
Visiting United States Congressman Thomas E Petri expressed approval of the decision of Falkland Islanders to hold a referendum on the political status and future of the Falklands.

Canada and the United States have agreed to maintain livestock and meat trade during animal disease outbreaks using a new system that targets trade bans more precisely by region, Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said this week.

The Federal Reserve left in place its monthly 85 billion dollars bond-buying stimulus plan, saying US economic growth had stalled but indicating the pullback was likely temporary.

The US economy unexpectedly shrank at an annualised rate of 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2012, initial official estimates indicate. If confirmed, it would be the first contraction logged by the US economy since the 2009 global recession. The world's largest economy grew 3.1% in July to September.

US President Barack Obama pushed Congress on Tuesday to overhaul the country's immigration system but disagreement with Republicans over securing the border with Mexico has already begun to sour bipartisan efforts.

Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry won overwhelming confirmation from his fellow US senators as secretary of state, succeeding Hillary Clinton as the top US diplomat. The vote was 94-3. Dissenters were Republicans Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Texans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. Kerry.

In a first-of-its-kind feat of science and engineering, a US National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research team has successfully drilled through 800 meters of Antarctic ice to reach a sub-glacial lake and retrieve water and sediment samples that have been isolated from direct contact with the atmosphere for many thousands of years.

Hedge fund investors who refused to join two sovereign debt restructurings by Argentina urged a US court in New York to force the country to pay them.

US President Barack Obama plans to launch his second-term push for a US immigration overhaul during a visit to Nevada this week and will make it a high ºpriority to win congressional approval of a reform package this year, the White House said.

United States Republican Congressman Thomas Petri will visit the Falkland Islands from Monday 28 January 28 to February 2 accompanied by a group of congressional staff members.