US shares rise sharply as investors take comfort from the pledge by French and German leaders to protect European banks from the debt crisis.

Chris Huhne apologises to Theresa May for pointing out similarities between her speech, and one by UKIP leader Nigel Farage, to a journalist.

Italian author Roberto Saviano, who has lived in hiding since writing an expose about the Naples mafia, wins an international writer of courage award.

Mid Staffordshire Hospital Trust is given a further warning over staffing levels as a public inquiry continues.

The UK will continue to see a big rise in the number of people living in poverty, a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies warns.

Slovakia will vote later on measures to bolster the powers of the eurozone bailout fund, seen as vital to combating the bloc's debt crisis.

Peers will pore over the government's plans to overhaul the NHS later, with a vote on the controversial legislation due on Wednesday.

Middle incomes face the biggest drop since the 1970s - and children in poverty in the UK will increase by 600,000, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.