LONDON (AP) — Vodafone Group Plc, the world's biggest mobile phone company by sales, said yesterday that full-year profit fell 53.5 percent as the company posted heavy impairment charges on operations in Spain, Turkey and Ghana.

The writedowns of £5.9 billion (US$9.1 billion) helped push net profit down to £3.1 billion compared to £6.8 billion a year earlier.

Revenue rose 16 percent to £41 billion, boosted by the decline of the British pound.

"In Europe and central Europe, operating conditions will be challenging in the 2010 financial year," the company said. Forecasts by the International Monetary Fund "indicate a GDP decline of four percent in 2009 across the Vodafone footprint within Europe and Central Europe and that unemployment could increase significantly.