German leaders to unveil govt priorities

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz will hold a press conference today following a retreat to discuss the new coalition government's priorities for the next four years. Simmering antipathy between the coalition partners - Dr Merkel's conservatives and the left-leaning Social Democrats - boiled over at the weekend in a row over law and order, ending any honeymoon period for the awkward allies.

Memorial service for Winnie Mandela

South Africa will today hold an official memorial service for Ms Winnie Mandela, an anti-apartheid icon and the former wife of the late president Nelson Mandela.

Ms Mandela died last week after a long illness in Johannesburg, and will be laid to rest on Saturday.

US Fed to release minutes of meeting

The United States Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee will today release the minutes of its March 20-21 policy meeting, at which it voted to raise interest rates.

Remarks from Fed officials have appeared bullish, leading some analysts to raise their estimate of the number of rate hikes this year. The minutes may also show the Fed's view on the possible impact of President Donald Trump's trade policies.