
The United States Food and Drug Administration, FDA, issued proposals for regulating calorie labelling on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants, retail food establishments, and vending machines.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and her Chinese peer Hu Jintao will address the Libyan crisis and other issues related to the Chinese currency, Yuan, which has Brazilian manufacturers most concerned, anticipated the Brazilian Foreign Affairs ministry.

At least seven people have been killed in another day of anti-government protests in several Syrian cities, activists have said. Protest marches against Baath Party rule broke out in cities in the north and south after Friday prayers, including in the flashpoint city of Daraa.

As upheaval continues across the Middle East, the path towards democracy is far from clear. A civil war is raging in Libya as protests become deadly in Syria. The leader
of Yemen is negotiating his removal from power, and Saudi Arabian forces have been called in to help “maintain order” on the streets of Bahrain.

India's population has grown by 181 million people over the past decade to 1.21bn, according to the 2011 census. More people now live in India than in the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh combined.

Gibraltar expects to receive approximately 350.000 cruise visitors during the current 2011 season, announced Deputy Chief Minister Joe Holliday during the reception for the inaugural call to the Rock of MSC Poesia.

Facing a massive protest movement demanding reform, Syria's president has set up committees to look into the deaths of civilians during nearly two weeks of unrest and replacing decades-old emergency laws.

G20 leaders have moved towards agreeing that China's currency should have a wider role in global finance. The G20 is to study whether to include the Chinese Yuan within the basket of currencies that make up the IMF Special Drawing Right.

Ireland believes it looks increasingly unlikely that there will be a Mercosur-European Union trade deal before the end of the year. Mercosur and the EU resumed trade talks in May 2010 with the objective of reaching a deal by the end of 2011.

Israel will follow with a critical eye the United Nations organized forum on the Israel-Palestine conflict which opened Tuesday in Montevideo, because whatever the results, the Israeli government is ‘particularly interested in the Uruguayan government’s position’.