United Kingdom | featured news

Officials say an Olympics security trainee has been charged with making a bomb threat ahead of the games last month. Police said Saturday that 21-year-old Thomas Hall was due to appear at a hearing at Thames Magistrates' Court, in east London, later this month.

The Bank of England left its monetary policy unchanged on Thursday, judging that its July decision to expand purchases of government bonds is enough stimulus for now despite the danger of a prolonged slump.

The British were offended, the Palestinians accused him of racism and even in friendlier Poland, Mitt Romney's union policies drew criticism from the current leaders of the movement that toppled communism... "The designated Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wanted to demonstrate foreign policy expertise and diplomatic skills with his trip to Britain, Israel and Poland," the Swiss newspaper Tages-Zeitung said Tuesday. "Today, on the last day of the tour, he must be made to admit that he clearly missed this target."

Princes William and Harry have come out for a second day to cheer on Zara Phillips as Britain contends for a medal in equestrian eventing's final show jump competition.

Olympic spectators traveling to the Games in London faced delays Tuesday after a faulty train forced the closure of one of the busiest underground links to the Olympic Park.

The Chinese shake off their poor qualifying effort to repeat as champions. Japan, which originally finished fourth, wins an appeal and claims silver. Britain is third to win its first medal since 1912.

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.