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Lizzie Armitstead wins Britain's first medal of the 2012 Olympics as Netherlands' Marianne Vos claims cycling gold.

Even their falls came at the right time. The U.S. men's gymnastics team was in first place overall in team qualifying after the two of the three subdivisions contested Saturday, ahead of the favorites from Japan, the defending gold medalists from China and the hometown squad from Britain.

The British men sure know how to kick off a party. The host country, which was only good enough to send two gymnasts to Beijing four years ago, upset Olympic champion China and took the early lead in qualifying Saturday at the London Olympics. A spectacular pommel horse by Louis Smith capped the day for the British, who finished almost 2.5 points ahead of China with at a total of 272.420.

The queen and James Bond gave the London Olympics a royal entrance like no other Friday in an opening ceremony that rolled to the rock of the Beatles, the Stones and The Who. And the creative genius of Danny Boyle spliced it all together. Brilliant. Cheeky, too.

From criticising the biggest sporting event Britain has held in over 40 years, to "looking out of the backside of 10 Downing Street", Mitt Romney's first foreign trip of his presidential candidacy hasn't gone quite as well as he might have hoped. As the former Massachusetts governor continues to gaffe his way across London, here's a round-up of Romney's red-facers. So far.

Mitt Romney’s carefully choreographed trip to London caused a stir when he called the British Olympic preparations “disconcerting” and questioned whether Londoners would turn out to support the games.

The Telegraph quoted an unnamed Romney advisor as saying that President Obama’s White House did not sufficiently appreciate the shared “Anglo-Saxon” heritage of the United States and Britain.

Bibles in nightstands are a familiar amenity for hotel guests, but travelers seeking to read their favorite verse at one establishment will be in for a big surprise. The Damson Dene Hotel, which touts itself as the perfect destination for a “peaceful break away from it all” in England’s picturesque Lake District, is making quite a noise for replacing the Bible with “Fifty Shades of Grey” in its 40 guest rooms.

Britain's government opted Tuesday to deploy 1,200 more troops to protect Olympic venues -- a move that reflects a lack of confidence that private security contractor G4S can deliver all it promised for the games.

Prime Minister David Cameron's ex-media chief and Rupert Murdoch's former UK newspaper boss are to be charged with phone-hacking offences in the most significant development in a scandal that has rocked Britain's establishment.