IN BRIEF

Virgin America to start LV-New York flights

The airline Virgin America Thursday will launch new, daily service between McCarran International Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

The first flight for the new route is scheduled to touch down in Las Vegas around 6:15 p.m., in time for a welcoming ceremony at McCarran that is typical for new flights.

The airline has been flying to Las Vegas since October, 2007 with routes to San Francisco.

The airline's Web site on had flights weekend between Las Vegas and New York available one-way for $169 to $499 in the main cabin and $744 to $1,184 in first class.

The service uses Airbus A320 aircraft.

SEOUL, South Korea

Paper reports bank may buy Lehman

State-owned Korea Development Bank is still considering a deal to acquire troubled U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers, a South Korean business newspaper reported Monday.

The Korea Economic Daily quoted a high-ranking government official it did not identify as saying Sunday that the bank had not given up and that he was aware the two entities were maintaining a channel for dialogue.

Separately, Britain's Telegraph reported on its Web site that Lehman hoped to conclude a deal this week with KDB, which would inject as much as $6 billion in capital in return for what the paper called a "significant" stake in the bank.

The report, which cited no sources, also said that Lehman was working on alternatives to KDB, including China's CITIC Securities or sovereign wealth funds from Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

Spokespersons for KDB, Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong and South Korea's Financial Services Commission all declined to comment on the reports.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

Deloitte to establish Middle East company

The financial services firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu said Monday it is setting up a corporate finance arm in the Middle East as it seeks to capitalize on the region's investment boom.

The new company is being established as a joint venture between the New York-based company's existing United Kingdom and Middle East divisions.

It will initially focus on services related to mergers and acquisitions.

Deloitte, one of the "Big Four" international accounting firms, plans to relocate six of its partners from U.K. and elsewhere to the region "as a first step." The company expects to have a work force of 120 in the region by May.

Deloitte's effort comes as global financial firms beef up their presence in the Middle East. Their services are increasingly in demand as the region's energy-rich countries seek to diversify their investments in pursuit of higher returns for their