
Britain must cut its budget deficit and fix its economy or face long-term decline, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron will say on Wednesday, seeking to convince voters that his austerity plan is the only way forward.

A rare US outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to steroid injections has claimed four more lives with Florida the latest state to report at least one death linked to the illness in a widening health scare, authorities said on Tuesday.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said his family would support him if he were to run for re-election in 2013 and that his candidacy now rested on the “high chances” that he would be nominated as the ruling party's candidate.

Brazil's Supreme Court convicted three top aides of former president Lula da Silva of graft related to a vote-buying scheme in Congress. Lula's ex-chief of staff Jose Dirceu was found guilty by six of the 10 judges in connection with the scheme that ran from 2002 to 2005 during the popular president's first term, a court spokesman said.

The foreign exchange clamp in Argentina is reaching the provinces, one of which at least was unable to honor maturing bonds in dollars and made the payment in Argentine Pesos.

Argentina Coast and Border Guards voted on Tuesday to continue with the eight day conflict after they considered ‘insufficient’ the government’s reply to their demands of higher salary and improved working conditions.

Untied States universities dominate the Times Higher Education global rankings for 2012-13, occupying seven of the top 10 spots, but Asian institutions are on the rise while only four Latin American figure among the best 400.

France and Germany must reduce their stakes in defence firm EADS if the UK is to allow a proposed merger with BAE Systems to go ahead, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has said.

The case of the seized Argentine naval ship ARA Libertad was heard on Tuesday by a Ghana Commercial Court which will rule on Thursday whether to release the vessel impounded on arrival last week at the Port of Tema, according to the official Ghana News Agency.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he had a pleasant meeting and discussion with the opposition candidate Enrique Capriles, whom he invited Monday evening to the presidential Palace following his re-election victory on Sunday.