UNITED KINGDOM

Britain's attorney general ordered an investigation on Thursday into whether the security services played any role in the torture of a British resident recently released from the U.S. military's Guantanamo prison.

Britain's greenhouse gas emissions fell two percent in 2008, firmly putting the country on course to meet its targets under the Kyoto Protocol, the government's environment agency said Wednesday. Provisional statistics published by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) showed that total greenhouse gas emissions dropped to 623.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, down from 636.6 million metric tons in 2007.

Over 90 percent of Apple Inc's British iPhone users accessed mobile media in January including websites, e-mails, social networks and games, far higher than users of other mobile phones, research showed.

U.S. exports, which supported economic growth until collapsing at the end of 2008, are unlikely to fuel a rebound this year, a Federal Reserve official said on Thursday.

The world has more than enough reserves to help restore financial stability, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday, but a way needs to be found of unlocking the funds.

Stocks retreated on Wednesday as technology shares fell after news IBM is planning layoffs and a disappointing Treasury note auction raised concerns of flagging foreign interest in U.S. government debt, which could bode poorly for the economy.

The United Nations is urging 20 of the world's most powerful economies to support a $1 trillion stimulus plan for developing countries when the 20 meet in London next month, U.N. officials said on Wednesday.

Social network MySpace and British telecoms provider BT will be among the first companies to offer a new type of Web domain for their users to manage their contact details live online.

Germany's cabinet agreed on Wednesday on a law authorizing the blocking of Internet pages containing child pornography to make it harder for criminals to profit from distributing the material.

Less than a year after rolling out what it called a free global jukebox, Last.fm is now doing away with free radio listening, except in the U.S, UK and Germany.

Under new proposals, the UK government could monitor the contacts people make on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.

Social network MySpace and British telecoms provider BT will be among the first companies to offer a new type of Web domain for their users to manage their contact details live online.

Security at the G20 summit next week will rest in part on Britain's pervasive closed circuit cameras, but in future pre-emptive surveillance could extend to the entire country's personal data.

Eight percent of international call traffic in 2008 used Internet calling company Skype, an increase of 41 percent on a year earlier, according to data from communications research firm TeleGeography released on Tuesday.

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The Nano, the world's cheapest car, will hit Indian roads in July, with expectations that demand from millions of aspiring car owners will far outstrip supply.

The Nano, the world's cheapest car, will hit Indian roads in July, four months after its formal launch on Monday, and demand is expected to far outstrip supply as the price tag of around $2,000 draws legions of new buyers.

The United States met NATO allies on Monday to outline its policy review for Afghanistan after President Barack Obama said it would contain an exit strategy and greater emphasis on economic development.

The default of Lehman Brothers bank shows communication at clearing houses could be improved, a report from a pan-EU market watchdog said on Monday.

Major cities are getting a bad rap for the disproportionately high greenhouse gases they emit even though their per capita emissions are often a fraction of the national average, a new report said on Monday.

The United States has told NATO allies it will back Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next head of the alliance, NATO diplomats and a U.S. source said on Saturday.