
Argentina is set to expand fresh beef exports to Asia, with Japan and China having already approved import deals, the country's agriculture minister said. Luis Miguel Etchevehere in Tokyo said that Argentina has signed a deal with the Japanese government under which Tokyo will authorize imports of fresh beef from Argentina by late July. His country has also inked a beef export agreement with Beijing.

The most prominent driver of oil prices over the next two years is not likely to come from OPEC, Iran or Venezuela, but rather in the shape of a shipping revolution, analysts have warned. New rules coming into force in approximately 18 months' time are seen as a source of great concern for some of the world's biggest oil producers.

New Zealand, which produces three percent of the world’s milk, announced this week its plan to cull about 150,000 cows to eradicate the disease Mycoplasma bovis. The largest mass animal slaughter in the country’s history will cost some US$ 612 million. If successful, it would be the first time an infected country has eliminated the disease-causing bacteria.

French entrepreneur and politician Serge Dassault has died at the age of 93, his family has said. Mr Dassault led the Dassault group after his father, Marcel's, death in 1986. The group has numerous firms in aeronautics and armaments and owns the French newspaper, Le Figaro.

Nicola Sturgeon has raised Scottish concerns over Brexit in a meeting with chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier. The first minister said they held a “constructive and positive discussion” during her trip to Brussels. She said she told Mr Barnier that the Scottish government believed the UK should remain within the customs union and single market after leaving the EU.

A publicity stunt at a conference about blockchain technology in China, which saw an actor impersonate Mao Zedong, has sparked uproar on social media. Xu Guoxiang imitated Mao - by wearing a grey suit and speaking in his Hunan accent - at the Boao Blockchain Forum for Asia in Hainan Province.

Britain's leaders are facing increasing calls to take action to loosen abortion restrictions in Northern Ireland after the Republic of Ireland's landmark referendum in favor of doing so, but complex political realities may make quick action difficult.

Spanish lawmakers have agreed to subject Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to a vote of no confidence this week. It comes in the wake of graft convictions of businesspeople and officials tied to his conservative Popular Party (PP).

Italy's president set the country on a path back to fresh elections on Monday, appointing a former International Monetary Fund official as interim prime minister with the task of planning for snap polls and to pass the next budget. The decision to appoint Carlo Cottarelli to form a stopgap administration sets the stage for elections that are likely to be fought over Italy's role in the European Union and the euro zone, a prospect that is rattling global financial markets.

Argentine cabinet chief Marcos Peña will be honoring the British combatants fallen during the South Atlantic conflict when he travels to the UK. The ceremony is scheduled for next 4 June at St Paul's cathedral in London