
The officer in charge of the United Kingdom military in the Falklands has told Forces News that defense of the Islands is the “number one” priority. Brigadier Nick Sawyer, Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands said Brexit will not compromise the defense of the British Overseas Territory, whatever the outcome of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

The soybean harvest in Argentina for the 2018-19 crop year is almost complete, according to the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange. The forecast for total production was the second-highest in 19 years at 56 million mt, up 48% year on year due to a better than expected yield of 3.35 mt/hectare, BAGE said.

The United Kingdom and Argentina announced on Friday they had taken the co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition to protect the human rights of LGBT people around the world.

China's industrial output growth unexpectedly slowed to a more than 17-year low in May, while investment also cooled, in the latest sign of weakening demand in the world's second-largest economy as United States ramps up trade pressure.

Iran dismissed as “baseless” on Friday US accusations it executed twin attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, raising fears of conflict in the strategically vital waterway.

Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, confirmed her visit to Venezuela between June 19 and 21 to meet with President Nicolas Maduro, as well as several ministers and senior officials of his Government.

Brazil's contribution to the Allied war effort is extraordinary but often forgotten. Though Brazil originally tried to remain neutral in the conflict, the United States eventually encouraged the country to break off relations with the Axis powers. As a result, German u-boats began to sink Brazilian shipping and kill Brazilian citizens.

Hong Kong on Thursday postponed the legislative debate on the controversial extradition Bill for a second day, after a massive rally that witnessed violent clashes between protesters and the police on Wednesday. “The Legislative Council will not hold a session today to debate the Bill”, said a notice to lawmakers, without elaborating further.

FAO's latest forecast for world cereal production in 2019 - available in the Cereal Supply and Demand Brief- points to an increase of 1.2 percent from the previous year to reach 2 685 million tons, a sharp downward revision from the forecast made in May when global cereal production was predicted to expand by 2.7 percent.

Global food prices rose for the fifth consecutive month in May, pushed up by rising prices of cheese and maize due to adverse weather conditions. The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, averaged 172.4 points in May, up 1.2 per cent from the previous month while still 1.9 per cent below its level in May 2018.