
US Secretary of State, John Kerry has rejected the possibility that the Barack Obama administration would side with Argentina in the long-standing dispute with hedge funds over the defaulted bonds from the 2001/2 meltdown. Still the US official praised what he considered some “positive steps” by the Cristina Fernandez government.

Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman said he must be doing the right things regarding the Falklands/Malvinas issue because the Foreign Office prefers to talk to members of the opposition.

Reaffirming his austere and simple style – no mass celebrations have been scheduled in the Vatican to mark the first anniversary of his papacy – Francis chose a social network to address Catholics and renew his “Pray for me” message.

Internet firms Alibaba and Tencent have been shortlisted as pioneers of a pilot scheme to set up private banks in China, as the country takes steps to open up its financial sector. A total of ten companies have been selected to set up private banks.

British Minister of State for the Foreign Office Hugo Swire has stated London would rather sit at the negotiating table with Argentine opposition presidential hopefuls Sergio Massa or Mauricio Macri to discuss Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty.

United States House Speaker John Boehner invited Pope Francis to address a joint session of Congress - an unprecedented event - during an expected visit to the United States next year. Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have quickly sought to invoke the popular pontiff's devotion to the poor.

A senior Foreign Office minister summed up Britain’s position on Gibraltar firmly and concisely this week in Parliament. “At the heart of this issue is the right of the people of Gibraltar to determine their own future,” said Baroness Warsi, Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Bilateral trade, Mercosur/EU talks, oil and gas cooperation, and Falkland Islands, plus some audacious comments on the coming World Cup match Uruguay/England, were some of the issues addressed by Foreign Office minister for Latin-American Hugo Swire during his one day visit to Uruguay on Wednesday.

Shares in some of the world's biggest mining companies have been hit by a slump in the price of iron ore, amid fears of a slowdown in China's economy. Iron ore delivered into China fell 8.3% on Monday after Beijing reported weak export data over the weekend.

Diabetes and high blood pressure, together with aging, are the main risk factors for developing chronic kidney disease, which affects an estimated one in 10 adults globally, according to studies.