BBC News with Zoe Diamond
President Obama has invited Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress to the White House in the wake of mid-term elections in which he lost his party's majority in the House of Representatives. He said action was needed on extending tax breaks for middle-class families, on unemployment insurance and on measures to give businesses somewhat certainty about the tax regime they'll face.
"Obviously what's going to be critically important over the coming months is creating a better working relationship between this White House and the congressional leadership that's coming in, as well as the congressional leadership that carries over from the previous Congress. And so I want everybody to know that I've already called a meeting here at the White House on 18 November. This is going to be a meeting in which I'll want us to talk substantively about how we can move the American people's agenda forward."
The UN Development Programme says some of the poorest countries in the world are making the fastest progress in improving the quality of life of their citizens. It says its annual Human Development Index also suggests that aid works as the greatest progress has been made in areas like health and education, which have been the main focus for assistance.
France and China have signed trade deals worth many billions of dollars at the start of a state visit by the Chinese President Hu Jintao. From Paris, here is Christian Fraser.