UNITED KINGDOM

Faced with mounting pressures of doing business in Silicon Valley, the venture capital industry is going global, albeit in stops and starts that reflect the risks of doing business in foreign lands.

Anthony Green, Chairman of PZ Cussons Plc, today made a statement at the shareholders AGM. In it he announced that operating profit before exceptional items had increased by 13% to £60.2m.

Close Brothers posted a record pre tax profit of 157 million pounds for the 2006 financial year, slightly above consensus estimates, boosted by strength in all its businesses, the UK bank said on Monday.

Aberdeen Asset Management's assets under management fell by 3.9 percent over the five months to the end of August, primarily as a result of a fall in the value of the U.S. dollar.

Property group Minerva has dropped plans to build what would have been the City of London financial district's tallest office block, saying on Monday the project was too big for a company of its size.

Standard Life Finance Director Alison Reed will step down next month, the insurer said, ending a week of speculation about her future that has prompted concerns over management changes at the former mutual.

A United Kingdom oil company, Aminex PLC, has signed a production sharing agreement with Egypt for Onshore Block 2 in the West Esh El Mellahah area in upper Egypt.

Consumers are leaving themselves open to online fraud, with half a million people admitting they would fall victim to scams such as phishing, a report has revealed.

Britain's biggest mortgage lender has called for the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold to be hiked to 430,000 pounds, after it found 10 percent of homeowners now fall into the net.

Shares edged up on Monday, led by banking and pharmaceuticals stocks.

Britain based building and plumbing supplier Wolseley posted underlying year profits at the top end of forecasts on Monday

Around four fifths of manufacturers have seen their fuel bills rocket at least 30 percent in the last year

India has strongly urged Australia to change its nuclear policy and supply uranium to power its booming economy.

Billionaire Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson on Thursday committed an estimated $ 3 billion over the next 10 years, or all of the profits from his airline and rail businesses, to combating global warming.

The FTSE 100 fell on Friday, with Wall Street seen extending losses after a Philadelphia Federal Reserve survey sparked concerns over U.S. growth and corporate profitability

Fund managers are keeping their cool in the face of Russian political risk as western oil majors come under pressure and state control of business grows.

If the prospect of air travel is no longer alluring for security, environmental or other reasons, check in at www.seat61.com, an online travelogue that has evolved into an information bank on alternatives to air.

Nike Inc., the world's No. 1 sport shoe and apparel maker, on Thursday posted quarterly earnings above Wall Street targets, boosting its shares nearly 6 percent and easing some fears that pricey styles bearing its signature swoosh were losing their luster.

New Star Asset Management said on Friday its assets under management rose 7 percent in the six months to the end of June

VAT cheats stole 12.6 billion euros, nearly 8.5 billion pounds, from the Treasury in the year to June, five times more than any other European Union country

MFI Furniture Group has agreed to sell its loss making retail operations to private equity group Merchant Equity Partners (MEP) for a nominal 1 pound