Politics

• Wednesday, May 25th 2011 - 00:27 UTC

  Transparency blasts OECD on poor results from the Anti-Bribery Convention

  

  A new report from the anti-corruption organization Transparency International (TI), shows no improvement in the enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in the past year and warns that this could signal a dangerous loss of momentum in the fight against corruption.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 23:45 UTC

  Paraguay and European MPs address impasse in Mercosur/EU trade talks

  

  The apparent impasse in the European Union/Mercosur trade talks was addressed by the Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo at a meeting on Tuesday with Members of the European Parliament and the EU delegation to Mercosur negotiations.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 20:02 UTC

  HMS Edinburgh leaves for South Atlantic, Falklands and South Georgia patrolling

  

  HMS Edinburgh leaves Wednesday for a seven months patrol of the British South Atlantic Islands, including the Falklands and South Georgia. She will be conducting maritime security patrols, policing and protecting Islanders living in the British Overseas Territories.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 19:39 UTC

  France says China supports Lagarde as next IMF chief given Euro zone situation

  

  China would support Finance Minister Christine Lagarde as the next IMF chief the French government said backing which would put her firmly in pole position to succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 19:37 UTC

  Labour MP Dobbin new chairman of All Party Gibraltar Group

  

  British Labour MP Jim Dobbin is the new chairman of the All Party Gibraltar Group in the Commons. Mr Dobbin, elected at a meeting of the group Monday, takes on the position held by Eleanor Laing MP who resigned to take on the role of the Coalition Government’s special Gibraltar envoy with the MOD.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 19:29 UTC

  Royal 41-gun salute for the US President Obama at Buckingham Palace

  

  US President Barack Obama received a royal 41-gun salute at Buckingham Palace Tuesday to begin a two-day state visit aimed at ensuring the United States and Britain keep the “special” in their relationship.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 18:59 UTC

  Former president Allende’s family petitioning return of the AK47, a gift from Fidel Castro

  

  The family of Chile’s former president, Salvador Allende, petitioned for the rifle AK-47 used on his alleged suicide to be found. Allende is supposed to have committed suicide in the midst of a violent army coup led by general Pinochet in September 1973.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 18:55 UTC

  Rousseff administration first scandal takes off in Congress and with prosecutors

  

  Brazil's young government faces its first scandal involving presidential chief of staff Antonio Palocci who is under fire for revelations that, while in Congress between 2006 and 2010, his net worth multiplied 20 times.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 18:46 UTC

  US imposes sanctions on Venezuela’s PDVSA for engaging in trade with Iran

  

  United States announced new sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and six other smaller oil and shipping companies for engaging in trade with Iran in violation of a US ban.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2011 - 06:30 UTC

  Massive demonstrations in Chile to protest Piñera’s annual speech to Congress

  

  Citizens protested on the streets of 27 Chilean cities on Saturday. The demonstrations were strategically planned to coincide with President Sebastián Piñera’s annual May 21 speech. In many areas, peaceful demonstrations morphed into violent riots.