
Britain will protect the people of the disputed Falkland Islands for as long as they want to remain British citizens, Defence Secretary Liam Fox said on Wednesday speaking at the annual conference of the ruling Conservative Party.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas is scheduled to visit Colombia, a country which holds a non permanent seat at the UN Security Council and could cast a decisive vote for the recognition of a State of Palestine.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he expected the Security Council to finish debating his nation's application for full UN membership within weeks, not months.

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.

“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.

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.

The UK government regrets that “Argentina is considering withdrawing from yet another agreement with the United Kingdom” said on Thursday a spokesperson for the British embassy in Buenos Aires in reference to Argentina’s statement before the UN to further isolate the Falklands/Malvinas Islands.

If Argentina goes through with its threat to suspend the Falklands/ Chile airlink it will be an, “act of desperation,” said Member of Legislative Assembly Jan Cheek quoted by the Friday edition of the Falklands’ Penguin News.

US President Barack Obama told the United Nations that the Palestinians deserved a state of their own, but that this would only be achieved through talks with Israel.

The United Nations launched on Monday an all-out attack on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer and diabetes with a summit meeting devoted to curbing the factors, like tobacco and alcohol use, behind the often preventable scourge that causes 63% of all deaths.