Topic: London

The countdown to this summer's London Olympics kicked off with the kindling of the Games torch by the sun's rays in ancient Olympia on Thursday, sparking a relay that will culminate with the lighting of the Olympic stadium's cauldron at the opening ceremony on July 27.  

UK food retailer Sainsbury said on Wednesday that it managed to deliver solid quarterly sales growth despite the “wider economic situation remaining uncertain.”

Rupert Murdoch faces limited risk of losing News Corp's <NWSA.O> broadcast permits in America, even amid screaming headlines in Britain that the media mogul is unfit to run a major company.

Insurer Aviva, which was hit last week by one of the biggest revolts over executive pay ever suffered by a British company, said on Tuesday its chief executive Andrew Moss had resigned from his position with immediate effect.

Plans to give shareholders more power over boardroom pay will be given centre stage in the Queen’s Speech, as highly paid executives face another week of lambasting from shareholders, the Financial Times reports.

High-end jeweler Graff Diamonds is set to launch its up to $1 billion Hong Kong initial public offering on May 21, sources familiar with the plans said on Sunday.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, the world's second-biggest bourse operator by market value, said quarterly net profit slipped 7 percent, as revenue was crimped by a decline in daily stock market activity.

Voters in the United Kingdom punished the coalition government’s two political parties at local elections across the country on Thursday in what will be seen by many as a rejection of the government’s austerity.

McDonald's is a sponsor for the London Olympics—and a British doctors' group says that's sending the wrong message in a country with ballooning obesity.

The UK had its latest testy exchange with the rest of the European Union Wednesday night, as Finance Minister George Osborne had an angry outburst at the negotiating table during talks about bank rules.

The British pound is likely to rise further against the euro in the near term despite its fall on Tuesday as it is still seen as a safe play, but in the long term it will weaken, according to currency analysts.

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB sought to distance itself from the phone hacking controversy on Wednesday after British lawmakers suggested the ties to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp might endanger its licence.

The invasion of the super-rich has a social impact, diluting what is referred to as the “civic” quality of the cities they have adopted as their playgrounds.

While the French presidential elections are drawing the attention of most in Europe, local elections in the UK, though unlikely to change the shape of Britain’s coalition government, could put pressure on its economic policy.

Lloyds Banking Group announced it had set aside a further 375 million pounds ($608 million) to cover mis-sold insurance products as it announced a 288 million pound ($465 million) profit for the first quarter on Tuesday. The figure was down on the previous year’s 316 million pound first quarter profit but was generally in line with the bank’s own expectations.