New survey data ranking patients' experiences in U.S. hospitals find many institutions fall short, particularly when it comes to managing pain, researchers said on Wednesday.

Nearly 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department have suffered sexual trauma, from harassment to rape, researchers reported on Tuesday.

John Lewis Partnership, the employee-owned store chain seen as a barometer of the retail sector, said on Friday last week's sales at its 27 department stores fell 7.6 percent year on year.

Rightmove Group announced a wave of redundancies on Thursday, with about 20 percent of employees to leave the company in response to the slump in the housing market.

DSG International, Europe's number two electrical goods retailer, posted a big fall in first-half underlying sales and said it was cutting investment due to a "significant deterioration" in consumer confidence.

Cathay Pacific Airways, Asia's No. 3 carrier, denied market talk it was planning a takeover bid for British Airways after BA's shares jumped 4.3 percent in London on the bid rumours.

Home Retail Group cut the book value of its Homebase DIY chain by 542 million pounds due to the declining retail market as it reported a 19 percent fall in first-half profit.

Debenhams department store chain, posted a 16 percent drop in annual profit on Tuesday, in line with expectations, and halved its dividend amid worsening trading conditions.

Bookmaker William Hill said on Monday it was not being hurt by the economic downturn and was comfortable with market hopes for the full year as it reported a 9 percent increase in third-quarter gross win.

Rank Group, the bingo, casino, and online gaming firm, said on Friday that like-for-like sales had declined by 8 percent in the first 41 weeks of its financial year to Oct 12.

Intercontinental Hotels Group has said its pipeline of new developments may be hit by the global economic downturn, though it expects rivals to suffer more, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

Publishing group Pearson said its adjusted 2008 earnings per share should be towards the top end of current market estimates if the dollar maintains gains versus sterling.

Retailer Marks & Spencer said on Wednesday it is preparing to expand into the household gas and electricity supply market following a partnership with utility Scottish & Southern Energy.

Whitbread, the country's biggest hotel and restaurants operator, reported a 24 percent increase in first-half pretax profit, helped by strong growth at its Premier Inn and Costa Coffee chains.

Entrepreneur Sir Philip Green is in talks in Iceland about investing up to 2 billion sterling in the Baugur retail group, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

British Airways is considering cooperation with Alitalia, BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Low-cost airline easyJet followed arch-rival Ryanair by reporting a 20 percent rise in September passenger volumes, but shares fell across the sector amid growing concerns about the economy.