The Conservatives' proposed watchdog for the nation's finances is to be set up in shadow form under the leadership of ex-Treasury adviser Sir Alan Budd.The Office for Budget Responsibility is being set up early so it can publish forecasts ahead of t
LONDON - Britain's nuclear safety watchdog has warned that French and US-Japanese reactors planned for construction in Britain could be rejected unless safety concerns were met. The Health and Safety Executive said it has some concerns about featur
VIENNA - A media watchdog is warning that government-influenced TV in Russia and many post-Soviet states is hampering democracy and could endanger international peace and security if misused as a propaganda tool. Miklos Haraszti, media freedom repre
LONDON - The Press Complaints Commission has dismissed allegations that News of the World newspaper hacked the mobile phones of celebrities, footballers and politicians to glean stories. The media watchdog concluded there is no evidence that the p
JOHANNESBURG - The world's diamond control body is calling on Zimbabwe to clean up a lawless field, but has stopped short of suspending the country from a process meant to keep blood gems off the market. Kimberley Process investigators had recomme
UBS has been fined £8m by the UK financial watchdog for failing to stop employees from making unauthorised trades that cost customers almost £26m ($42.4m) over a two-year period.The fine, the third-largest levied by the Financial Services Authority,
The House of Lords is set to get its own standards watchdog in the wake of cash for influence allegations, Lords leader Baroness Royall has said.Peers would also be banned from advising companies on how best to lobby Parliament under the proposals.