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Rolls-Royce plans up to 2,000 job cuts in 2009
(AFP)

20 Nov 2008 at 7:58am

A visitor looks at a Rolls Royce Trent 900 jet engine at the Farnborough Air Show in Surrey, southern England. Rolls-Royce, the British maker of plane engines, has said it anticipated cutting between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs worldwide in 2009.(AFP/File/Leon Neal)AFP - Rolls-Royce, the British maker of aircraft engines, said Thursday it anticipated cutting between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs worldwide in 2009, or up to five percent of its global workforce.


AstraZeneca wins first round in Teva litigation
(AP)

20 Nov 2008 at 7:50am
AP - AstraZeneca PLC won the first round of a legal fight over the release of a generic version of its child asthma medication Pulmicort Respules by rival Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on Thursday as it also unveiled job cuts in Europe.

Public finances worsen in October: official data
(AFP)

20 Nov 2008 at 7:28am

A handful of pound notes. Public finances worsened in October as the government's surplus narrowed to 4.9 billion pounds, official data showed on Thursday.(AFP/File)AFP - Public finances worsened in October as the government’s surplus narrowed to 4.9 billion pounds, official data showed on Thursday.


British FM: UK won’t pay ransom to Somali pirates
(AP)

20 Nov 2008 at 7:15am
AP - Foreign Secretary David Miliband says Britain won’t pay a ransom for two Britons being held by pirates off the east African coast.

Gold collar ‘best Iron Age find in 50 years’
(AFP)

20 Nov 2008 at 7:05am

A museum employee holds the gold and silver Iron Age collar (or torc), valued at £350,000, during a press view for the British Museum's annual report of treasure finds in central London, November 19. The collar, unearthed by an amateur in a field in Nottinghamshire, has been described as the best find of its kind in 50 years.(AFP/File/Shaun Curry)AFP - An Iron Age gold collar worth more than £350,000 unearthed by an amateur in a field in Nottinghamshire has been described as the best find of its kind in 50 years.


Cold snap on the way
(AFP)

20 Nov 2008 at 6:46am

Two joggers run through a snow-covered Hyde Park in west London, April 2008. Arctic winds and snow showers are expected to sweep the country this weekend, causing temperatures to plummet as low as minus 6C overnight in northern England.(AFP/File/Ben Stansall)AFP - Arctic winds and snow showers are expected to sweep the country this weekend, causing temperatures to plummet as low as minus 6C overnight in northern England.


Lawyer: Michael Jackson to testify in London
(AP)

20 Nov 2008 at 5:57am
AP - Michael Jackson’s lawyer says the pop star has agreed to come to London to respond to a Bahraini sheik’s $7 million lawsuit.

AstraZeneca to cut jobs, close plants in Europe
(AP)

20 Nov 2008 at 5:30am
AP - Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC said Thursday it plans to close three plants in Spain, Belgium and Sweden and cut 1,400 jobs in Europe by 2013 to improve efficiency and expand investment in Asia to serve the growing market there.

Retail sales fall 0.1% in October
(AFP)

20 Nov 2008 at 5:09am

Shoppers walk past a sale sign in a shopping centre in Guildford, Surrey, October 2008. Retail sales eased 0.1 percent in October from September and jumped by 1.9 percent last month compared with a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday.(AFP/File/Carl de Souza)AFP - Retail sales in Britain have eased 0.1 percent in October from September and jumped by 1.9 percent last month compared with a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday.


British retail sales down 0.1 percent in October
(AP)

20 Nov 2008 at 5:06am
AP - British retail sales fell only slightly in October, official figures showed Thursday, despite mounting evidence from retailers such as Woolworths PLC and Marks & Spencer PLC, that business conditions are extremely tough.

UK mortgage lending down 44 pct from a year ago
(AP)

20 Nov 2008 at 5:04am
AP - Mortgage lending in Britain was down 44 percent in October compared to a year ago, further evidence the economic downturn is hurting an already weak property market, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said Thursday.

Rolls-Royce plans up to 2,000 job cuts in 2009
(AP)

20 Nov 2008 at 3:39am

A man stands next to a modified Rolls Royce sports coupe AP - Rolls-Royce Group PLC said Thursday it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs next year as demand for its products slumps amid the global economic downturn.


Colombian VP says cocaine destroying rain forests
(AP)

19 Nov 2008 at 4:24pm
AP - Does white powder damage your green credentials?

Far-right UK party’s member list is posted online
(AP)

19 Nov 2008 at 3:10pm
AP - The leader of the far-right British National Party said he will ask police to investigate how his party’s membership list was posted online despite a court order. The publication was causing problems for several party members Wednesday, including a police officer who was being investigated.

Barclays’ shares fall on imminent fundraising deal
(AP)

19 Nov 2008 at 2:39pm
AP - Barclays PLC’s shares fell 7.5 percent on Wednesday on the growing likelihood that a 7 billion pound ($10.6 billion) fundraising deal, expected to erode shareholder value, will be approved.

Flat-footed journalist quits British dancing show
(AP)

19 Nov 2008 at 1:28pm

This undated image shows John Sergeant dancing with Kristina Rihanoff during a dress rehearsal for BBC program Strictly Come Dancing. Sergeant the retired BBC political correspondent has waltzed off TV talent show 'Strictly Come Dancing' because he is afraid he might win. The 64-year-old Sergeant is the surprise star of the BBC show. Despite being labeled the program's worst-ever competitor by judges, viewers have voted for him above more accomplished competitors. Sergeant announced Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 he was quitting the show, because there was a real danger he might win. He said victory would be a joke too far. The ballroom dancing competition is one of the BBC's most popular shows and the format has been exported around the world. A U.S. version, Dancing With the Stars,' is currently airing on ABC. (AP Photo/Guy Levy/BBC/PA)AP - The public adored him, but the judges hated him. One called him a “dancing pig in Cuban heels.”


One in three schools failing students, top inspector finds
(AFP)

19 Nov 2008 at 1:27pm

School children stand outside Windsor Castle in 2006. More than one third of English schools are failing to give students a good education, inspectors have said.(AFP/File/Adrian Dennis)AFP - More than one third of English schools are failing to give students a good education, the chief inspector of schools said on Wednesday.


Lloyds shareholders approve HBOS takeover
(AP)

19 Nov 2008 at 12:48pm
AP - Shareholders of Lloyds Group TSB voted overwhelmingly in favor of a government-brokered takeover of rival HBOS PLC on Wednesday.

Publicist: Winona Ryder hospitalized in UK
(AP)

19 Nov 2008 at 12:43pm
AP - Winona Ryder’s publicist says the actress was briefly hospitalized after falling ill on a flight to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Woolworths plunges on news it may sell stores
(AP)

19 Nov 2008 at 12:38pm
AP - Woolworths Group PLC’s shares plunged 38 percent Wednesday after the company confirmed it is considering selling its retail business.