
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and his son James bowed late Thursday to threats to find them in contempt of British Parliament and agreed to testify about the phone-hacking scandal to lawmakers on July 19.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch refused a summons by Britain's parliament to answer questions over alleged crimes at one of his newspapers, leaving a senior executive from his media empire to face lawmakers keen to break the media mogul's grip on politics.

Falkland Islands students were reminded this week of the dangers of the 30 year old minefields, laid by the Argentines, surrounding the capital Stanley, when British forces’ experts visited the Infant and Junior School and the Community School.

International relations between Chile and Bolivia are tense and could worsen, considering the impact of a Monday press release from Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is facing further political unrest in the ruling coalition following the naming of a new Transport Minister, apparently a unilateral decision that was not shared by several allies.

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced Wednesday on her official Twitter social network account that her son, Máximo Kirchner, has confirmed that she will be grandmother as her son's girlfriend is pregnant.

Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez acknowledged for the first time he may need radiotherapy or chemotherapy for ongoing treatment after cancer surgery in Cuba, the presidential office said.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has announced that it is dropping its planned bid to take full ownership of satellite broadcaster BSkyB. The announcement came as the House of Commons prepared to vote for a motion supported by all major party leaders calling on Mr Murdoch to do so.

US President Barack Obama raised the stakes in the third straight day of budget talks Tuesday, warning that senior citizens and veterans may suffer first if the debt ceiling is not raised by Aug. 2.

The United Nations marked on Monday July 11, World Population Day, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressing that ending global poverty and inequality was the key to unleashing the great human potential for prosperity and peaceful coexistence.