
The European Court of Human Rights has upheld a ban by France on wearing the Muslim full-face veil, the niqab. A case was brought by a 24-year-old French woman, who argued that the ban on wearing the veil in public violated her freedom of religion and expression.

Britain’s Europe Minister David Lidington toured the Gibraltar border on Monday evening and received an on-the-spot briefing from Chief Minister Fabian Picardo on the human impact of Spanish controls.

Plastic junk is floating widely on the world’s oceans, but there’s less of it than expected, a study says. Such ocean pollution has drawn attention in recent years because of its potential harm to fish and other wildlife.

The naming of HMS Queen Elizabeth, which takes place this Friday at Rosyth, Scotland is a unique occasion of historical significance as it marks the beginning of a new era of UK carrier operations.

China will court-martial one of its most senior former military officers on charges of corruption, state media said, the highest-ranking official to date felled in President Xi Jinping's battle against deep-rooted and pervasive graft.

The OAS Permanent Council, responding to an Argentine request, agreed to convene a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, July 3 the headquarters of the OAS in Washington DC to discuss “Sovereign Debt Restructuring: The Case of Argentina and its Systemic Consequences.”

The United States announced last Friday it intends to join the Mine Ban Treaty in the future and will not produce antipersonnel mines. Speaking at the Third Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty, US Ambassador to Mozambique, Douglas Griffiths, said the US is pursuing solutions that would allow the country to accede to the treaty.

As part of a broader South American tour, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be visiting Buenos Aires in July to lay the groundwork for joint projects between Russia and Argentina in the energy sector, including civilian nuclear technologies, military-technological cooperation and machine building.

Britain's Prince Harry, on the last day of a three-day official visit to Chile, joked and played with handicapped children on Sunday. The prince, joined by Social Development Minister Maria Fernanda Villegas, was all smiles and appeared relaxed with the little ones at the Friends of Jesus children's facility.

Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire was on a five day visit to Costa Rica, Guatemala and Colombia this week, following recent elections in both countries and with the purpose of expanding political and trade relations.