
The Quartet of Middle East negotiators urged Israel and the Palestinians on Friday to resume peace talks within one month and aim for a deal by the end of 2012.

A US federal judge in Miami on Friday sentenced the Bolivian former anti-drugs chief to 14 years prison on drug trafficking charges, court sources said. General Rene Sanabria, who was President Evo Morales's top anti-drug official 2007-2008, was arrested in Panama last February and extradited to Miami to face the charges.

The United Nations Committee on migrant workers expressed concern at Argentina’s “discriminatory attitudes” against citizens from African countries, particularly Senegal and neighbouring countries Bolivia and Paraguay.

Icebreaker HMS Protector, formerly MV Polarbjørn, has spent the spring and summer steadily being converted into a hydrographic survey ship to plug the gap left by HMS Endurance which nearly sank during a flooding incident in late 2008.

HMS Edinburgh following a two-week maintenance stop in Cape Town, South Africa, is again crossing the South Atlantic to the Falkland Islands. This is the third crossing since the Type 42 destroyer left the UK.

“There can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish”, reaffirmed the UK delegation in an official statement in reply to remarks from the President of Argentina before the UN General Assembly.

Uruguay is reconsidering the situation and links with Mercosur, given the recent trade obstacles and tariffs imposed by Mercosur senior partners Brazil and Argentina, announced President Jose Mujica in an interview.

At least 50 demonstrators were arrested Thursday when masked protesters attacked police at the end of a massive and otherwise peaceful march in Santiago de Chile demanding more resources for education.

Blaming speculation for the high price of food and oil, and arrogance and greed for the global economic crisis, the Dominican Republic called Thursday at the United Nations for new market rules and proposed a 5% tax on financial transactions to spur growth and prosperity.

Brazilian Catholic bishops called for “a profound political reform” against corruption and strongly supported the popular protests that have erupted in the country following the disclosure of several scandals that have swept away four ministers and has reached the doorsteps of Congress.