Detroit mayor: 'A difficult day'
The US city of Detroit in Michigan has become the largest American city ever to file for bankruptcy, with debts of at least $15bn (£10bn).
State-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr asked a federal judge to place the city into bankruptcy protection.
Speaking to reporters, Detroit's mayor Dave Bing said that it was "a difficult day".
"I really didn't want to go in this direction, but now that we are here we have to make the best of it," he said.