The list of investors who say they were duped in one of Wall Street's biggest pyramid schemes is growing, snaring some of the world's biggest banking institutions and hedge funds, the super rich and the famous, pensioners and charities.

US stocks plunged for a second straight day today, falling to a range not seen in six years as financial and energy stocks tumbled and as demand for the safety of government debt spiked to historic levels.

Scores of animal rights protesters have gathered outside a beleaguered drug-testing company.

The Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed to write off half the debt owed by Huntingdon Life Sciences in order to sever its links with the laboratory.