US stocks and the euro slipped as Spain's deteriorating finances and a possible Greek exit from the euro overshadowed an upbeat report on US consumer confidence.
The Church of England paved the way for a final vote on women bishops to go ahead in July, but supporters angry at last-minute concessions to traditionalists who favour an all-male clergy immediately threatened to scupper it.
The Muslim Brotherhood said its candidate was leading the early count in Egypt's first free presidential election that exposed a rift in the nation between supporters of Islamists and backers of men who served deposed autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
European Union leaders, advised by senior officials to prepare contingency plans in case Greece decides to quit the single currency, urged the country to stay the course on austerity and complete the reforms demanded under its bailout program.
The dreams of French author Jules Gabriel Verne were on their way to being made reality today, upon the arrival of the first flying bicycle, whose virtual prototype was presented today by engineers in Prague.
US stocks ended slightly higher in a third session marked by late-day swings, but the Nasdaq fell after NetApp gave a weak revenue forecast, casting doubt on the outlook for tech spending.
Hurricane Bud formed off Mexico's Pacific coast early, and could threaten parts of southwestern Mexico with heavy rainfall and flooding tomorrow, the National Hurricane Center said.
Iran and world powers will meet in Moscow on June 18-19 to hold further talks to try solve a long-standing dispute about an Iranian nuclear energy program, European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said today.
A letter purporting to be from Italy's radical left-wing Red Brigades denies that the group, responsible for numerous attacks in the 1970s, planted a bomb that killed a schoolgirl in Brindisi last week, a news agency said.
The embattled premier of Quebec replaced a key aide, the day after almost 700 people were arrested for taking part in the latest in a series of student demonstrations to rock the Canadian province.