David Cameron, the 43-year-old Conservative, became the new prime minister of Britain after Gordon Brown announced his resignation earlier today. The Conservative party won 306 seats, but 325 were needed to win— Brown's Labour party won 258—so the Conservative have been in talks with the Lib Dem party for its 57 seats. Cameron told the public today that he would "help build a more responsible society here in Britain... Those who can should and those who can't, we will always help. I want to make sure that my government always looks after the elderly, the frail, the poorest in our country." Mayor Bloomberg's office Tweeted congratulations and "NYers wish you the best!" more ›

In January 2007, Fabrice Tourre, the French trader accused of defrauding Goldman Sachs' investors by selling them mortgage-backed bonds he believed would fail, wrote the following in an email to a friend: "The whole building is about to collapse anytime now... Only potential survivor, the fabulous Fab... standing in the middle of all these complex, highly leveraged, exotic trades he created without necessarily understanding all of the implications of those monstrosities!!!" Fab's investors lost a billion dollars during the housing market collapse, but Goldman Sachs and client John Paulson, a hedge fund manager who helped package the bad bonds, cashed in. Now, in an apparent attempt to trademark the word "hubris," the bank intends to pay $5 billion in bonuses, on par with what they paid back in 2007. more ›

After Abdel Baset al Megrahi, convicted for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, was released on "compassionate grounds" and received a "hero's welcome" in his native Libya, the Scottish government has been trying to defend itself from criticism, much of it American (most of the victims were from the U.S.). Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill now says they asked Libya to promise not to throw a big party for al Megrahi, "Assurances had been given by the Libyan government that any return would be dealt with in a low-key and sensitive fashion. It is a matter of great regret that Mr. al-Megrahi was received in such an inappropriate manner." British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to make remarks about the release; he had discussed it with Moammer Gadhafi weeks ago. There's also been suggestion that Britain lobbied for al Megrahi's release in order to gain lucrative oil contracts with Libya—Senator Chuck Schumer said on Meet the Press, "Was there a quid pro quo here? I don't know if that's the truth, but if it is: shame, shame, shame on the British government." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg may be a lame duck mayor, but he's super busy. Earlier this week, he recommended to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the United State should open its markets. Yesterday, he met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and showed off his open-cubicle bullpen (and huge plasma TV). And today, besides hosting the 2008 New York City Luncheon at the Four Seasons, the Mayor had a peom published in today's Metro, in honor of Poem in Your Pocket Day. more ›

A lot is being made of Mayor Bloomberg leaving the Republican Party - Could it be a prelude for a run for the White House? Officially, Bloomberg is saying that he won't be running for President and that he is serving out his term as mayor. Our reader poll yesterday was pretty divided, one question that needs to be asked is how Bloomberg would measure up in height if he ran for, and became President. more ›