Mayor of London Boris Johnson criticises plans for the HS2 high-speed rail link, describing a planned section of the route as "perverse".

Trust chairman Lord Patten says the BBC will announce moves in the next few days to deal with executive pay and restore public trust.

Eurozone finance ministers agree to release a further 12bn euros of emergency aid to Greece to help it avoid bankruptcy.

High streets in Wales need a plan to help small shops through their economic difficulties, says a business group.

The Vatican says its finances return to profit for the first time in three years, but annual donations from churches worldwide were down.

Allies of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn say he could make a political comeback in France after being freed from house arrest in the US.

Russia's fifth largest bank, Bank of Moscow, is rescued with a $14bn bail-out, the biggest in Russian history.

All around the nation, people are experiencing the ramifications of hard times in recent years, in more ways than one. In many cases, whole areas are disrupted by the economic decline, as people have lost their careers, and in more serious cases, they've given up their homes, but more than the average American is seeing the effects of the recession.

Filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy is one of the few alternatives out there for a owner of a house to avoid a property foreclosure without the approval or acceptance of the creditor. The debtor may also be able to cure the overdue home finance loan. This involves a repayment suggestion in which the debtor will present information on the monthly payments and how long the debt will be repaid.

US stocks jump following a surprise rise in manufacturing activity in June reported in a closely-watched industry survey.