Europe, United Kingdom | featured news

Britain is determined to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden and has made that clear to Ecuador, which is sheltering the founder of WikiLeaks inside its London embassy while it considers his asylum request, British authorities said on Tuesday.

More than 200 firefighters have tackled a blaze described by London Fire Brigade as the biggest seen in the capital for several years. The brigade was called at about 13:15 BST when flames took hold at a recycling centre in Dagenham, east London.

Standard Chartered won some help from Britain's central bank governor on Wednesday in its fightback against the New York banking regulator's allegations that it had hidden $250 billion of transactions with Iran.

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.

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

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.

Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France, after safely protecting the yellow jersey during Sunday's final processional ride into Paris.

Neglect by medical staff contributed to the death of a hospital patient who died from dehydration after calling 999 because he was so thirsty.

The president of the European Commission sharply criticized Britain for blaming its economic problems on the euro zone, and warned against efforts to divide European nations.