
British relations in South America could falter if the UK Government refuses to hold talks on the Falkland Islands sovereignty with Argentina, the country’s ambassador to London said this week.

China is buying crude oil from Iran using its currency the Yuan, an Iranian diplomat has said. Oil transactions are usually settled in dollars but US sanctions make it difficult for Iran to accept payments in the US currency.

The owner of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that ran aground off northwest Italy in January has paid more than two million Euros to French survivors in a settlement, their lawyer said Tuesday.

Costa Cruises announced the introduction of seven new safety measures over the weekend during a ceremony celebrating the delivery of the company's new 665 million dollars flagship.

The Argentine Olympic Committee has responded for the first time to an advertisement on state-run TV that links a dispute with Britain about the Falklands/Malvinas Islands to the London Games.

Dilma Rousseff is interested in having French elected-president Francois Holland make an official visit to Brasilia to talk about the current world situation since the Brazilian leader believes they both share positions regarding the global crisis and austerity policies.

Spain's prime minister says the government will likely present this week new measures to help banks, a key source of worry over whether the country might need a financial bailout.

President Cristina Fernández said in relation to the controversial Olympic/Malvinas advert that “creativity can’t be censored”, on the contrary it should be “applauded” because it reflects the feelings of the Argentines. The head of state also rejected lifting the spot as demanded by Britain and the Y&R agency in New York.

Hundreds of veterans and members of the public gathered on Sunday in Portsmouth and Sheffield to mark the 30 years since the Falkland Islands conflict.

Spain-based energy group Repsol has sent letters to oil majors including Exxon-Mobil, Chevron and Conoco-Phillips warning it would sue them if they try to invest in YPF or its assets, reports the British newspaper The Financial Times.