UNITED KINGDOM

As Syrians head to the polls, the European Union imposed a new set of sanctions on Monday in an attempt to get President Bashar al-Assad to call off his assault on the city of Homs and on opposition protestors.

Leading economies told Europe it must put up extra money to fight its debt crisis if it wants more help from the rest of the world, piling pressure on Germany to drop its opposition to a bigger European bailout fund.

HSBC Holdings, Europe's biggest bank, said paying rising wages in Brazil, China and other emerging market is the price of avoiding the slowdown being felt by most of its rivals as it posted the largest 2011 profit by a western bank.

HSBC Holdings Plc , Europe's biggest bank, predicted growth in Asia and other emerging markets would outweigh sluggish European economies this year as it posted a $21.9 billion profit for 2011, the best outturn by a western bank so far.

HSBC Holdings , Europe's biggest bank, made a $21.9 billion profit last year, the largest among western banks, as its strength in Asia helped it cope with a euro zone debt crisis that has plunged many rivals into huge losses.

British oil giant BP Plc and plaintiffs suing over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill are discussing a $14 billion settlement that is nearing completion, Bloomberg said, citing three people familiar with the talks.

British oil giant BP Plc and plaintiffs suing over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill are discussing a $14 billion settlement that is nearing completion, Bloomberg said, citing three people familiar with the talks.

The Intel Inside logo on hundreds of millions of personal computers is finally making its way onto a smartphone.

HSBC Holdings is expected to report the West's biggest banking profit for last year, fuelled by the East, while its rivals are struggling with faltering European and U.S. growth.

HSBC Holdings is expected to report the West's biggest banking profit for last year, fuelled by the East, while its rivals are struggling with faltering European and U.S. growth.

The Intel Inside logo on hundreds of millions of personal computers is finally making its way onto a smartphone.

The start of the liability trial for the BP 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and fouled the Gulf of Mexico for months, has been delayed for a week allowing more time for embattled BP and fellow defendants to broker a settlement with U.S. prosecutors.

In a drama-filled final at Wembley, Liverpool were taken all the way to penalties, by a Cardiff City side deserving of enormous credit, before the Merseysiders finally prevailed following Anthony Gerrard's missed spot kick.

Prudential, Britain's biggest insurer, is considering moving its headquarters from London to Hong Kong to escape tough new capital rules for European insurers, the Sunday Times reported.

The much-awaited Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, 10.1-inch version, was announced Saturday ahead of the Mobile World Congress. The device is an update to its Galaxy Tab flagship and would be running on Ice Cream Sandwich with Samsung's TouchWiz UI skin. The tablet has also got a nice feel to it - it's lightweight and slim. It is a definite competitor to drive away the market share of the much-rumored Apple iPad 3.

A woman medical student of Indian origin in the UK has been found guilty of laying a revenge trap on a 21-year-old Sikh TV channel CEO in February 2011 to punish him for his alleged attempt to rape her.

Rupert Murdoch is trying to grab back the huge audience his News Corp lost when it closed the best-selling News of the World over a phone-hacking scandal with a new Sunday edition of his Sun tabloid filled with gossip, girls and celebrities.

Julianne Moore’s portrayal of Sarah Palin isn’t the only onscreen portrayal to be criticized.

There was endless speculation about what he really meant to the Beatles and to the world at large.

Chelsea's disgruntled star Ashley Cole could seek a lucrative escape to Barcelona in the summer, if boss André Villas-Boas remains in charge.

It was pretty much of a shock to everyone as it must have been to Jean Dujardin himself when his name was not announced for the best actor award at César ceremony in Paris.