UNITED KINGDOM

Airports and airlines across Europe moved rapidly to tighten security on U.S.-bound flights on Saturday after a man tried to set off explosives on a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth paid tribute to the armed forces and referred to the recession in her annual Christmas Day message on Friday, describing 2009 as a difficult year.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that disappointment over the outcome of the Copenhagen climate change summit was justified, hardening a widespread verdict that the conference had been a failure.

(James Saft is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)

Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN.L) is interested in buying the funds arm of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L), two sources familiar with the situation said, as the bank offloads a raft of assets after a government-backed bailout.

Asian stocks gained on Thursday, with Tokyo shares hitting their highest in three months, while the dollar edged away from recent peaks on weak U.S. housing data.

Countries should stop blaming each other for the weak outcome of the Copenhagen climate talks and sit down together to move the process forward, the U.N.'s top climate change official said on Wednesday.

In local trade yesterday the Aussie struggled to break from a tight range between 0.8750 and 0.8780 entering offshore exchanging near the bottom of the band at 0.8755.

A man in the UK who escaped prison and is now updating his status message on Facebook, telling the world what his life as a fugitive.

American Greetings Corp posted a third-quarter profit, helped by portfolio changes, operational improvements and cost cuts, sending its shares up as much as 5 percent to a year high.

American Idol judge Simon Cowell has decided to quit the top-rated TV talent show when his contract ends in 2010, according to a report in British tabloid The Sun, which would deal a blow to the Fox network.

Britain's universities are being given an uncomfortable reminder of the depth of the recession as the government slashes their budgets and urges them to focus on degrees that will directly benefit the economy.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other members of his government will not appear before an inquiry into the Iraq war until after a general election next year, the inquiry team said on Wednesday.

Next year will be crucial for global nuclear non-proliferation efforts and all eyes will be on the United States and Russia to see if the two top atomic powers can reach a deal to reduce their arsenals.

Wireless provider Vodafone said Monday it will release the Apple iPhone on its network on January 14, officially becoming the latest UK phone network to offer the popular smartphone.

Britain's Lloyds TSB Bank Plc reached a $217 million settlement of charges it violated U.S. sanctions regulations, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday.

Economy Growth Estimate Drops; Popular Home Buyer Tax Credit; State Street's Italian Investment

The proposed merger of two live music giants, Live Nation Inc (LYV.N) and Ticketmaster Inc (TKTM.O), was given a huge boost on Tuesday when a British regulatory body dropped its objections and approved the deal.

The U.K.'s competition regulator reversed its initial findings on the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, saying it considered new evidence and arguments to conclude that the combined company will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in the markets for live music ticket retailing, promotion or venues.

If you've ever thought that you literally feel other people's pain, you may be right. A brain-imaging study suggests that some people have true physical reactions to others' injuries.

China condemned claims ascribed to Britain's climate change minister that it had hijacked negotiations in Copenhagen, saying on Tuesday the accusations were an attempt to sow discord among poor countries.