London/Washington  - The British government may raise its stake in the international insurance giant Lloyds Banking Group PLC to 75 per cent in return for insuring 250 billion pounds (353 billion dollars) of its assets, the Wall Street Journal reported online Friday.

London  - A painting by French impressionist Claude Monet fell short of expectations at an art auction in London late Wednesday as many bidders stayed away.

London  - The British economy is set to shrink by 2.7 per cent this year, its most serious contraction in 60 years, a think-tank said Wednesday.

The prediction by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) matches a recent forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which said Britain's economy would contract by 2.8 per cent in 2009.

London  - China will take all necessary measures to stimulate its economy and fuel consumer spending, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said in an interview published during his visit to Britain Monday.

London - Irish budget airline Ryanair announced Monday that it had made a net loss of more than 100 million euros in the third quarter of its current financial year.

The airline said it had swung into the red to the tune of 101.5 million euros (130.4 million dollars) in the three months up to the end of December.