UNITED KINGDOM

Two pandas named Tian Tian and Yang Guang, which have been loaned to the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland by China's Bifengxia panda breeding centre in Ya'an recently, were shown to the press Monday.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus is yet to hit U.S. shores officially but some lucky Android fans seem to have already acquired the highly anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphone from Best Buy and Verizon retail stores over the weekend.

An independent arbitrator cleared the way on Tuesday for mining group Rio Tinto Plc/Ltd to take over Ivanhoe Mines Ltd, saying the $16 billion Canadian group's poison pill defense was not valid.

The player has now been left out of the Chelsea first team for the second successive game.

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus has been released in the UK, Japan and Canada, while customers in the United States have been eagerly awaiting its release. The latest Google Android phone will runs only on the Verizon network and is rumored to be hitting stores in U.S. on Dec. 15.

Game publisher Activision is on a high as its latest installment of Call of Duty topped $1 billion in worldwide sales in just 16 days since its Nov. 8 release.

Van Persie has scored 19 times out of 21 games in all competitions this season.

Wenger is a big fan of the French playmaker.

The defensive midfield man played a vital role in Barca's dominance last season.

Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi on Tuesday urged Europe to make further efforts to convince markets of its resolve to overcome the region's debt crisis and expressed caution about any potential Japan contribution to a rescue fund through the IMF.

Asian stocks sank on Tuesday and the euro languished near a two-month low as investors took fright at the prospect of mass euro zone sovereign ratings downgrades after the outcome of a last chance European Union summit failed to convince markets.

The European Commission presented legislation on Monday to open up access to public sector data, in a move that could prove valuable to developers of smartphone applications such as maps or restaurant finders.

Olympus Corp's former president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa personally dismissed the auditing firm that raised objections about the acquisitions used to cover up loss-making investments, the Nikkei business daily reported, citing sources familiar with the ongoing investigations.

It may be a little longer until a global BBC iPlayer launches in the U.S, but the app is already extending its reach in Europe and Canada as it now streams on the iPad, iPhone and iTouch.

Prime Minister David Cameron tried to limit the political damage from an historic break with his European partners, insisting on Monday that remaining a member of the 27-nation EU was in Britain's national interest, despite his veto on a new treaty.

Wealthy jewelry collectors, movie fans and the just plain curious are training their eyes on this week's auctions of Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor's collection of jewelry, haute couture and memorabilia.

Gold prices tumbled to a six-week low Monday as bank selling and a skyrocketing dollar offset support from central bank buying.

Barclays Plc. (BCS) chief executive Bob Diamond has fired as many as 30 bankers for violating his newly imposed "no-jerk" rule and acting in a way that embarrasses the company.

Girl band Little Mix became the first group to win Britain's X Factor television talent show on Sunday, beating hairdresser Marcus Collins in the final.

European shares posted their biggest fall in three weeks on Monday, as investors worried the measures outlined at last week's EU summit to strengthen budget discipline would be of only limited value in resolving the Eurozone debt crisis.

Sarkozy maintained that Britain will remain an integral part of the EU