This was a defiant, ambitious speech from Lucas Papademos, who stressed that Greece's euro membership was now at stake. The urgent priority of his government, he said, would be to secure the country's international loan by implementing its recent bailout package. But he stated other goals too: to tackle unemployment and attract investment, to fight tax evasion and reform the judiciary and education. The only option, the prime minister said, was to stay in the euro and restore Europe's confidence in Greece.

The Supreme Court in the United States has agreed to hear arguments over whether or not a key provision of President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms is constitutional. The court will focus on the power given to the government to fine people who refuse to buy healthcare insurance. The Republican Party argues that this is unconstitutional. Paul Adams has this report from Washington.

At the heart of what are bound to be complex legal arguments is the question of whether or not the government can require individuals to buy health insurance and fine them if they don't. With judges across the country ruling one way and the other, it was always highly likely the Supreme Court would get involved.

The nine justices will issue an opinion sometime in June. Their conclusions will be seized upon by politicians looking to bolster their arguments for and against President Obama just a few months before voters go to the polls.

World News from the BBC