Europe, Britain | featured news

Foreign ministers from the G8 group of rich countries failed to patch up deep divisions over Syria or come up with a plan on North Korea during a meeting in London on Thursday.

Robert Edwards, a Nobel prizewinner from Britain whose pioneering in vitro fertilization research led to the first test tube baby and has since brought millions of people into the world, died Wednesday at age 87....

It can be hard to admit to feelings of loneliness, but one in 10 Britons is lonely. It's not just an issue for the elderly - loneliness is rising among the young. So are we all destined to be lonely?

Love her or loathe her, one thing's beyond dispute: Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain. The Iron Lady, who ruled for 11 remarkable years, imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation - breaking the unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace. She left behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation by the time a mutiny ousted her from No. 10 Downing Street.

The Hertz Corporation recently expanded its Supercar rental offerings in Europe, increasing the number of cars and models available in Britain and Spain, and adding Italy, France and (beginning in April) the Netherlands, to the countries where the premium cars can be rented. Renters can now choose brands including McLaren, Lamborghini (shown) and Aston Martin. What European financial crisis?

A British man born without a penis is set to have one sculpted from his arm. Security guard Andrew Wardle, 39, beat odds of 20 million to one when he was born with fully-functioning testicles but no manhood.

...During a visit to Grimsby, England, on Tuesday to support the Prince’s Trust Charity, the duchess was handed a teddy bear by well-wisher Diana Burton, and reportedly replied, “Thank you. I will take that for my d…” Another woman in the crowd who observed the exchange told London's Telegraph that the duchess quickly broke off the reply without finishing the “d’’ word, starting a wave of speculation that the royal meant to say “daughter.’’

Queen Elizabeth II left the London hospital where she'd been treated for the symptoms of a stomach infection today, following a brief and rare hospitalization for the 86-year-old head of state.

The risk that Britain is entering its third recession in four years grew on Friday with figures showing that manufacturing shrank unexpectedly last month and mortgage approvals for home buyers dropped in January.

A new James Bond novel by British novelist William Boyd will be released in England on Sept. 26. The book will star a 45-year-old Bond and be set in 1969, the "classic Bond" era.