UNITED KINGDOM

Recruiter Hays posted a halving of full-year pretax profit, beating forecasts, after growth in Asia helped it counter a tough first half which was battered by a difficult economic climate.

DSG International , Europe's No. 2 electricals retailer, met forecasts for first-quarter sales with trade boosted by strong demand for TVs to watch the soccer World Cup and for Apple iPads.

DSG International , Europe's No. 2 electricals retailer, met forecasts for first-quarter sales with trade boosted by shopper spend on TVs to watch the soccer World Cup and on Apple iPads.

House prices fell much faster than expected last month but further declines are likely to be modest, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Thursday.

Asian stocks rose to a two-week high, with Japan's Nikkei briefly rising more than 2 percent, as strong U.S. manufacturing data further soothed worries about the global economy.

Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif will meet their country's High Commissioner later Thursday to discuss corruption allegations levelled against the team.

Asian stocks rose to a two-week high, with Japan's Nikkei briefly rising more than 2 percent, as strong U.S. manufacturing data further soothed worries about the global economy.

Staff at Britain's BBC voted on Wednesday to strike in protest against the state-funded broadcaster's plans to reduce a large pension deficit by capping the growth of pensionable pay, unions said.

M&A talk among the travel, telecoms and mining sectors helped Britain's top shares to their biggest daily gain in almost two months on Wednesday, as strong manufacturing data from the U.S. and China boosted sentiment.

Teenage singing star Justin Bieber wants to star in the remake the 1978 musical hit Grease along with Miley Cyrus and Susan Boyle. Susan Boyle is the singing sensation from the reality show UK's got Talent.

A former hedge fund manager has been accused by a U.S. regulator of illegal insider trading in MedImmune Inc securities prior to the acquisition of the pharmaceutical company by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc.

A cooling global economy and an impending austerity squeeze in Britain will make the Bank of England wait well into next year before hiking interest rates, a Reuters poll of 60 economists showed on Wednesday.

The meeting between the three Pakistan players at the centre of spot-fixing allegations and the country's High Commissioner has been postponed until Thursday, officials said on Wednesday.

Adam Sandler's new comedy Grown Ups has knocked Sylvester Stallone's latest mercenary action movie off the UK box office top spot after just one week, according to Screen International on Wednesday.

An intact Roman lantern made of bronze, believed by experts to be the only one of its kind in Britain, has been unearthed in a field by a metal-detecting enthusiast.

Manufacturing in China, India and Russia powered ahead in August while growth slowed in European factories, emphasising a growing divide in the pace of recovery between the rich and emerging worlds.

At least four retailers from Europe and Asia are poised to submit first-round bids for Carrefour SA's roughly $1 billion (650 million pounds)-worth of Southeast Asian assets on Wednesday, sources said, showing robust demand for the retail operations.

Growth in the country's manufacturing sector slowed more than expected last month, led by the weakest expansion in new orders for more than a year, a purchasing managers' survey showed on Wednesday.

Growth in the country's manufacturing sector slowed more than expected last month, led by the weakest expansion in new orders for more than a year, a purchasing managers' survey showed on Wednesday.

Growth in the country's manufacturing sector slowed more than expected last month, led by the weakest expansion in new orders for more than a year, a purchasing managers' survey showed on Wednesday.

Retailers from Europe and Southeast Asia are expected to submit bids for Carrefour SA's roughly $1 billion (650 million pounds)-worth of Asian assets, with first-round offers due on Wednesday, sources said, in what is turning out to be a robust auction.