2008年9月18日星期四

Yahoo! News: World - Britain

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: World - Britain

Texting while driving 'more dangerous than drugs or alcohol' (AFP)

Posted: 18 Sep 2008 05:09 AM CDT

A woman sends a text message. Texting behind the wheel is more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, researchers have said.(AFP/File/Karen Bleier)AFP - Texting behind the wheel is more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, researchers said Thursday.


Lloyds confirms $22 billion takeover deal of HBOS (AP)

Posted: 18 Sep 2008 04:04 AM CDT

A street sign for a branch Lloyds TSB Bank in London, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008.  HBOS and Lloyds TSB are in advanced talks about a merger, the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) reported Wednesday, as HBOS shares again came under heavy selling pressure in the market, but neither company would comment on what they called 'market speculation.' (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)AP - Lloyds TSB PLC on Thursday announced a $21.85-billion deal to take over struggling HBOS PLC, Britain's largest mortgage lender.


Lloyds TSB announces HBOS takeover (AFP)

Posted: 18 Sep 2008 03:21 AM CDT

Lloyds TSB has announced it is taking over distressed rival Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) in a 12.2-billion-pound deal.(AFP/Ben Stansall)AFP - Bank Lloyds TSB announced on Thursday it was taking over distressed rival Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) in a 12.2-billion-pound deal.


Seven US trooops killed in Iraq chopper crash (AFP)

Posted: 18 Sep 2008 02:41 AM CDT

US Army file picture shows a CH-47 Chinook helicopter operating at night in Iraq. Seven American soldiers were killed on Thursday in the worst helicopter crash in Iraq in over a year, the British military said.(AFP/US Army/File/Robert Brogan)AFP - Seven American soldiers were killed on Thursday when their transport helicopter crashed in southern Iraq, the deadlist such incident in the country in more than a year, the US military said.


British bank Lloyds TSB announces HBOS takeover (AFP)

Posted: 18 Sep 2008 01:23 AM CDT

British bank Lloyds TSB announced on Thursday it was taking over distressed rival Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) in a 12.2-billion-pound (15.4 billion euro, 21.8 billion dollar) deal.(AFP/Ben Stansall)AFP - British bank Lloyds TSB announced Thursday it was taking over rival Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) in a 12.2 billion pound deal.


Brown in new poll blow (AFP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 09:36 PM CDT

Embattled Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a new poll blow Thursday as a survey suggested the Conservatives are at their most popular since the era of Margaret Thatcher.(AFP/File/Peter Muhly)AFP - Embattled Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a new poll blow Thursday as a survey suggested the Conservatives are at their most popular since the era of Margaret Thatcher.


Poll shows UK opposition with growing support (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 08:07 PM CDT

AP - Britain's opposition Conservatives are amassing increasing public support, according to a new poll, as Prime Minister Gordon Brown's ruling Labour Party struggles with a weakening economy and other woes.

Lehman close to sale of unit left off by Barclays (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 07:17 PM CDT

The sign on a branch of Barclays Bank   in London, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008. Barclays PLC said Tuesday it had agreed to acquire Lehman's North American investment banking and capital markets businesses for US$250 million, 175 million euro, 140  million pounds,  in cash. The British bank will also purchase Lehman's New York headquarters and its two data centres in New Jersey for US$1.5 billion, 1 billion euro 840 million pounds .(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)AP - As Lehman Brothers secured court approval to begin the sale of key North American units to Barclays bank, its negotiators out of court neared a deal to sell parts of the business Barclays had not yet claimed, starting with its prized money management business.


UK's Brown on rack as Conservatives open huge poll lead (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 06:55 PM CDT

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrives at the Stormont parliament in Belfast September 16, 2008. The Labour Party rejected calls on Tuesday for a leadership election that could have threatened Brown's grip on power. (David Moir/Reuters)Reuters - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a new blow on Thursday with a poll showing the opposition Conservatives 28 points ahead of Brown's Labour Party and on track to seize more than half of the vote.


Cops say bank manager took from rich, helped poor (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 03:57 PM CDT

AP - Robin Hood may be a figure from English folklore, but police said Wednesday they had uncovered a modern-day variant: a banker who took from the rich and lent to the poor.

