International

• Thursday, May 19th 2011 - 06:31 UTC

  Young Spaniards seeking jobs set up Egypt style protest in the heart of Madrid

  

  About 20,000 young people angry over high unemployment have spent the night camping in a famous square in Madrid as political protest grows. A big canvas roof was stretched across Puerta del Sol square, protesters brought mattresses and sleeping bags and volunteers distributed food.

• Wednesday, May 18th 2011 - 16:57 UTC

  European Parliament stresses ‘desirability’ of EU/Mercosur balanced trade agreement

  

  Current trade negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur dominated the opening speeches at of Eurolat (Europe/Latin America Parliaments) Fifth Plenary Session which is taking place in Montevideo.

• Wednesday, May 18th 2011 - 16:41 UTC

  Greece warned it must redouble efforts otherwise (but following step is not clear)

  

  The IMF warned Greece it must redouble reform efforts to avoid derailing its fiscal program, key to dealing with a huge debt mountain.The sternest IMF warning since a 110 billion Euro EU/IMF bailout a year ago pulled the troubled Euro zone member back from the brink of bankruptcy was delivered as European officials raised the possibility of a Greek debt restructuring.

• Wednesday, May 18th 2011 - 07:10 UTC

  US says IMF should designate an interim Managing Director

  

  Dominique Strauss-Kahn is “not in a position to run” the International Monetary Fund after his arrest over an alleged sexual assault, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said. He added IMF's executive board should designate an interim head.
  The alleged assault on a maid happened at New York's luxury Sofitel hotel on 14 May.

• Wednesday, May 18th 2011 - 06:58 UTC

  UK Foreign Office Minister visits Uruguay to strengthen trade and political ties

  

  Foreign Office Minister for Latin America Jeremy Browne will be visiting Uruguay from 20-21 May where he will be meeting government officials and key business people to strengthen ties between UK and the Mercosur member.

• Wednesday, May 18th 2011 - 06:48 UTC

  Global operators anticipate “tourism explosion” from China, India and Brazil

  

  China, India and Brazil are poised to fuel an explosion in international tourism in the coming years helping to create jobs in countries ready for it, and trouble for those that lag, industry leaders say.

• Wednesday, May 18th 2011 - 06:45 UTC

  The Queen in historic reconciliation visit honours Ireland’s freedom fighters

  

  Queen Elizabeth honoured Irish people killed fighting for independence from Britain in a powerful gesture of reconciliation few people would have believed possible even in recent times.

• Tuesday, May 17th 2011 - 23:31 UTC

  US dollar status as world’s single reserve currency will end by 2025

  

  The United States dollar status as the world’s single reserve currency will end by 2025, according to a new report by the World Bank.

• Tuesday, May 17th 2011 - 17:39 UTC

  Brazil non automatic import licences on blankets from China and Uruguay

  

  Brazil announced it was imposing non automatic import licences on synthetic fibre blankets from Paraguay, Uruguay and China, according to an official communiqué from the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade released Tuesday.

• Tuesday, May 17th 2011 - 15:42 UTC

  Brazil insists with an emerging economy Managing Director for the IMF

  

  Brazil’s former Foreign Affairs minister Celso Amorim said that the next IMF Managing Director must come from an emerging economy if Dominique Strauss-Kahn, currently in custody in New York on alleged rape charges finally looses his job.