Transaction in Own Shares

At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 19 March 2003,
shareholders granted the Company authority to purchase up to 35,565,104
ordinary shares.

The Company announces that it has today repurchased 500,000 ordinary shares at
a price of 86.5p per share. 6,500,000 ordinary shares have been purchased under
the current authority and the issued share capital after the cancellation of
shares repurchased will be 230,758,869.

Since 12 November 1999 when the Company first obtained powers to purchase its
own shares, a total of 73,041,250 shares have been repurchased.

21 January 2004