A judge approves the California city of Stockton's bankruptcy filing, making it the most populous US city ever to enter bankruptcy protection.

An Iowa teenager sues school officials he says failed to protect him from severe bullying, including an attack he says left him disabled.

Thousands attend a charity concert in Nicosia in aid of those hardest hit by the financial crisis, bringing dry food instead of an admission fee.

A fire at a Muslim school in the Burmese city of Rangoon has killed at least 13 people including children, officials say.

Cutting British forces in Afghanistan too quickly could "endanger" progress at a critical time, the UK's top commander there warns.

Lawmakers in the US state of Connecticut agree to a sweeping set of gun laws, including a ban on new high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Police in Brazil arrest a third man accused of robbing and raping a foreign tourist on a minibus in Rio de Janeiro and beating up her boyfriend.

An EU mission to train Malian soldiers is due to begin as part of efforts to help the west African country counter an Islamist insurgency.