The independence-minded region of Catalonia asks the Spanish central government for an extra 9bn euros (£7.7bn) in bailout money.

A piece of luggage from the missing plane carrying Italian fashion boss Vittorio Missoni is found off the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.

Ceija Stojka, a Roma (Gypsy) writer and artist who helped bring the tale of Roma suffering under the Nazis to the wider world, dies at 79.

Colombia's Justice Minister, Ruth Stella Correa, says a new drugs bill will legalise the personal use of synthetic drugs, such as ecstasy.

The conflict in Syria has reached "unprecedented levels of horror", UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says, hours after evidence of another massacre emerges in Aleppo.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard calls a general election for 14 September, announcing the vote eight months in advance.

An Iraqi man receives life in prison after pleading guilty to terror charges in Kentucky, hours after his co-defendant receives a lesser sentence.

The chief investigator in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria says cheap fireworks meant for outdoor use caused a deadly nightclub fire.