UNITED KINGDOM

Group of 20 nations must agree to put public finances back on a sustainable path but in a way that doesn't choke off global recovery, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.

A collaborative study by scientists from the UK and Kuwait found that the risk of the cancer rose with increasing numbers of dental X-rays.

For the second time in nine months the Reserve Bank of Australia left rates unchanged at 4.5% as expected and the Aussie fell as the RBA signalled policy makers may keep borrowing costs steady as 'the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing.'

Superfast quantum computing, one of the holy grails of science, could be a step closer following the invention of a new device capable of producing so-called entangled light on demand.

Wal-Mart Stores Co international employees have been given their marching orders from the company's chief executive: Grow, grow, grow!

UK insurer Prudential has abandoned its plan to buy AIG's Asian life unit for $35.5 billion, leaving management under fire and the company facing a $659 million bill for failure.

The euro rose on Wednesday after some of the world's biggest central banks said they would not stop investing in the single currency, while world equities and commodity prices fell.

UK insurer Prudential Plc is pulling out of its bold $35.5 billion takeover of AIG's Asian life insurance arm, ending a 3-month battle with shareholders who had argued the deal was over-priced.

Asian stocks followed Wall Street down on Wednesday as jitters over the euro zone's debt crisis prompted investors to keep cutting riskier positions, while the euro steadied after hitting a four-year low.

British insurer Prudential plc is withdrawing from a $35.5 billion deal to buy American International Group Inc's Asian life insurance business AIA, paving the way for a potential listing of AIA.

BP will seek to patch up its battered share price by reassuring investors the cost of cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is manageable and will not affect dividends, British media reported on Wednesday.

Prudential Plc said on Wednesday it is withdrawing from its effort to buy AIG's Asian life insurer, an expected move by the U.K. group after AIG turned down a $30.4 billion offer for the company.

(Reuters) - Americans inhale more cancer-causing agents with their cigarettes, probably because of the tobacco blend, while smokers in Canada, Britain and Australia get less, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

Talks between British Airways Plc and officials from the Unite trade union were adjourned on Tuesday with no agreement reached to resolve a dispute with cabin crew staging the latest in a series of strikes.

Summers are filled with ice cream and picnics, swimming pools and festivals, and this year the festivals are bigger and more spectacular than ever before.

A higher than expected inflation gauge reading, solid New Home Sales and an increase in company operating profits all gave the Aussie dollar a boost in local trade yesterday as it recovered from an early morning dip to 0.8425 to push marginally above the 85 cent handle.

Four of five U.S. broadband users are unaware of the speed of their connections, the Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday.

Four of five U.S. broadband users are unaware of the speed of their connections, the Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday.

British Airways Plc and officials from the Unite trade union plan were holding talks on Tuesday to try to resolve a dispute with cabin crew staging the latest in a series of strikes.

Prudential Plc's bid for rival AIG's Asian unit was close to collapse after the British insurer failed to secure a price cut, triggering talk it might itself become a takeover target.

Fears oil may continue spewing into the Gulf of Mexico for another two months into the hurricane season wiped $23 billion off BP's market value on Tuesday and sent the cost of protecting its debt soaring.