Current Event #2 - British restructures border agency after furor over relaxation of controls

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/british-restructures-border-agency-after-furor-over-relaxation-of-controls/2012/02/20/gIQAOzHTPR_story.html


British officials have announced plans to restructure their border agencies recently after controversy has risen over the fact that they may have not been following through on security checks at ports and airports. 


Home Secretary Theresa May wants to completely recreate a system that has been known to, in the past, "suspend important checks without permission," waste money on unused technology, and send inaccurate and incorrect information to the government. 


May will also split the border force from the U.K. Border Agency to "give it a whole new management culture." Brodie Clark, head of the former agency, was fired earlier this year and is now filing a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal. 

Current Event #1 - Iran halts oil shipments to Britain, France

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-halts-oil-shipments-to-britain-france/2012/02/19/gIQAnLtUNR_story.html


Iran has decided to cut off oil shipments to Britain and France as a retaliation for them supporting "economic sanctions against the Islamic republic."


This is a huge loss for Iran, as 18% of their petroleum exports go to European customers. 


This move is largely symbolic, and its effect will be minimal on France and Britain. Britain no longer imports oil from Iran, and France is in the process of phasing out Iranian crude, which currently makes up less than 4% of the country's oil imports. 


However, this hasn't stopped global oil prices from shooting up to an eight-month high as investors weigh the chances of shortages occurring. 


In the meantime, Western powers continue to encourage Iranian officials to halt nuclear programs. If Iran makes it clear that they do not want to do so, European Union nations will exclude Iranian banks from the international financial messaging system (Swift), making it harder for Iran to collect money from its foreign oil sales. 


Despite these threats, Iran has staunchly refused to halt any programs they may be conducting. The White House and Obama administration are trying to undermine any idea that they may be  using military force against Iranian nuclear facilities.