Reuters: UK

Cameron says euro zone must make up or break up

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:07:41 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday said the euro zone had to act swiftly to solve its debt crisis or face the consequences of a potential break up.

Euro crisis leaves door open for more BoE easing

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:54:51 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The escalating danger from the neighbouring euro zone debt crisis prompted the Bank of England on Wednesday to keep alive the prospect of more help for an ailing economy it said was growing more slowly than expected.

Small business fund looks to fill bank gap

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:20:56 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - A fund set up to support small and medium-sized businesses aims to make around 25 investments this year, its chief executive said, as it looks to fill a gap left by banks cutting funding for thousands of growth companies.

Joblessness falls unexpectedly, pay rises slow

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:49:30 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The number of Britons out of work fell at the fastest pace in nearly a year in the three months to March, official data showed on Wednesday, pointing to some underlying resilience in the economy.

UK climate experiment cancelled on patent concerns

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:39:31 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have abandoned an experiment to test the possibility of spraying particles into the upper atmosphere to stem global warming, largely due to concerns over a patent for some of the technology, the project's leader said.

Gas prices fall as main Norway supply restarts

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:29:51 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British prompt gas prices fell on Wednesday morning ahead of the scheduled return from maintenance of Norway's Ormen Lange gas processing plant, which is expected to boost supplies.

Moviegoers distracted by summer of sport

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:25:43 GMT

(Reuters) - Movie theatres are in for a quiet summer with the Euro football championships keeping soccer fans glued to their TVs and some film releases timed to avoid a clash with the London Olympics.

Euro zone woes cool London office demand - LandSecs

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:37:43 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Land Securities, the biggest listed British property developer, said demand for office space in London was lower than expected due to the worsening turmoil in the euro zone.

UK economy ailing, BoE seen keeping options open

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:28:30 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mervyn King is seen leaving the door open for more support for Britain's struggling economy on Wednesday, prompted by escalating dangers from the euro zone.

Britain to fund prostate cancer pill in U-turn

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:05 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's drug watchdog has reversed a controversial decision not to fund a new prostate cancer pill that was developed in the country after maker Johnson & Johnson agreed a new discount on supplies to the UK state healthcare service.

London show celebrates 60 years of British glamour

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:38:16 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - A decadent gown made from feathers and a printed lace latex dress designed by some of fashion's luminaries will go on display as part of a new exhibition to celebrate the glitz and glamour of Britain's ball gowns.

Brooks charged in hacking scandal

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:55:31 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Rebekah Brooks, a close confidante of Rupert Murdoch, was charged on Tuesday with interfering with a police investigation into a phone hacking scandal that has rocked the tycoon's empire and sent shockwaves through the British political establishment.

Potato suppliers scammed Sainsbury's for millions

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:03:58 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - A multi-million pound fraud involving the supply of potatoes to supermarket giant Sainsbury's was "corruption on a massive scale", prosecutors said on Tuesday as a jury convicted one of the scam's key players.

Government should start cutting bank stakes - Rothschild banker

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:38:04 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Government should sell part of its stakes in state-backed lenders Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland at a loss to kickstart a disposal process that should see investors pay more at later offerings, a senior Rothschild banker told lawmakers.

Sizewell nuclear unit turbines resume output

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:01:25 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - EDF Energy's Sizewell B nuclear plant resumed producing electricity from Turbine 1 and 2 on Tuesday, the operator said, after the reactor which feeds two turbines at the plant shut down for maintenance work on Sunday.

Britain blames economy woes on euro zone

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:38:45 GMT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne on Monday blamed Britain's economic woes on turmoil in the euro zone, defending the case for his government's austerity programme.

UK Plc faces 100 billion pound pension bill - study

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:36:17 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - UK plc could face a 100 billion pound bill over the next three years to plug rising deficits in its pension schemes, new research shows, limiting cash available for dividends, stock buybacks and capital investment.

Brooks to learn phone-hacking fate

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:58:27 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Rebekah Brooks, a former top lieutenant in Rupert Murdoch's media empire, will learn on Tuesday whether she will be charged as part of a phone-hacking scandal at one of his British newspapers.

MPs urge action on medicine shortages

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:02:42 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain faces a worsening shortages of medicines because vital supplies are being sucked out of the country by exporters who can sell them for higher prices elsewhere, MPs said.

City snatch title at the death

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:26:44 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - With Manchester City's dream dying in the embers of an exhilarating Premier League season Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero wrote themselves into club folklore with stoppage-time goals to seal a breath-taking 3-2 victory over Queen Park Rangers on Sunday and snatch their first title for 44 years.

Britain blames economy woes on euro zone

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:12:52 GMT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne on Monday blamed Britain's economic woes on turmoil in the euro zone, defending the case for his government's austerity programme.

Watson book calls Murdoch empire a "shadow state"

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:40:04 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Dial M For Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain" is among the more provocatively titled books about Rupert Murdoch, the controversial head of global news conglomerate News Corp, owner of FOX News, the Wall Street Journal and other media brands.

Madame Tussauds unveils queen's jubilee waxwork

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:32:50 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Capturing an exact facial expression of Queen Elizabeth proved a challenging task for sculptor Steve Swales during the creation of the latest royal wax figure for London tourist attraction Madame Tussauds.

Ex-Murdoch confidante to learn phone-hacking fate

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:21:07 GMT

Thatcher did not help Murdoch buy Times - lawyer

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:06:15 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch did not ask Margaret Thatcher to bend the rules to allow him to buy the Times of London in 1981, one of his lawyers said on Monday, dismissing theories of a deal as "science fiction".