By Toni Vorobyova. LONDON | Thu May 23, 2013 12:19pm EDT. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 share index suffered its biggest one-day drop in a year on Thursday, knocked off historic peaks by weak economic data and signs the U.S.

The group's total pre-tax loss fell to �21.5m in the year to March 30, from �102.9m a year ago when it was hit by a �55m impairment charge related to its acquisition of the Early Learning Centre.

The updated figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the UK's dominant services sector, which accounts for three quarters of national output, drove the recovery - growing 0.6pc over the three months.

The boss of Flybe has hit out at "punitive" charges and taxes that have pushed the troubled regional airline to end flights in and out of London from next March.

ONSHORE wind, the cheapest form of renewable energy, attracts many enthusiasts. Those who live close to planned wind farms are rarely among them.

The new regulator said the unit was unable to show it was giving clients the right advice. "Although no detriment to customers has been identified to date, the failings exposed customers to the risk that they would be given incorrect advice and inappropriate ...

Shares in Halfords fell as much as 19 per cent after the bike retailer and repair group cut its dividend by a third and launched a �100m turnround plan to improve sales.

JEFF BEZOS launched Amazon in 1995 with books, among the easiest things to sell online. Tim Steiner, the boss of Ocado, started five years later with food, perhaps the hardest.

SABMiller, the world's number two brewer, lifted group revenues 7 per cent to $34.5bn in the year to March 31, despite an outburst of social unrest in Colombia that prompted the government to curb trading hours in bars.

BRUSSELS--The European Commission has decided not to impose tough new capital requirements on pension funds, a move that could save defined benefit schemes hundreds of billions of euros.