
The global average temperature in 2011 was the ninth-warmest in the modern meteorological record, continuing a trend linked to greenhouse gases that saw nine of the 10 hottest years occurring since the year 2000, NASA scientists said this week.

The European Union considers that the new tense situation between Argentina and the UK over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands is a “bilateral issue”, however the Falklands figure under EU treaties as a British Overseas Territory, said the EU Foreign Affairs Representative spokesperson.

Fitch expects its ratings review of six Euro zone states will result in downgrades of one to two notches in most of those countries, senior director Ed Parker said at a Fitch conference in Madrid.

UK unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November to 2.69 million, official figures show. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate also rose to 8.4% from 8.3%, the highest since January 1996.

The British newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has acknowledged to victims that executives covered up the scale of illegal activity by destroying evidence and lying to investigators, victims' lawyers said.

Foreign Secretary William Hague during a major speech on foreign policy in Brazil said that the UK will always uphold sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and the rights of the Islanders to self determination.

Britain nowadays is not a colonialist country and Argentina should leave the Falkland and its people in peace and respect their right to self determination, said Falklands elected member of the Legislative Assembly Dick Sawle quoted in the Argentine media.

Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman assured that Argentina’s strategy on the Malvinas Islands sovereignty claim “is working” and added that “the only way for England to get out of this mess is through direct negotiations with Argentina.”

HRH Prince Harry will visit Brazil in March, Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed on Thursday. Hague is currently on a two-day visit to Brazil and made the announcement during a press conference next to Sérgio Cabral, Governor of Rio de Janeiro.

Argentina’s acting president and Vice-President Amado Boudou praised the immediate support expressed by several countries in the region in the bilateral conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty.