which will be presented by the Minister of Finance to the Committee on September 15. “We encourage interested individuals and organizations to make a contribution to this important process ...

AP - Private mortgage insurer Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. said Friday it added $1.2 billion in new primary insurance coverage in August and the number of delinquent loans it insures declined.

The Motley Fool - Satellite-radio star Howard Stern is negotiating in public again.

AP - Coast Guard: no sign of oil leak after Gulf platform fire, but crews continue to monitor.

The Dutch Finance Ministry Thursday acknowledged it was defrauded out of more than 160,000 euros ($204,800) earlier this year by an employee of the ministry unit that handles the state's financing needs.

U.S. News & World Report - It may seem a bit strange to be talking about income taxes in September. There are, however, good reasons to think about taxes well before April 15. For starters, there are some big changes in the tax code that go into effect in 2011. Depending on your income tax bracket and investments, some simple planning now could save you a bundle later.

AP - RECORD LOWS: Mortgage rates fell to the lowest levels in decades for the tenth time in 11 weeks, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. The average rate for a 30-year fixed loan was 4.32 percent. The 15-year fixed loan hit 3.83 percent.

U.S. News & World Report - More than four years after real estate values peaked, the historic plunge in home prices remains fresh in the minds of mortgage lenders. After taking painful losses on delinquent home loans, banks have imposed tougher standards--such as increased credit scores and higher down payment requirements--on applicants of all stripes. And as investors fled for the hills, the exotic mortgage products that helped fuel the real estate boom have largely disappeared from the private market. But that doesn't mean all buyers need a big pile of cash to snag a home loan. ...

U.S. News & World Report - The Latte Factor, a term coined (and trademarked) by personal finance guru David Bach, is one of the most talked about concepts in the world of personal finance. But it might be based on faulty math.

The Motley Fool - Shares of Salary.com (Nasdaq: SLRY - News) -- a small provider of human resources applications on the cloud -- soared 43% yesterday, after agreeing to be acquired by larger rival Kenexa (Nasdaq: KNXA - News).

Reuters - U.S. mortgage rates fell in the past week to the latest in a series of record lows as yields on government debt dropped, according to a survey released on Thursday by Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

AP - A new Treasury Department program to give people without bank accounts faster access to their tax refunds will help some avoid costly short-term loans. But careless consumers could end up racking up fees and padding bank profits.

U.S. News & World Report - American consumers hate being told what to do, and to prove it, we routinely make choices that are irrational and counterproductive. We make impulse purchases we can't afford. We build bigger houses than we need, chaining ourselves to an onerous mortgage for years. We drive rugged, four-wheel-drive vehicles even though we never leave the pavement. We buy Snuggies.

U.S. News & World Report - If you're combining your life with a new spouse, moving from one house to another, or just frustrated with the amount of documentation you have filed (or unfiled) in your basement, it's a good time to simplify your finances. Simplification is not only practical, it is beautiful. This is the concept of kanso, a Japanese aesthetic usually applied to gardens. Through a stretch of the mind, we can apply this beauty to our lives and our finances.

AP - Mortgage applications rose 2.7 percent last week as more borrowers took advantage of the lowest rates in decades to reduce their monthly loan payments.

The Motley Fool - When Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A - News) was buying railroad company Burlington Northern last December, Warren Buffett told Matt Rose: "I've seen what's been done here [in the U.S.]. I think I know how the country is going to develop. I think the West is going to do well. I'd rather be in the West than the East. So I really don't have much of a worry about that."

The Motley Fool - In coming up with ways to protect their portfolios, many investors draw on lessons learned from their most recent mistakes. Unfortunately, most people right now are taking the lessons they learned from the 2008 bear market and buying bonds, which could easily prove to be far riskier than they thought.

U.S. News & World Report - Most people think retirement planning is about saving, investments, and the timing of retirement account withdrawals and Social Security benefits. Ensuring you have sufficient income is definitely one of the most important aspects of retirement planning. But so is controlling your expenses. One way you can do that is by downsizing your current lifestyle. Here is how controlling costs can help you prepare for retirement and still enjoy a nice standard of living.

The Motley Fool - "The American people will never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street's mistakes. There will be no more taxpayer-funded bailouts. Period."-- President Barack Obama, after passage of financial reform legislation

AP - NO WAY: Taiwanese regulators have rejected Primus Financial Holdings' planned purchase of AIG's Taiwan life insurance unit.