South American leaders underscored the importance of economic and political ties with the Arab world in a summit meeting with their Arab counterparts in Qatar. Tuesday's meeting, the second Arab-South American summit, in Doha, followed the conclusion of the Arab League conference in the city.
Britain's naval bases around the world should be put under the control of the European Union, according to a report commissioned by the Brussels Parliament and which was leaked to the British press this week.
Venezuelan opposition leader Manuel Rosales, under investigation for corruption, has gone into hiding to escape alleged persecution by President Hugo Chavez, his party said on Tuesday.
Venezuela is estimated to have spent 220 billion US dollars from its oil and gas revenue in investments, subsidies and donations to 14 “allied” countries between 2005 and 2009, according to Centro de Investigaciones Economicas, a Caribbean think-tank.
Arab League and South American countries will open Tuesday their second summit with the purpose of boosting trade and cooperation. The idea of regular meetings between the 22 members of the Arab League and 12 South American countries was born in Brasilia in 2005, sponsored by Brazilian president Lula da Silva.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has set out five tests which world leaders will face when they gather for the G20 summit in London on Thursday and urged them to rise to the challenge of beating the recession.
Voters from Mayotte, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to become and integral part of France, the 101th “departement”. Authorities said 95.2% of those who voted (61% turnout) opted to strengthen ties with Paris which will also require the Muslim majority to abide by French law. Only 4.8% voted no.
“We wish to remain British and the sovereignty issue is not for negotiation” was the Falkland Islands government statement in response to last Saturday’s meeting in Chile of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Latinamerica and the Caribbean, UNECLC warns that the current global situation is “far more severe” than the depression of the thirties and calls for urgent action in dealing with “risk and market regulation”.
United States Vice President Joe Biden said that Washington would no longer dictate unilaterally to Latin America, and that it had entered a new era in the historically troubled relationship.