UK

03 September 2007 -- The highly symbolic pull out of British forces from Basra Palace to a nearby airbase is widely seen as the beginning of the end to British involvement in Iraq.

After four years, Britain's presence in Iraq's second-largest city is no more. Just more than 500 soldiers were stationed at the complex that used to be a one of Saddam's palaces in the center of Basra.

Mortar attacks against the palace had become commonplace.

As the British troops packed up, responsibility for the base was handed over to Iraqi security forces.    » read more »

02 September 2007 -- British troops in Iraq have started withdrawing from their last base in the volatile southern city of Basra, in preparation for handing security there over to Iraqi forces.

About 550 troops were reported pulling out of Basra Palace Sunday, to join 5,000 other personnel at a British air base on the outskirts of the city.

Britain's Defense Ministry said the withdrawal should be completed this week. A statement said transferring Basra Palace to the Iraqis has long been Britain's intention.    » read more »

August 28, 2007 -- FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the worlds largest express transportation company, announced today the launch of a dedicated direct flight between Manchester, U.K.,and the U.S.

FedEx will fly a wide-body MD-11 freighter daily, Monday through Thursday, between Manchester International Airport and Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. The flight, originating at the FedEx European Hub in Paris, will increase FedEx daily capacity on the important U.K. - to - U.S. route by up to 50% and from Europe to the U.S. by up to 20%.    » read more »

Q2 Report Spotlights Importance of Global Reach for Domain Name Registrars

Mountain View, CA, August 29, 2007 – The number of domain names registered globally now totals more than 138 million, according to the second quarter 2007 Domain Name Industry Brief published by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of digital infrastructure for the networked world.    » read more »

Wednesday 29 August 2007 -- Today saw thousands of people crowd into HMV's flagship store on Oxford Street as it staged one of the capital’s biggest ever album signings, when stars from the smash hit movie High School Musical 2 rocked up to meet fans and sign copies of its #1 selling soundtrack.

Stars Zac Efron (Troy Bolton), Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella Martinez), Lucas Grabeel (Ryan Evans), Monique Coleman (Taylor McKessie) and Olesya Rulin (Kelsi Nielsen) were chatting to fans of the movie and signing copies of the new soundtrack, which has already become a huge hit around the globe.    » read more »

By David Byrd
Osaka, Japan
29 August 2007

Bernard Lagat has won his first world championship and his first major title since becoming an American citizen. From the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan, VOA's David Byrd reports on the 1500 meters race and the rest of the day's action.

Bernard Lagat wanted to win his first gold medal before Wednesday. He had come close, winning world and Olympic silver medals while running for his native Kenya.

When he became an American citizen, he could not compete in the 2005 World Championships because of citizenship regulations.    » read more »

Consolidation and Design Breakthroughs in Santa Clara, Calif. Datacenter Reduce Sun's Energy Bill by 60 % and Garner Nearly $1 Million in Utility Rebates and Awards

August 17, 2007 -- IPC Connect, the leading publisher of women's weekly magazines in the UK, today unveils the beta launch of a major new digital development specifically targeting mainstream British women.

Unique in the online space, the launch of www.goodtoknow.co.uk marks the first phase in what will build to become the ultimate online community for mainstream women in Britain today. The site launches with three vertical content channels – health, diet and food – and will evolve in response to its users' requirements.    » read more »

19 August 2007 -- London's Independent on Sunday newspaper says two senior British generals have told Prime Minister Gordon Brown that Britain has accomplished what it can in southern Iraq and that moves toward a full withdrawal should be made without further delay.    » read more »

August 16, 2007 -- IPC Media – the UK's biggest consumer magazine publisher – today unveils a robust set of magazine circulation figures in challenging market conditions, while continuing to make strong progress in driving its digital business.

The latest ABC figures (January to June, 2007) highlight strong performances for key IPC brands, while this year has also seen the successful launch of a raft of powerful new online brands, including InstyleMagazine.co.uk, HouseToHome.co.uk, and our latest launch, GoodToKnow.co.uk.    » read more »

August 16, 2007 -- Look – the UK's first glossy high street fashion and celebrity style weekly – has stormed into the ABC rankings with a debut circulation figure making it the biggest selling fashion title on the UK newsstand in total volume terms.    » read more »

(London, August 15, 2007) – The British authorities should not use terrorism powers against protesters at London’s Heathrow airport, Human Rights Watch said today. In a demonstration against global warming, hundreds of protesters have set up a tent camp next to the airport to pressure the government to halt the airport’s planned expansion.    » read more »

08 August 2007 -- For the first time since the confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain earlier this month, the government has decided to ease restrictions on livestock shipments in areas outside of the affected zone in southern England.    » read more »

05 August 2007 -- The specific strain of Britain's new foot-and-mouth outbreak has been identified and it looks like it may have originated from a nearby animal disease research facility. Investigators are examining the possibility of a costly breach of bio-security.

The isolated strain, 01BFS67, came from the 1967 outbreak in Britain. That unique version of the virus is used at a British government research lab and at the U.S.-French owned pharmaceutical company Merial, which is also on the same site as the lab about six kilometers from the outbreak farm.    » read more »

09 July 2007 -- It is the beginning of a new era for smokers in England. No more lighting up in closed public places, including in pubs and private clubs. Other parts of Britain already have such bans.

Smokers. They used to be easy to spot -- in pubs, restaurants, offices. But that is changing.

A new smoking ban against lighting up in enclosed public spaces went into effect July 1st. It is part of the government's efforts to reduce smoke-related illnesses and death. Liam Donaldson of the Health Department says the ban will save thousands of lives.    » read more »