Italy's centre-left leader, Pier Luigi Bersani, promises to step down after a new president is elected, amid a rebellion among his MPs.

The UK government launches a legal challenge at the European Court of Justice against plans for a European financial transactions tax (FTT).

Rates for retirement incomes are unlikely to rise soon, a report says, prompting calls for pension savers to look at the full range of options.

George Osborne's plan to boost the housing market may not help first-time buyers and could cost the UK large sums, MPs warn.

The teenage suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has been arrested after being found hiding in a boat in a backyard of a suburb, police say.

Nurseries and childminders in England are to face tougher inspections, the education watchdog Ofsted is expected to announce.

A general manager is being sought by English Heritage to look after prehistoric monument Stonehenge, with duties including liaising with druid leaders.

Chinese media say hundreds may have been killed or hurt in a 6.6 quake in Sichuan, scene of a devastating 2008 tremor that killed nearly 90,000.