UNITED KINGDOM

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.

The world’s oldest ocean-going passenger vessel, two years younger than the ill-fated Titanic, arrived in Japan's southernmost island over the weekend as part of a global tour.

Shares of Armor Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AH) jumped more than 5 percent in Monday trading after the company agreed to be acquired by BAE Systems for $4.1 billion.

Insurance broker Aon Inc. (NYSE: AOC) posted an 8 percent increase first quarter profit Thursday, on strong revenue growth in its Americas division.

Investors sent shares of Sun Microsystems, Inc.(Nasdaq: SUNW) down more than 11 percent in Wednesday trading after the technology company’s third quarter report late yesterday indicated lower-than-expected sales.

E-Trade Financial (Nasdaq: ETFC) announced the launch of a global trading platform on Tuesday to provide its retail investors with online access to foreign markets for the first time.

SpiralFrog, the firm that hopes to expand the online music market beyond payment-based iTunes and others with its ad-supported music service, signed a pair licensing deals this week in anticipation of a launch early this year.

British bus and train operator FirstGroup PLC agreed to buy the parent company of bus firm Greyhound Lines, Inc. in an all cash deal worth $3.6 billion.

European mobile phone operator, Vodafone, announced a partnership with Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) YouTube video service today, allowing customers to access videos directly from their mobile phones.

Even as Harry Potter author JK Rowling proclaims that saying goodbye to Harry Potter was as hard as she always thought it would be, retailers are preparing to give the boy wizard a record setting send off.

Author J.K. Rowling said the last of 7 books is due on July 21.

Nigeria continues to rank as the riskiest country to do business with over the Internet a new survey released Wednesday shows, with New York identified as the riskiest city in North America.

The Metropolitan Opera launched ticket sales this week for a new series of live high-definition (HD) broadcasts into movie theatres.

U.S. companies made up more than half of the World Economic Forum's list of Technology Pioneers 2007, the group announced on Tuesday.