There was universal praise for Steve Jobs who announced that ill-health was forcing him to stand down as CEO of Apple although he will take the newly-created title of chairman of the board. A visionary leader who has turned Apple into today's dominant force in consumer electronics was a typical tribute.
In India, Anna Hazare continued his hunger strike in Delhi. The elderly activist wants the government to strengthen its anti-corruption legislation to cover politicians and ministers as well as the business community. Prime minister Manmohan Singh pleaded with Mr Hazare to call off his fast saying that most of his objectives were already accepted.
The Spanish government and opposition were the first to respond positively to the recent calls of Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy for all eurozone members to introduce laws limiting a country's budget deficit and public debt levels.
The death of Jack Layton, leader of Canada's largest opposition party with one third of parliamentary seats, has left all three opposition parties without a leader.