Washington - US stock indices surged by near-unprecedented levels on Tuesday, brushing aside news that consumer confidence dipped to a record low as some investors acting on a belief that markets may be bottoming out.

Gains of more than 10 per cent by the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 followed strong stock gains earlier in the day in Europe and Asia. The Dow posted its second-largest point gain in history.

Copenhagen - Danish police used teargas Tuesday evening to disperse protesters who threw stones, bottles and other missiles at them, news reports said.

London - Newcastle United beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Tuesday to climb out of the relegation zone.

Los Angeles - Microsoft released key details Tuesday of the next generation of software that it hopes will run the world's computers.

The software giant, whose dominance is under threat, said Windows 7 will replace the disappointing Windows Vista in January 2010.

Microsoft said the new operating system was designed to function like a tighter version of Vista, which launched in 2006 but was widely derided as a "system hog" that slowed down computers with features that most users never accessed.