After 143 hours of debate, the French Senate has finally approved Nicolas Sarkozy's controversial pension reforms. In the end, 177 voted in favour, 151 against, 2 abstained, perhaps unsure what it might all mean to the French way of life. The unions are more certain. It's the first assault on hard-earned welfare provision. On Thursday, there'll be another day of demonstrations. But the momentum is draining away - 59% of people say they are now opposed to the blockades of roads, refineries or depots.
Candidates running for the United States Congress have spent more money on their campaigns than in any previous mid-term election. Reports suggest that with one week to go, candidates are on the way to spending more than $2billion. On average, $4million have been spent for every congressional seat up for election. Most of the money has been spent on about 90 marginal seats in the House of Representatives.
The team managing England's bid to host the 2018 football World Cup has made an official complaint to the world governing body Fifa against the head of the rival Russian bid. It concerns remarks he's alleged to have made about crime and alcohol in London. Alex Capstick reports.
Criticising rival candidates is against Fifa rules, but Alexei Sorokin, the head of Russia's bid for the 2018 World Cup, said there's been a misunderstanding. His remarks, which were published in a Russian newspaper, were translated as saying London suffered from a high crime rate and had problems with young people drinking alcohol. Fifa will now have to decide whether there's a case to answer. But a spokesman for the Russian bid, Andreas Herren, said Alexei Sorokin was misquoted.