
Amid tensions surrounding the Argentina/Iran Memorandum of Understanding over the AMIA case, Argentina has voted against the Tehran regime at the United Nations Human Rights Council that will keep investigating reports of human rights violations in the Islamic Republic. Venezuela on the other hand supported the Iran position.

By Jen Alic of Oilprice.com - Cyprus is preparing for total financial collapse as the European Central Bank turns its back on the island after its parliament rejected a scheme to make Cypriot citizens pay a levy on savings deposits in return for a share in potential gas futures to fund a bailout.

“I was surprised that such a small community with so few human resources to organise an electoral act did things so well, so properly, in conformity with international standards. This was a demonstration of a desire that this should be an act of value, not only in terms of its effects in the Falklands themselves, but also for the international image of a legitimate process.”

Senior Tories were initially sceptical about going to war over the Falkland Islands, newly released papers from Margaret Thatcher's personal archive show. A note from the whips' office following Argentina's 1982 invasion reported solid support for military action from some Conservative MPs, but others were privately hostile.

Brazil hopes to sign a bilateral accord with China to promote trade in their national currencies at next week's BRICS summit of the world's five emerging powers, Trade and Industry Minister Fernando Pimentel said on Thursday.

The main creditor banks of the Galician multinational firm Pescanova, (which is under a probe from the Spanish stock market regulator), argue that the only way the firm can reorganize its financial situation is through the total or partial sale of its subsidiary in Chile by means of a Preventive Judicial Agreement.

The UK and Argentina joined Foreign Ministers from six other countries to call for a universal Arms Trade Treaty. Countries of the world gathered at the UN in July 2012 to negotiate an Arms Trade Treaty but the conference could not reach an agreement.

By James Kirchick (*) - Americans might wonder why they should care about the fate of a tiny set of islands closer to Antarctica than to Florida, where penguins outnumber humans by more than 300 to 1. But the fate of the Falkland Islands — whose citizens expressed a near-unanimous desire to remain part of the United Kingdom this month — will set an important precedent for the universal principle of self-determination

Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement has officially asked President Giorgio Napolitano for a mandate to form a new government. The party led by comedian Beppe Grillo won an unexpected 25% of the vote in elections last month and holds the balance of power.

First Minister Alex Salmond set a historical vote in motion announcing on Thursday the date for a referendum on Scottish independence, 18 September 2014 and promising to campaign hard for the “Yes” side. The simple question reads: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”