Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe has been selected for her fifth Summer Olympics after she was included in Britain's team for next year's London Games.

The 37-year-old Radcliffe completed her first marathon in two years in September's Berlin Marathon and has been picked alongside fellow marathon runners Mara Yamauchi and Scott Overall as the first track and field competitors for the host nation.

The Royal Mint has come up with a novel way to wish Charles Dickens a happy 200th birthday — a new coin with a portrait of the author made up of the titles of some of his most famous fictional works.

The two-pound ($3.20) uncirculated collectible coin will be available via the Royal Mint's website for a price of 8.50 pounds ($13) starting this week, officials said.

British poet Ted Hughes is being honored with a place in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, joining a line of great British writers going back to Chaucer.

A stone bearing his name will be unveiled Tuesday evening on the floor of Poets' Corner, next to one honoring Hughes' mentor and publisher, T.S. Eliot.

Swiss Reinsurance Co. estimates the cost of Thailand's floods to the insurance industry will reach $8 billion to $11 billion.

The Swiss insurer puts its own costs from Thailand's worst floods in half a century at $600 million. The company sells backup coverage to other insurers, spreading risk in the event of huge losses.

A newly discovered planet is eerily similar to Earth and is sitting outside Earth's solar system in what seems to be the ideal place for life, except for one hitch. It is a bit too big.

The planet is smack in the middle of what astronomers call the Goldilocks zone, that hard to find place that is not too hot, not too cold, where water, which is essential for life, does not freeze or boil. And it has a shopping mall-like surface temperature of near 72 degrees, scientists say.

The Philippines expects a good rice harvest in the next dry season and will import less as a result.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said at least 551,155 tons (500,000 metric tons) will be imported next year. The government will allow private traders to import half of the total volume and farmers' groups the remainder from Cambodia, Myanmar or Vietnam.

Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera has bought French rights to screen the Champions League for three seasons.

UEFA says it sold four of five available media packages covering 133 matches each season from 2012-15. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Johnny Depp's "Rango," Anne Hathaway's "Rio," Antonio Banderas' "Puss in Boots" and Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" are among films competing for best-animated film at the Annie Awards.

The 10 nominees announced Monday also include James McAvoy's "Arthur Christmas," Owen Wilson's "Cars 2," Jack Black's "Kung Fu Panda 2" and three overseas contenders: "A Cat in Paris," ''Arrugas" and "Chico & Rita."

Crayola allows tots to doodle on the iPad using its iMarker just as they would a crayon on a coloring book. Tweens are able to belt out their favorite Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez tunes on a Disney microphone that turns the tablet into a karaoke machine. And technology accessories company Griffin enables teens to fly its toy helicopter by using the iPhone as a remote control.

This holiday season, toy makers have turned Apple Inc.'s pricey tablet and smartphone into playthings for kids. They figure in this weak economy, parents will be willing to splurge on toys for their children that utilize devices they already have — or want — themselves.

It'll be a busy shopping season at next month's Sundance Film Festival, whose star-studded premieres are up for grabs by potential theatrical distributors.

Some premieres usually enter the independent-film showcase with U.S. distribution already lined up. But festival director John Cooper said all the premieres that Sundance announced Monday will be looking for distributors.