Earlier, a UN patrol came under fire as it entered the mission compound in Abidjan.

A militant group fighting Nato forces in Afghanistan has expressed strong support for an ambitious gas pipeline project, saying it's willing to help lay the pipe and provide security for it. The group, Hezb-e-Islami Hekmatyar, called the pipeline a benefit for the Afghan nation.

Iran is cutting the large state subsidies which allow Iranians to buy cheap food and fuel. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran could no longer afford the cost, which amounts to $100bn each year. The government plans to withdraw them completely by 2015. James Reynolds is our Iran correspondent.

For some time, Iran's president has made it clear: ordinary people are going to have to start paying more for food and energy. Now, after several months of delay, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told state TV that cuts to fuel and food subsidies will begin almost immediately. The cut to subsidies may have a significant effect on life in Iran. The government will be watching closely for unrest. In 2007, there were riots when the government decided to begin rationing subsidised petrol.

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China has said it's deeply concerned about the heightened tension between North and South Korea, which it believes is now extremely precarious. A statement from a senior foreign ministry official said that if a bloody conflict broke out, it would be a national tragedy that would cause suffering to both sides in Korea and in neighbouring countries. Russia has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.