
President Barack Obama vowed to pull all US troops from Iraq this year, symbolically ending the war but dashing US hopes of leaving a few thousand troops to buttress a still shaky Iraq and offset neighbouring Iran's influence.

”Welcome to our oneworld Alliance!” In his jovial and gentlemanly manner, Art Torno, American Airline's Vice President - New York, welcomed members of the Foreign Press Association on board the world of alliances and other topics regarding today's aviation industry.

The US Treasury has delayed a ruling on whether China manipulates its currency to gain an unfair trade advantage until later this year. It said the move will give us a chance to assess progress following several international meetings. Critics of China say it keeps the Yuan low to keep its exports cheap.

Proposals to double the size of the IMF as part of a broader international response to Europe's debt crisis immediately ran into resistance from the United States and others, burying the idea for now and firmly putting the onus back on Europe.

Three members of the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted against the Fed's latest stimulus measures at its meeting last month, minutes have revealed.

Uruguay’s First Lady Lucia Topolansky described statements from former president Tabare Vazquez referred to a possible ‘war hypotheses’ with Argentina over the paper mill conflict as ‘absurd’ and recommended those words shouldn’t be considered more than a simple kids’ anecdote.

Argentine officials reacted strongly to remarks from former Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez who revealed that during the prolonged diplomatic conflict with Argentina over the construction of the Botnia-UPM pulp plant, he feared the situation could have led to an armed confrontation.

President Juan Manuel Santos praised US Congress ratification of a long-stalled free trade agreement with the United States and said it was a historic day for Colombian business and workers.

Problems with the Blackberry smart-phone system appear to have spread to the United States and several South American countries. Users began to report loss of services on Wednesday, with many turning to Twitter to complain about their lack of email.

United States Deputy Secretary of State William Burns called the Argentine authorities on Wednesday in order to provide them with details regarding the alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Department of State Victoria Nuland confirmed.