In a verdict worthy of a thriller, Britain’s High Court on Friday rejected a claim that author Dan Brown stole key elements of his blockbuster The Da Vinci Code from an earlier book by two other writers. Brown had been accused of breach of copyright by plagiarising passages from The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail, by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, for his 2003 novel.

Fear of bird flu again swept Britain on Thursday as scientists confirmed that a wild swan found dead in a Scottish seaside village had the H5N1 strain that can be fatal to humans. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the swan — found a week ago on a harbour slipway in Cellardyke, Fife — perished from the same H5N1 strain that has killed more than 100 people.

Europe and the United States pressed China and Russia on Monday to shed their reservations and agree to a tougher line on Iran that could see Tehran hauled before the United Nations Security Council over its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. Senior officials were meeting behind closed doors in London as diplomatic efforts gathered pace.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s authority was thrown into doubt on Wednesday after his attempt to toughen up Britain’s anti-terror laws in the wake of the London bombings was roundly defeated in Parliament. It was the first time in his eight years in power that Blair had been humiliated in the House of Commons.

David Blunkett, a key political ally of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, abruptly resigned on Wednesday from the Cabinet amid raging controversy over his business affairs, the government announced. Analysts said Blunkett’s downfall is a serious blow to Blair, just six months into the third straight term in power for his Labour Party.

The inconclusive result of Germany’s election has deprived British Prime Minister Tony Blair of a much-sought ally in a crusade to reform Europe’s lacklustre economy, political analysts said on Monday. Officially, Downing Street declined to comment on the outcome of Sunday’s German vote that left Gerhard Schröder and conservative challenger Angela Merkel both claiming victory.