UNITED KINGDOM

Comedy Central and MTV Networks announced the inaugural presentation of the Comedy Awards. They described it as the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy.

Workforce management software firm ClickSoftware Technologies expects annual sales growth to surpass 20 percent in coming years and profit to improve on new mobility and cloud computing products.

Asia's first ever snow polo tournament went into its second day on Wednesday at China's newest and largest polo club, with six top global teams promoting the luxury sport to the nation's new and growing ranks of wealthy.

Wragge & Co has played a leading role in advising the UK's largest branded food producer Premier Foods Plc on the £182m sale of its canned groceries business to rival Princes.

New Bank of England forecasts opened the door on Wednesday for interest rates to rise but Governor Mervyn King warned markets not to jump to conclusions about the timing or speed of any moves.

The number of unemployed people in the UK rose by 44,000 to 2.49 million in the last quarter of 2010, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday.

France and Italy have fallen badly behind on pledges to boost their development aid and should follow the example of Britain, which has stuck to pledges despite austerity measures, Bob Geldof said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK - Major League Gaming, the largest professional competitive video game league, will be expanding to new markets outside North America thanks to a new partnership with IMG, the global sports and entertainment company.

BHP Billiton , the world's biggest miner, plans to pour $80 billion into expansions over the next five years and return cash to investors rather than chase ambitious takeovers, after nearly doubling its first-half profit to a record.

EBay Inc said on Tuesday that its mobile shopping application would be pre-loaded onto smartphones sold by Telefonica's 02 unit in the United Kingdom.

BHP Billiton , the world's biggest miner, bowed to investors with plans to hand back $10 billion and pour money into expansions rather than chase ambitious takeovers, after nearly doubling its first-half profit to a record.

John Steinbeck's masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath stands as a chronicle of the Great Depression and as a commentary on the economic and social system that gave rise to it. His themes of man's inhumanity to man, the dignity and rage of the working class, and the selfishness and greed of the moneyed class ring true today.

GM plans introduce more than 20 new and upgraded models over the next two years in China, saying the country plays an important role in the automaker's global strategy.

Companies are spending much less on sandwiches in the business meetings due to recession, according to a recent survey conducted by UK's office design company Maris Interiors LLP.

The euro zone economy ended last year with stable growth, failing to meet expectations for an acceleration as expansion in the three largest nations fell short of forecasts and Greece and Portugal contracted.

Inflation in Britain rose to double the Bank of England's target in January, increasing pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates despite a fragile economic recovery.

Consumer prices in Britain rose in January, mainly led by an increase in value added tax (VAT) and rising crude oil prices.

Obviously in Iran, what is sauce for the goose is not sauce for the gander. Both Egypt and Iran, the masses were raising the same demands - freedom, democracy, free and fair elections.

Kolkata and Mumbai grounds have been given the final clearance to stage Cricket World Cup matches after concerns about their readiness, the head of the governing body told Reuters on Monday.

Chairman of British Fashion Council, Harold Tillman, may put up fashion brand Jaeger for sale after receiving several offers for the company.

Chinese inflation data helped ease investor concerns on Tuesday that the world's No 2 economy will have to tighten monetary policy more aggressively, but other data releases kept markets in a tight range.