Wellington - New Zealand has protested to Britain about a proposed huge increase in the departure tax charged air passengers, fearing it will hurt the tourist industry, already suffering from a slump in visitor numbers because of the international financial crisis, news reports said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister John Key said he told his British counterpart Gordon Brown the increased tax on long distance passengers was a "significant concern" to New Zealand when the two men had talks in London on Tuesday.

Boppard, Germany  - A party of sick British pensioners were isolated Tuesday aboard a river cruise boat, the Lady Anne, after German authorities put them under quarantine on the Rhine River.

London - A potentially damaging legal row over allegations of racism in Britain's top police force was resolved with an out-of- court settlement Tuesday.

However, the agreement struck between Scotland Yard and Tarique Ghaffur, the man who made the allegations, also entails Ghaffur's departure from the service after 34 years.

London- The governor of the Bank of England indicated Tuesday that further nationalizations in the British banking sector could not be ruled out if banks continued their lending freeze.

Mervyn King told a parliamentary committee that the resumption of lending by banks was now the most pressing challenge in the battle to revive the ailing economy.

His comments came during questioning by members of the parliamentary Treasury Select Committee about the impact of government measures, including the major bail-out package for banks agreed by the British government on October 8.

London, Nov 25 : Former English glamour model Katie Price a. k. a. Jordan is at it again, and this time she is talking about the colour of her hubby Peter Andre’s manhood.

Jordan was discussing her own attire when on holiday, when she mentioned Andre too.

“When I go on holiday you’ll never see a bikini shot of me, because I sunbathe naked,” the Sun quoted her as telling New! magazine.

“I haven’t got any lines at all! That’s why I go to very private places.

“Peter does too. He’s got a brown willy!

“Pete prefers bigger knickers – like French knickers. He doesn’t like thongs.

London, Nov 25 : Brit chef Gordan Ramsay’s alleged mistress Sarah Symonds shared her own dating experiences, and also doled out advices to mistresses through Internet blogs.

In the blogs, Symonds revealed how she was under some silky tiger print sheets in bed, “enjoying a Gordon’s gin and tonic”, and that she finds dating single men harder than married men.

“At least with the MM’s we knew what they wanted (sex), and what drove them and stimulated them (sex), and when they would be available to make plans and meet up with us (for sex),” the Sun quoted Symonds as having written.