Lloyds TSB, HBOS reach merger deal: reports (AFP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 03:43 PM CDT

A Lloyds TSB bank branch is pictured in London. Lloyds TSB has reached a deal to merge with HBOS, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, after the latter's shares plummeted for a third day running, British media reported Wednesday.(AFP/Ben Stansall)AFP - Lloyds TSB has reached a deal to merge with HBOS, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, after the latter's shares plummeted for a third day running, British media reported Wednesday.


Lib Dems vow to fix economic 'mess', hit out at 'zombie' govt (AFP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 01:47 PM CDT

The Liberal Democrats would slash income tax for nine out of ten families to help get Britain out of its current economic AFP - The Liberal Democrats would slash income tax for nine out of ten families to help get Britain out of its current economic "mess", leader Nick Clegg said on Wednesday.


UK: Agency loses laptop bearing personal info (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 01:22 PM CDT

AP - The British government has admitted another data loss blunder: Its bankruptcy agency has lost a laptop carrying personal information on more than 100 former company directors.

Radical Muslim cleric's son seeks 'daddy's' cash back (AFP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 01:04 PM CDT

The son of radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed seen here in 2007,banned from Britain after July 2005 suicide bombings in London wants police to hand back thousands of pounds seized from him at Heathrow airport, a court heard Wednesday.(AFP/File/Ousama Ayoub)AFP - The son of a Muslim cleric banned from Britain after July 2005 suicide bombings in London wants police to hand back thousands of pounds seized from him at Heathrow airport, a court heard Wednesday.


London taxis recalled in fire alert (AFP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 12:23 PM CDT

A London cab on Tower Bridge. Hundreds of London black taxi cabs are being called in for checks because they keep bursting into flames, authorities said Wednesday.(AFP/File/Nicolas Asfouri)AFP - Hundreds of London black taxi cabs are being called in for checks because they keep bursting into flames, authorities said Wednesday.


Bearskin protest in Athens over British guard hats (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 11:19 AM CDT

A Grenadier Guard at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, one of the Queen's official residences, on this Thursday Oct. 6, 2005 photo.The British military says it will meet with animal rights activists over the royal guards' use of bearskin hats. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) opposes the use of bearskins to make the hats, aying that killing Canadian black bears to make the headgear is cruel. It has urged the British military to come up with an artificial alternative and the Ministry of Defense says it is open to using synthetic materials but has yet to find a high-quality, weather-resistant replacement for the fur. Five army regiments wear the 18-inch (45 centimeter) black hats during ceremonial duties at royal sites. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)AP - It was bare skin for bearskin on Wednesday, as animal rights protesters took Britain to task for dressing Buckingham Palace guards in ceremonial bearskin hats.


Dog show complains over BBC claims on inbreeding (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 11:18 AM CDT

AP - A BBC documentary claiming that decades of inbreeding has led to serious health problems in some pedigree dogs prompted a riposte Wednesday from the organizer of Britain's biggest dog show, which complained to television regulators.

Britain to re-investigate deadly N.Ireland bombing (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 11:15 AM CDT

AP - Prime Minister Gordon Brown ordered a review of Northern Ireland's deadliest bombing on Wednesday following a media report that British spies were tapping the bombers' phones before the 1998 attack.

Bank of England extends credit-crunch facility for banks (AFP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 11:04 AM CDT

The Bank of England building in central London. The Bank of England has said it has extended a facility that allows high street banks to swap mortgage-backed securities for government bonds to boost liquidity amid ongoing market chaos.(AFP/File/Shaun Curry)AFP - The Bank of England said Wednesday it has extended a facility that allows high street banks to swap mortgage-backed securities for government bonds to boost liquidity amid ongoing market chaos.


HBOS confirms talks on selling to Lloyds TSB (AP)

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 09:00 AM CDT

AP - Embattled mortgage lender HBOS PLC confirmed Wednesday that it is in advanced talks about being taken over Lloyds TSB PLC in what would be a further reshaping of the financial industry amid the credit crisis.
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