UNITED KINGDOM

Seven out of the top ten positions in a ranking of global universities by Times Higher Education according to their reputation and perception among academics were bagged by universities in the U.S., with Harvard emerging on top.

British mobile operator Vodafone and its U.S. partner Verizon plan to combine parts of their businesses and share some equipment costs, according to a report in Britain's Sunday Times.

An alliance of media groups opposed to News Corp's proposed buyout of satellite broadcaster BSkyB have criticised proposals by the UK government to ease competition concerns about the deal.

The earthquake disaster in Japan looks set to dominate a Group of Eight foreign ministers meeting this week in Paris as members discuss ways to coordinate help for the only Asian country in the group.

England skipper Rio Ferdinand will miss the European Championship qualifier with Wales on 26 March with a calf injury, leading to speculation that John Terry could be offered the role which he was stripped off over a year back.

Chelsea's defender Ashley Cole will not face any charges after accidentally shooting an intern at the club with an air rifle at Chelsea's Cobham training ground in Surrey.

The British government has offered Japan any assistance it may need after the massive earthquake and tsunami that smashed into the country, according to UK foreign secretary, William Hague.

Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) said it has agreed to acquire Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX)'s Pembroke oil refinery in Wales, U.K., as part of a deal valued at up to $1.73 billion.

European Union (EU) leaders have demanded that Moammar Gaddafi must give up power in Libya.

The 8.9 magnitude quake that hit northeast Japan on Friday, has snarled air travel as flights are being canceled and delayed while some major airports of the country have been shut.

How vulnerable is the US West Coast to tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters? Actually the region is quite vulnerable to high magnitude quakes and even tsunamis. The region has been hit by large, single-event earthquakes and tsunamis before, and our evidence indicates that multiple and more extensive ruptures can happen, a scientist has said.

A British man pleaded guilty on Thursday to committing mail and wire fraud in an investment scam selling worthless stocks of dormant and sham U.S. companies that bilked investors of more than $40 million.

Hackers recently took Micosoft for $1.2 million by stealing Microsoft Points used in the company's Xbox Live Marketplace.

The Bank of England kept interest rates at a record low on Thursday, reluctant to jeopardize a fragile economic recovery and hopeful the recent surge in inflation will prove temporary.

The Bank of England (BoE) on Thursday kept interest rates unchanged at 0.5 percent again, even though inflation remained above the central bank’s target of 2 percent for a fourteen consecutive month in January.

The Bank of England looks set to keep interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent on Thursday, judging that Britain's recovery is currently too fragile to sustain a spiral of rising prices.

Download speeds for consumers using WiFi stations are on average 30 percent slower than they are for users of fixed connections, because of physical barriers and interference from devices like microwaves, a study showed on Thursday.

A group of UK-based journalists were detained and abused by security forces loyal to Moammar Gaffadi as they tried to reach the western Libyan city of Aw-Zawiyah, which has witnessed savage fighting between rebel s and government soldiers

NYSE Euronext's planned assault this month on CME Group Inc's flagship U.S. rate futures franchise will be tough going because traders value liquidity, CME Chief Financial Officer Jamie Parisi said on Wednesday.

Germany's Daimler and Britain's Rolls-Royce look set to raise their offer for Tognum after the industrial engine maker dismissed a joint 3.2 billion euro ($4.4 billion) bid as too low.

Airbus parent EADS returned to profit in 2010 and bagged a slew of new aircraft orders, boosting its shares even as airline customers fret about a massive surge in oil prices.