UNITED KINGDOM

Online auction leader eBay Inc warned in an annual report on Friday that it faces difficulty getting former customers to return, adding to the normal challenge of attracting new users to its sites.

Oil fell more than $1 to stand under $102 a barrel on Friday, stepping back from a record high reached due to supply disruptions and as a weak dollar encouraged investors to buy commodities.

The trailer for Universal's upcoming movie Wanted features many of the hallmarks of a studio summer movie: Quick cuts, effects-heavy action, Angelina Jolie on the hood of a vintage red Viper.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote this weekend on a resolution imposing a third round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Western ambassadors said on Thursday. We thought it was perfectly reasonable to (finalize the resolution) tomorrow and to vote on this important issue on Saturday, said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

A blind Irishman regained his sight through a surgical procedure which involves inserting a tooth into his eye.

Oil futures surged to a new record on Thursday as reports showed more signals of an economic slowdown in the U.S., the dollar fell against the euro and Nigeria reported a partial shutdown in production.

Oil surged more than 3 percent to an all-time high on Thursday after news that a fire struck a major European natural gas terminal.

Prince Harry, third in line to British throne,has been serving on the front line in Afghanistan with the British Army, the Ministry of Defense confirmed on Thursday.

Prince Harry of Great Britain has been serving with the British Army on the front lines in Afghanistan since December and has seen combat, the Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.

Kenya's president and opposition leader signed a deal to create a power-sharing government on Thursday, hoping to end a post-election crisis that plunged the country into its worst turmoil since independence.

A dispute over marketing rights held by mining group Xstrata's biggest shareholder is threatening a possible takeover by Brazil's Vale worth around $90 billion, a source close to the situation said.

Major powers are looking for new ways to draw Iran into negotiations over its nuclear program while simultaneously pushing for more U.N. sanctions, U.S. officials and diplomats said on Tuesday. Political directors from the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council -- Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France -- as well as Germany, met in Washington on Monday to discuss how to tweak their Iran strategy.

Tata Motors is set to take over Ford Motor Co's British luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, in early March, following successful conclusion of talks with the automaker's labor union in UK, Unite.

First Great Western (FGW), a subsidiary of FirstGroup Plc, has said that it had agreed a package of passenger benefits to address poor performance in relation to cancellations of train services and the contravention of the Franchise Agreement.

The FTSE 100 index finished 87.9 points up on Tuesday at 6,087.4. The rise is almost a two per cent increase on the previous session and took the index above 6,000.

Investment banks saw the amount they earn in fees rise to record levels for the fifth year in a row in 2007, despite the impact of the credit crunch on major banks.

The Fairtrade Foundation has said that retail sales of the ethical Fairtrade brand jumped 81 per cent last year to £493 million.

Google eased to the top rank after being rated as number one brand in the UK leading the nation's other 500 brands.

The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 1430 GMT on Monday.

Forget Saving Humanity, The Club Shoots For Style

Thousands of Turkish troops have crossed into northern Iraq in their hunt for Kurdish PKK guerrillas, a senior military source said on Friday, in an escalation of a conflict that could destabilize the region.