UK & USA Today Editoweb 20 january 2009

Queen's message of support to Obama

The Queen has sent a personal message of support to Barack Obama ahead of his inauguration ceremony.

Brit Awards Nominees Announced

The nominees for the Brit Awards 2009 have been unveiled at the first big music industry party of the year.

Gang rape sentences to be reviewed

The Attorney General is considering whether three men who gang-raped a 16-year-old girl before dousing her in caustic soda received "unduly lenient" sentences, her office has said.

Lloyds Banking Group shares plunge

The bloodbath in the banking sector continued apace on Tuesday as Lloyds Banking Group joined Royal Bank of Scotland in suffering further devastating share losses.

Lloyds sees shares plunge by almost 50 percent

Shares in Lloyds Banking Group slumped on Tuesday as concerns grew about the well-being of Britain's financial sector just one day after the government launched another huge bank bailout programme.

Fans banned over offensive chants

Four men have been fined and banned from attending football matches for three years after admitting taking part in "disgusting and embarrassing" chanting at a football match.

Obama takes office, saying choose 'hope over fear'

Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America's first black president on Tuesday, saying the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Obama takes office with world economy in crisis

Barack Obama took office on Tuesday amid a deep economic downturn, a trillion-dollar federal deficit and a gasping bank sector, and the first African-American to become U.S. president vowed to meet the challenges.

Icelandic lawmakers return to work amid protests

Demonstrators angry about Iceland's economic crisis gathered outside parliament Tuesday, banging pots and honking horns as lawmakers reconvened after their winter break.

J&J profit rises, '09 profit view disappoints

Johnson & Johnson reported higher quarterly earnings on Tuesday as cost cuts offset weak sales of its drugs, devices and consumer products amid the economic downturn, but J&J forecast 2009 earnings below expectations.

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