Brown takes charge as the prime minister of UK
London: James Gordon Brown has taken over as prime minister of Britain.

The 56-year-old Labour party leader was sworn in by Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace shortly after Blair stepped down after holding the top post for 10 years.

Brown, Chancellor of Exchequer, has taken over as leader of the Labour party from Blair who stepped down in the backdrop of decline in his popularity for joining the US-led campaign in Iraq.

This is the first time that a changeover has occurred without a general election.

Blair, 54, took over as the Prime Minister in 1997 bringing to an end the 18-year-old rule of the Conservative party, after the Labour emerged victorious with the biggest majority.
Son of a preacher of Scotland, Brown rose from an academic to become the Prime Minister.
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Murdoch not to raise bid for Dow
Rupert Murdoch has said he does not wish to raise his $5bn (£2.5bn) bid for media group Dow Jones and may walk away from the deal if he didn't receive approval from the Bancroft family soon. It is the strongest indication yet that News Corp could still withdraw its $60-a-share bid, something analysts predict would send Dow Jones shares tumbling to below $30.

However, Murdoch has cleared almost all the hurdles in the bid battle after News Corp and the board of Dow Jones agreed in principle on safeguards to the editorial independence of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones' other news operations.

Meanwhile, internet entrepreneur and MySpace founder Brad Greenspan, who wants to buy a 25pc stake in Dow Jones at $60 per share, said he plans to meet with the Dow Jones board later this week.
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