World - Britain

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Britain and France on Thursday placed a one-off "community" tax on bankers' bonuses at the heart of a bid to impose new social responsibilities on profitable financial firms. Full Story »

GIBRALTAR (AFP) - A Spanish police launch that strayed into Gibraltar could have come under fire, causing a "horrendous" situation, the commander of British forces in the territory said Thursday. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Defence minister Quentin Davies denied Thursday he had claimed thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to fix a bell tower on his home, as a political expenses scandal flared up again. Full Story »

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are in complete agreement on moves to tax bankers' bonuses, Brown's spokesman said on Thursday after the two leaders met. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - The Bank of England announced on Thursday that it was keeping its key interest rate at the all-time low level of 0.50 percent and maintaining its credit-easing plans amid a record British recession. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - The leading stock exchange rallied on Thursday after four days of losses prompted by the Greek debt crisis. Full Story »

LONDON - The Bank of England held interest rates steady at 0.5 percent and also left its 200 billion pound ($325 billion) asset purchase program unchanged on Thursday, a widely anticipated move amid recent improvement in the British economy. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - A Muslim tutor who sexually abused a young girl as she read the Koran to him, was on Thursday sentenced to 30 months behind bars at Leicester Crown Court. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Three Islamic extremists were jailed on Thursday over a foiled plot to blow up passenger airliners flying between Britain and North America. Full Story »

LONDON - A judge has sentenced a London man to a minimum of 18 years in prison for his role in a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic passenger jets using liquid explosives. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Luxury goods group Burberry said its Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey has won the 2009 Designer of the Year prize at the British Fashion Awards. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A London property developer won 30,000 pounds ($48,730) in libel damages on Thursday over a newspaper claim that he had beaten up model Sophie Anderton. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - The Bank of England on Thursday said it was keeping its key interest rate at an all-time low of 0.50 percent and maintaining its credit-easing plans amid a record recession. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England left its asset purchase programme intact at 200 billion pounds ($325 billion) and held interest rates at 0.5 percent on Thursday, as widely expected. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Cowed by recession, a full 80 percent of Britons plan to spend New Year's Eve at home this year, according to a survey on Thursday. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - The parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann were on Thursday returning to Portugal for a libel trial against a former policeman who investigated their daughter's disappearance, a spokesman said. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - More than half of Britain's brides-to-be and 39 percent of grooms are considering cosmetic surgery or an aesthetic treatment in preparation for their wedding, according to a new study. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday urged other leaders to impose a tax on bankers' bonuses, in a united front amid tensions between London and Paris. Full Story »