Queen Elizabeth II turns 91 with day at the horse races

Britain marked Queen Elizabeth II's 91st birthday on Friday with gun salutes, as the monarch herself enjoyed a family day and a trip to the races.

The queen, who owns and breeds racehorses, was spotted smiling broadly and chatting animatedly Friday with jockeys and staff at Newbury Racecourse, not far from her Windsor Castle home.

She visited the racecourse with daughter Princess Anne and sat in the royal box to watch her thoroughbred Maths Prize run; it finished fifth.

UK pardons thousands convicted under past anti-gay laws

Thousands of men convicted under now-abolished anti-homosexuality laws in Britain have been pardoned posthumously under a law enacted on Tuesday, and many more still alive can now apply to have their criminal convictions wiped out.

Announcing the new law, the Ministry of Justice said the pardons apply automatically to deceased men who were convicted for consensual same-sex relations before homosexuality was decriminalized several decades ago. Men living with convictions can apply to the government to have their names cleared.

John Hurt, Oscar nominated for "The Elephant Man" dies at 77

The versatile actor Sir John Hurt, who could move audiences to tears in "The Elephant Man," terrify them in "Alien," and spoof that very same scene in "Spaceballs," has died. He was 77.

Hurt, who battled pancreatic cancer, died Friday in London according to his agent Charles McDonald.

Lord Snowdon, ex-husband of Princess Margaret, dies at 86

Lord Snowdon, the society photographer and filmmaker who married Britain's Princess Margaret and continued to mix in royal circles even after their divorce, has died. He was 86.

Buckingham Palace said that Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret's sister, had been told that he died.

"The Earl of Snowdon died peacefully at home on 13th January 2017," said Camera Press, the photo agency with which he worked.

UK: Queen's birthday celebrations ends with street party

Queen Elizabeth II's subjects serenaded her with impromptu renditions of "Happy Birthday," on Sunday, as the monarch slowly drove past some 10,000 people attending a massive street fair in her honor.

The drive past in the "Queen mobile" was the highlight of the party on The Mall, the road leading to Buckingham Palace. The picnic is the grand finale of a weekend of official events marking the monarch's 90th birthday and celebrated some 600 charities to which she lends her patronage.

Queen Elizabeth II is magazine cover star in Leibovitz photo

Britain's 90-year-old Queen Elizabeth II is a Vanity Fair cover star, in a portrait by photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The monarch is pictured sitting with her four beloved dogs: corgis Willow and Holly, and dorgis Candy and Vulcan.

Oops: UK astronaut Tim Peake calls wrong number from space

Anyone can dial a wrong number, but it's not often done from outer space.

British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted an apology on Christmas Day from the International Space Station after calling a wrong number.

He wrote "I'd like to apologize to the lady I just called by mistake saying 'Hello, is this planet Earth?' — not a prank call — just a wrong number!"

India's Modi meets queen, rallies fans on 2nd day of UK trip

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lunched with Queen Elizabeth II and rallied thousands of cheering supporters on the second day of his high-profile official visit to Britain, as royal officials announced Prince William and his wife Kate will visit India next year.

Modi arrived at Buckingham Palace for lunch Friday in a Jaguar, the iconic British car brand owned by India's Tata Motors — a symbol of the close relationship between India and its former colonial ruler.

Pomp, protests greet India's premier Modi on lavish UK visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British counterpart David Cameron vowed Thursday to use U.K. knowhow and investment to help modernize the world's largest democracy, as Modi was greeted with official honors and noisy protests in London.

Hailing billions in new business deals between the two countries, Cameron promised to "set this relationship free" from its colonial past. Modi said the visit marked "a huge moment for our two great nations."