Yahoo! News: World - Britain

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• Geffen to release album featuring Benedict XVI (AP)
• Eurofighter deal to be inked: sources (AFP)
• UK race horse trainer earns stripes with zebra (AP)
• Germany's Gal takes shock British Open lead (AFP)
• MS sufferer wins landmark ruling on assisted suicide (AFP)
• Woman handed victory in UK assisted suicide case (AP)
• Iraq war inquiry will call Blair: chairman (AFP)
• British American Tobacco H1 profit up 16 pct (AP)
• Reed Elsevier profits drop 48 pct in H1 (AP)
• BT 1Q profits fall 33 pct (AP)
• BSkyB makes profit, helped by homebound consumers (AP)
• Astra 2Q profit up 6 pct as it cuts costs (AP)
• Rolls-Royce net soars on currency contracts (AP)
• Centrica H1 net profit down 89 pct (AP)
• UK court rules in favor of Procol Harum organist (AP)
• Allingham, world's oldest man, laid to rest (AP)
• Britain begins Iraq war inquiry (AP)
• South African president wins damages from UK paper (AP)
• Rolls-Royce says pre-tax profits rise 8.5% (AFP)
• Britain and U.S. defend war effort in Afghanistan (Reuters)

Geffen to release album featuring Benedict XVI (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 04:07 PM PDT AP - Pope Benedict XVI will release an album on which he sings and recites prayers to the Virgin Mary, his label said Friday.

Eurofighter deal to be inked: sources (AFP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 03:13 PM PDT AFP - The four partner countries in the Eurofighter consortium were on Friday due to sign a contract on production of the first part of the third tranche of the aircraft, sources said Thursday.

UK race horse trainer earns stripes with zebra (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 03:05 PM PDT AP - What's black and white and really hard to ride?

Germany's Gal takes shock British Open lead (AFP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 02:13 PM PDT AFP - Germany's Sandra Gal fired a three-under par 69 to take a one-shot lead as blustery winds sent scores soaring in the first round of the Women's British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes on Thursday.

MS sufferer wins landmark ruling on assisted suicide (AFP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 01:53 PM PDT AFP - A multiple sclerosis sufferer won a landmark victory Thursday in her long-running legal battle to clarify the law on assisted suicide.

Woman handed victory in UK assisted suicide case (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 01:43 PM PDT AP - A disabled woman won her legal battle Thursday to force British authorities to say whether her husband would be prosecuted if he helped her commit suicide.

Iraq war inquiry will call Blair: chairman (AFP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 01:16 PM PDT AFP - The head of an inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war pledged Thursday not to shy away from criticising government decisions as he opened a probe that will quiz key figures such as Tony Blair.

British American Tobacco H1 profit up 16 pct (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 11:51 AM PDT AP - British American Tobacco PLC reported Thursday that its first half profit rose 16 percent from a year earlier to 1.45 billion pounds ($2.38 billion) as top brands such as Lucky Strike showed better sales.

Reed Elsevier profits drop 48 pct in H1 (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 11:50 AM PDT AP - Reed Elsevier Group PLC, the London and Amsterdam-based educational publisher and owner of the LexisNexis information service, reported Thursday its first-half profit fell 48 percent and said it would sell new shares to raise money to cope with debt from its acquisition of ChoicePoint Inc.

BT 1Q profits fall 33 pct (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 11:47 AM PDT AP - BT Group PLC, Britain's largest telecoms company, on Thursday reported a 33 percent drop in first-quarter profits amid tough competition and falling prices for Internet connections. But company shares rose as BT reported progress cutting costs and said it would deliver more promised reductions.

BSkyB makes profit, helped by homebound consumers (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 11:37 AM PDT AP - Satellite TV service British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC posted a solid fourth-quarter net profit on Thursday as more consumers turned to home entertainment in the recession — drawing the company closer to its target of 10 million subscribers by 2010.

Astra 2Q profit up 6 pct as it cuts costs (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 11:36 AM PDT AP - Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC posted a 6 percent rise in second quarter net profit on Thursday as the company weathered the global recession better than feared and some of its key drugs benefited from a lack of generic competition.

Rolls-Royce net soars on currency contracts (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 11:34 AM PDT AP - Aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce PLC on Thursday reported a six-fold surge in first-half profit to 1.86 billion pounds ($3 billion) as it marked up the value of foreign currency hedges on its books.

Centrica H1 net profit down 89 pct (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 11:32 AM PDT AP - British energy company Centrica PLC said Thursday that net profit fell 89 percent in the first half from a year earlier, when earnings were boosted by a one-time gain, and announced it was selling operations in Spain and the Netherlands to concentrate on Britain and North America.

UK court rules in favor of Procol Harum organist (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 09:12 AM PDT AP - Britain's top court says a musician who played the distinctive organ solo on the 1960s hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is entitled to a share of royalties from the song.

Allingham, world's oldest man, laid to rest (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 08:58 AM PDT AP - Henry Allingham understood the cost of war in his heart, his guts and his bones — and made it his mission to share that knowledge.

Britain begins Iraq war inquiry (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 08:57 AM PDT AP - Britain launched its first sweeping inquiry into the unpopular Iraq war on Thursday — a potentially explosive national reckoning that will call ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair as a witness, and seek evidence from former White House staff.

South African president wins damages from UK paper (AP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 08:55 AM PDT AP - South African President Jacob Zuma won damages Thursday from Britain's The Guardian newspaper over an article that mistakenly claimed he was a rapist.

Rolls-Royce says pre-tax profits rise 8.5% (AFP) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 08:03 AM PDT AFP - Engine maker Rolls-Royce said Thursday that interim pre-tax profits rose 8.5 percent, as the group benefited from cost-cutting, the weak pound and record orders for its products.

Britain and U.S. defend war effort in Afghanistan (Reuters) Posted: 30 Jul 2009 07:53 AM PDT Reuters - Britain and the United States on Wednesday vowed a sustained effort in Afghanistan, despite growing public skepticism over the war after the deadliest month since it began in late 2001.

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