British American Tobacco H1 profit up 16 pct to 1.45 bln pounds ($2.38 bln)

September 1st, 2009 LONDON - A businessman made a superprofit of 100,000 pounds when he sold off his rare Ferrari, which he never even drove. The businessman from Paris had bought the 2004 Enzo from British supercar dealer Tom Hartley for 625,000 pounds last year.

August 19th, 2009 BAT appoints new chairmanLONDON — British American Tobacco PLC said Wednesday that Richard Burrows, a former governor of the Bank of Ireland, will become the company's new chairman later this year. The 63-year-old will replace Jan du Plessis, who is stepping down after he took up a similar role with Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto PLC.

July 31st, 2009 Rentokil Initial H1 profit down 55 pctLONDON — British cleaning and pest control company Rentokil Initial PLC reported Friday a 55 percent drop in first-half net profit as revenue sagged in a tough economic environment, but shares jumped after it said it expected better earnings in the second half. The company reported profit of 5.3 million pounds ($8.8 million) compared to 11.9 million pounds a year earlier.

July 30th, 2009 British American Tobacco 1H profit up 16 pctLONDON — British American Tobacco PLC reported Thursday that its first half profit rose 16 percent compared to a year earlier to 1.45 billion pounds ($2.38 billion) as top brands such as Lucky Strike showed better sales. Revenue was up 24 percent to 6.78 billion pounds, a 14 percent gain on a constant currency basis.

July 30th, 2009 BSkyB earns supported by homebound consumersLONDON — Satellite TV service British Sky Broadcasting Group posted fourth quarter earnings of 90 million pounds ($148 million) as more consumers turned to home entertainment in the recession. The net profit for BSkyB, which is 39 percent owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., compared to a loss of 9 million pounds a year ago.

July 30th, 2009 Centrica PLC 1H net profit down 89 pctLONDON — British energy company Centrica PLC said Thursday that net profit fell by 89 percent in the first half compared to a year earlier, when profit was boosted by a large one-time gain. For the six months to June 30, Centrica reported a net profit of 202 million pounds ($332 million) compared to 1.8 billion pounds a year earlier.

July 30th, 2009 Centrica H1 net profit down 89 pctLONDON — 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. For the six months to June 30, Centrica reported a net profit of 202 million pounds ($332 million) compared to 1.8 billion pounds a year earlier, when the company booked a 1.4 billion pound gain mainly from hedging on cash flow.

July 30th, 2009 BAE loses 70 million pounds in H1LONDON — BAE Systems PLC, Europe's largest defense contractor, posted a loss for the first half of the year, as demand fell for land vehicles and the company wrote off the value of some assets. However, the company said Thursday it expects "good growth" for the full year amid an increase in military spending as it also benefits from continued weakness of the British pound against the U.S.

July 2nd, 2009 Cigarette companies kicked out of tobacco meetingGENEVA — A U.N.-backed meeting on tobacco smuggling has barred cigarette companies from attending for fear they will try to influence delegates, participants said Thursday. More than 130 countries agreed late Wednesday to expel the tobacco industry from the rest of the weeklong meeting of parties to the 2005 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which the U.S.

June 30th, 2009 HMV full year profits fall by halfLONDON — Music and books retailer HMV Group PLC said Tuesday that its full-year profit fell by half compared to a year ago, when the bottom line was fattened by the sale of operations in Japan. Net profit for the year ending April 25 was 44.2 million pounds ($73.9 million), compared to 89 million pounds in the previous year.

June 22nd, 2009 Obama to sign tobacco bill on MondayWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is to sign the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The law allows the Food and Drug Administration to reduce nicotine in tobacco products, ban candy flavorings and block labels such as "low tar" and "light." The bill, to be signed Monday during a Rose Garden event, also requires tobacco companies to cover their cartons with large graphic warnings and reveal what chemicals they put into their products.

June 11th, 2009 Main provisions of FDA tobacco legislationMain provisions of legislation giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the production and marketing of tobacco products: — Creates a tobacco control center within the FDA and gives the FDA authority to regulate the content, marketing and sale of tobacco products to protect public health. — Requires tobacco companies and importers to reveal all product ingredients and seek FDA approval for any new tobacco products.

May 22nd, 2009 MUMBAI - Tobacco, FMCG and hospitality major ITC saw its net profit for 2008-09 increase 4.6 percent to about Rs.3,264 crore from Rs.3,120 crore earned the previous fiscal. The company's turnover similarly registered a 10.5 percent growth during the year to Rs.16,844 crore from Rs.15,245.3 crore in 2007-08, it said in a regulatory statement Friday.

May 8th, 2009 What British lawmakers boughtSome of the items claimed on expenses by British lawmakers, according to the Daily Telegraph: Horse manure for garden, 10 pounds ($15.06) Yucca plant, 9.99 pounds ($15.04) Two cans of chicken and turkey cat food, 78 pence ($1.18) Chocolate Santa, 59 pence ($0.89) Two elephant-shaped lamps, 134.30 pounds ($202.24) Potato peeler, 4.50 pounds ($6.79) Eyeliner, 2.50 pounds ($3.76) Wine rack, 14.99 pounds ($22.57) Reusable plastic bag, Ikea, 5 pence ($0.07) Ice cube tray, 1.50 pounds ($2.26) Visits by mole catcher, 35 pounds ($52.82) per quarter, 140 pounds ($210.81) per year Piano tuning, 40 pounds ($60.23) Footstool, 199 pounds ($299.64) Visit by pool maintenance man, 98.63 pounds ($148.51) Visits by rat catcher, 199 pounds ($299.67) per quarter, 796 per year ($1,200) Pizza cutter, 3 pounds ($4.53)

January 30th, 2009 LONDON - British pop star Robbie Williams has rewarded himself with a pay packet of 5.5 million pounds. Thesun.co.uk reports that Williams has paid himself for not doing anything the past year.