LONDON — Britain's leading share index fell nearly 0.5 percent yesterday as gloom in heavyweights such as GlaxoSmithKline and Marks & Spencer outweighed gains in BT Group, which sparkled on bid talk.The FTSE 100 closed down 30.2 points, or 0.46 percent at 6,606.6. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended provisionally flat.

Britain's biggest retailer, Marks & Spencer, was the top loser, down 4.7 percent, due to concerns about the outlook for retailers and how the company will continue to expand.ROUNDUP:nikkeiTOKYO (AP) — Japanese stocks rose for a second straight session yesterday, led by technology and banking shares following upbeat earnings forecasts>The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index added 123.18 points, or 0.7 percent, to finish at 17,680.05 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. On Monday, the index rose 0.9 percent.

Gainers included NEC Corp., which jumped 7.30 percent to 632 yen ($5.22) after the electronics company forecast Monday that its net profit for the current fiscal year would triple.

The broader Topix index, which includes all shares on the exchange's first section, gained 20.87 points, or 1.22 percent, to 1,731.54.ROUNDUP:hang sengHONG KONG — Stocks dropped, led by China Mobile Ltd. as some investors sold to take advantage of the stock's recenains.China's telecom sector "lacks a near-term catalyst," said Tat Auyeung, who overseas $400 million at Apex Capital Management in Hong Kong.

Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. declined for a third day. The developer, Hong Kong's biggest, has fallen 3.7 percent since its Chairman Li Ka-shing said on May 17 China's stock valuations "must be a bubble."

The Hang Seng Index lost 83.83, or 0.4 percent, to 20,843.92, after rising as much as 0.4 percent earlier. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, which tracks the so-called H shares of 41 mainland companies, slid 0.4 percent to 10,838.36.

China Mobile Ltd., the world's largest mobile-phone operator by users, slid 50 cents, or 0.7 percent, to HK$74.15.ROUNDUP:asxSYDNEY — Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index dropped from a record high as investors judged recent gains excessive. Macquarie Bank Ltd., which last week had its biggest weekly gain in more than seven years, lthe decline.The S&P/ASX 200 Index slipped 30.20, or 0.5 percent, to 6338.80 at the close in Sydney. About 12 stocks fell for every seven that gained. The benchmark yesterday posted a record close after earlier reaching its highest-ever level of 6384.10.