A guide to what the 27 members of the EU want from the December summit.

European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, warn of more hardship and sacrifices in 2012 as the eurozone wrestles with a debt crisis.

Chinese factories get end of year production boost as economic activity picks up around the Western and Chinese New Years.

The Reserve Bank of India, which has raised interest rates 13 times in two years, tells the BBC it may ease its monetary policy amid fears of a global slowdown.

Google is trialing a major change to its home page, offering its other services in pull-down menus.

Italy has had large debts for many years with no one questioning its ability to pay them back, until now.

Europe's four big dilemmas

The Nigerian authorities announce the start of a controversial plan to scrap fuel subsidies - which is expected to push up petrol prices.