Venezuela to fine broadcasters of 'Family Guy'; official says show promotes marijuana useSeptember 24th, 2009 Venezuela to fine networks that air 'Family Guy'CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan authorities plan to impose fines on cable television companies that refuse to stop airing the animated television series "Family Guy."
Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami says the program should be pulled from the airwaves because it promotes the use of marijuana. El Aissami was outraged by a recent episode in which the show's characters started a campaign to legalize marijuana.
London snarls at Washington over unpaid traffic finesAugust 17th, 2009 LONDON - A transatlantic row is brewing - over unpaid traffic penalties. Two weeks after the installation of a new US ambassador to Britain, transport authorities in London are fuming over America's unpaid fines of nearly 3.5 million pounds, including 2.8 million pounds in congestion charges.
UK energy company Centrica H1 net profit down 89 pct; operating profit down only 5 pctJuly 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.
BSkyB posts solid fourth quarter profits as recession-hit consumers enjoy home entertainmentJuly 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.
UK energy company Centrica PLC 1H net profit down 89 pct; operating profit down 5 pctJuly 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.
UK regulator fines HSBC $5.2 million for data lossJuly 22nd, 2009 HSBC fined $5.2 million in UK for data lossLONDON — Britain's financial regulator said Wednesday it as fined three units of HSBC Group 3.185 million pounds ($5.2 million) for failing to protect consumer data from loss or theft. The Financial Services Authority said HSBC Life UK Ltd.
BT to return 2,750 Indian call-centre jobs to Britain: reportJuly 16th, 2009 LONDON - British Telecom will bring back at least 2,000 call-centre jobs from India to Britain as it prepares to close about half its customer service operation in the subcontinent, a newspaper reported Thursday. BT chief executive Ian Livingston disclosed the move in response to a question by a shareholder at its annual general meeting in London Wednesday, The Times reported.
UK Foreign Office says diplomats from other countries owe millions in unpaid finesJune 18th, 2009 Diplomats owe UK millions in finesLONDON — Diplomats posted in Britain owe more than 27 million pounds ($44 million) in unpaid parking tickets, traffic fines and fees for driving in London's so-called congestion zone, the government said Thursday. Foreign Secretary David Miliband issued the figures in a written statement to lawmakers.
Two centuries of British news now on the InternetJune 18th, 2009 LONDON - British newspapers more than 200 years old are now available online, thanks to a new Internet service from the country's national library. Visitors can view news more than two million pages of newspapers dated as early as 1800 from 49 national and regional titles.
Reports: Centrica agrees deal to buy 25 percent stake in nuclear operator British EnergyMay 10th, 2009 Reports: Centrica to buy stake in British EnergyLONDON — British energy firm Centrica PLC is on the brink of a deal to buy a 25 percent stake in nuclear power operator British Energy for 3.1 billion pounds ($4.7 billion), newspapers reported Sunday. The Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph said French power provider Electricite de France SA had agreed to sell the stake to Centrica, which owns British Gas.
What British lawmakers bought _ and claimed _ on expensesMay 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)
Recession hits British pop starsApril 24th, 2009 LONDON - British pop stars and music producers are feeling the pinch - relatively speaking - from falling property and share prices in the current recession, it was reported Friday. According to the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List, published in online services Friday, some stars have lost about a quarter of their wealth over the past year.
Airtel most congested network, says regulatorMarch 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Leading telecom player Bharti Airtel emerged as the most congested mobile network in the GSM space in October-December 2008 with competitor Vodafone close behind, the telecom regulator said Monday. As per the analysis by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for the period under review, Airtel had 14 congested points of interconnection (POI) - the geographical location where two networks interconnect and exchange traffic.
Williams rewards himself 5.5 mn poundsJanuary 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.
Airtel the most congested network, finds regulatorJanuary 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With the telephone subscriber base rising to 374.13 million in November, the congestion levels between one network to another has risen considerably with Bharti Airtel's network emerging the most congested. Between July-September 2008, Airtel had 41 points of inter-connections (POIs) - the highest level of congestion among the various networks.
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