UNITED KINGDOM

Rightmove , the country's most visited property website, posted 40 percent higher first-half profit, beating analysts' expectations, as more homebuyers and sellers used its site to navigate what remains a challenging market.

The FTSE 100 <.FTSE> index is seen falling on Friday, retreating after gains in the previous session, as investors awaited GDP releases from both the UK and the United States and a major speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Boeing Co has pushed back delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner by several weeks due to a delay in the availability of a Rolls-Royce engine which is needed for the final phases of flight testing.

Businessman Asil Nadir flew back to Britain on Thursday, 17 years after he fled while awaiting trial on theft charges stemming from the collapse of his Polly Peck business empire.

Britain faces a new wave of attacks from poorly trained but highly motivated homegrown militants, as the al Qaeda threat shifts from big, sophisticated bomb plots to acts by individuals, a report said on Friday.

Britain's biggest defence industry trade body urged the government on Friday to clarify who will pay for a new nuclear deterrent, voicing fears that its high cost could hit orders for other military equipment.

Use of weight-loss surgery has increased 10-fold in hospitals in England since 2000 and those who have gastric bands fitted can reduce their risk of early death and cut health service costs, scientists said on Friday.

Gold slipped on Thursday, ending a two-day rise, as U.S. jobless claims declined more than expected, denting bullion's case as a safe-haven investment.

Jon Weiner's hospitals are a far cry from what you might be used to. There are no lengthy admissions forms to fill in. And the service you get might remind you of a five-star hotel. The cost? No more than any other hospital. The catch? They are all overseas.

More Polish women are traveling abroad to have an abortion to bypass strict laws outlawing the practice in their overwhelmingly Catholic country, a pro-choice group said on Thursday.

Rolling Stone magazine has for the first time rated the greatest 100 Beatles' songs, with the 1967 track A Day in the Life written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney topping the list that was released on Wednesday.

British scientists have created liver cells in a lab for the first time by reprogramming stem cells taken from human skin, paving the way for potential new treatments for liver diseases that kill thousands each year.

Scientists have found that vitamin D influences more than 200 genes, including ones related to cancer and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis -- a discovery that shows how serious vitamin D deficiency can be.

The hot news now is the BHP Billiton's unsolicited offer to buy Canadian fertiliser company, PotashCorp for $40 bn and PotashCorp taking alternative measures to block the bid. It is not yet clear why fertiliser companies have suddenly become hot favourites for acquisitions and mergers.

The U.S. dollar held steady on Monday, retaining most of the gains it made late last week when growing worries about the global economy prompted investors to park funds in the world's most liquid currency, while the Australian dollar slid on political uncertainty.

Political uncertainty has pushed the Australian Dollar to open this morning at 0.8860 against the US Dollar, sliding as much as 0.8%

An international team of scientists is close to developing a prototype of a lung scanner that will not expose newborns to radiation and eliminate the need to transfer critically ill infants to a hospital for scanning.

The Australian Dollar endured a lack lustre session during Asian time yesterday with the little battler limited to a 35 pip range.

The Australian Dollar has opened lower this morning, falling back through USD0.8950 overnight following some disappointing US data releases.

Sterling interbank borrowing costs slid for the ninth successive session on Thursday, tracking falls in dollar and euro fund costs, as lenders took the view that the Bank of England will keep policy rates low. Three-month funds edged lower GBP3MFSR= to 0.72688 percent from 0.72744 percent the previous day.

The winning party in Saturday's elections should offer regular heart checks for Australians over the age of 45, the National Heart Foundation and National Stroke Foundation have urged.