South Korea and the United States begin four days of joint military exercises in the waters off Korea's west coast, despite protests by North Korea.

Voters in Japan's Okinawa are to elect a governor in a poll closely linked to the future of a controversial US military base relocation plan.

Egyptians vote in parliamentary elections, in a process which has already seen clashes between the opposition and security forces.

A curfew is in place in Ivory Coast ahead of a presidential run-off between incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and opposition candidate Allassane Ouattara.

European Union finance ministers are to meet in Brussels to discuss the details of a £85bn euros ($113bn; £72bn) rescue deal for the Irish Republic.

The quake-stricken Caribbean nation of Haiti prepares for presidential elections, as it continues to battle a raging cholera epidemic.

The company that owns a mine in Chile where 33 men were trapped for more than two months has agreed to sell its assets to avoid bankruptcy.

The US writes to Julian Assange, the founder of whistleblower site Wikileaks, warning him not to release diplomatic files.