UNITED KINGDOM

The European Union will work to overhaul its 27-nation treaty to replace an EU constitution it rejected in 2005.

Researchers at a U.S. company trying to push the margins of stem cell research said on Friday they had grown human embryonic stem cells using a non-controversial method that did not harm the embryos.

A dispute over the place of competition policy in a European Union reform treaty was resolved at a summit on Friday after free-marketeers reached an agreement with France.

UK oil major BP Plc agreed to sell its interest in the Siberian Kovykta gas field to state-controlled Gazprom at a knock-down price on Friday, as the Kremlin continues to tighten its grip over Russia's oil and gas industry.

Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. said on Thursday it has suspended plans to sell Manhunt 2 after the title was slapped with restrictive ratings for its extreme violence.

H&R Block Inc., the largest U.S. tax preparer, on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter loss on the depressed value of a mortgage unit slammed by deterioration in the U.S. subprime market.

British censors on Tuesday banned a video game for the first time in 10 years, rejecting U.S.-published 'Manhunt 2' for what they described as an unrelenting focus on sadism and brutal slaying.

Sterling rose on Wednesday, boosted by Bank of England meeting minutes that reflected a surprising bias for higher interest rates, while the euro and dollar climbed for the fifth day in six against the low-yielding yen.

Buyers may not return in force until relations with the West improve and the next Kremlin leader is known.

Nissan Motor Co. announced on Monday that it will spend £2.4 million ($4.8 million) to ramp up production capacity for its Qashqai crossover sport-utility vehicles at its Sunderland plant in the U.K.

Cadbury Schweppes Plc, the world's largest confectionery group, plans to cut 7,500 jobs and close around ten plants as it seeks to catch up with the profitability of U.S. rivals after the sale of its drinks arm.

Documentarian Michael Moore expects drug and insurance companies to oppose his latest film.

For tourism chiefs eager to entice 'set-jetters' to Britain, Harry Potter offers the ideal location vacation -- and the latest book and film look certain to stoke renewed Pottermania.

Cadbury Schweppes Plc, the world's largest confectionery group, pleaded guilty on Friday to charges of selling unsafe chocolate in Britain and Ireland during 2006 and faces an unlimited fine.

Qatar's royal family raised its stake in Britain's J. Sainsbury Plc to 25 percent, boosting the supermarket operator's shares amid expectations it will come under renewed pressure to raise billions through a property selloff.

Sun Microsystems Inc. expects a double-digit rate of revenue growth in its greater China region in the next fiscal year as the computer networking firm rolls out new products, a senior executive said on Friday.

London is the world's top center of commerce, according to a study by MasterCard rating leading cities by how they influence the global economy.

Oil and industrial metals prices extended the week's sharp falls on Wednesday on fears that rising interest rates will dent demand from investors and consumers.

Taiwan smartphone maker High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) said on Tuesday it will launch one of its own-brand touch-screen phones in the United States by the end of the year, as it seeks to compete with Apple's iPhone.

European shares ended lower on Tuesday, dragged down by losses in technology and banking stocks amid concern about higher interest rates.

The leading share index ended down 0.7 percent on Tuesday, with banks worst hit as U.S. and European markets were knocked by fears that strong global growth would force interest rates higher around the world.