Ratings agency Standard & Poor's cuts Spain's credit rating because of the risks it could take on more debt to support its banks.

Syria is "in contravention" of an internationally agreed peace plan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warns, amid reports of continuing fighting.

Eighty-five people are arrested as demonstrations in Montreal over rising tuition fees turn violent.

Campaigners and human rights groups welcome a UN-backed special court's guilty verdict against the former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable says all UK exports to Argentine armed forces are being halted amid tension over the Falkland Islands.

A US military judge refuses to dismiss the most serious charge against alleged Wikileaks source Bradley Manning, who will face trial in September.

Both candidates in France's presidential run-off - Socialist Francois Hollande and incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy - appear on TV, 10 days before the vote.

US taxpayers are unlikely to see a return on the $700bn Tarp rescue fund for financial sector, according to a report.