Iraqi issues
Doctors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah have reported an extremely high level of birth defects.
The responsibility is widely thought to lie with weapons used by the US after the invasion.
Fallujah was the site of major fighting in 2004 as the US Army sought to combat insurgency, and it is their use of white phosphorous munitions that is thought to be to blame.
The level of defects amongst newborn babies is now 13 times higher than in Europe.
The US, for its part, claims not to be aware of the problem.
Brazil’s nuts
Brazil has refused to bow to pressure from the US to support sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear ambitions.
Both Brazil and the US are backing different approaches towards this potentially nuclear country.
Brazil, which enjoys good relations with Iran, wants to continue with negotiations and claims that to do otherwise would be against its values and principles.
The US meanwhile believes that sanctions should be in place to allow Iran to negotiate in good faith.
Iran, meanwhile, denies that it is developing nuclear weapons.
China vs USA
China has announced that its military spending will be increasing by 7.5 percent in 2010 and, while this ends a long period of double-digit growth, it is still a cause for concern.
The USA announced this week that it would be cutting its nuclear arsenal, and has repeatedly insisted that China be more open about it’s spending.
A spokesperson has said that China would be more transparent in the future, but refused to say any more.
There has been considerable tension between China and the US since the US sold $6 billion of arms to Taiwan earlier this year.
