Madrid, April 25 (RHC)-- Groups of neighborhood assemblies, committees and working groups that make up the protest movement in Spain are getting ready for the first anniversary of their take-over of a downtown square in Madrid.  The M-15 Movement -- named for the date, May 15th, when they occupied the Puerta del Sol in the Spanish capital -- is preparing for a week of activities throughout the country.

Brasilia, April 25 (RHC) -- Officials of the U.S. Embassy in Brazil have been removed after being accused of hiring prostitutes, one of whom claimed to have been violently attacked.

Buenos Aires, April 25 (PL-RHC) -- The Argentinean Senate discussed legislation on Wednesday sent by President Cristina Fernandez to declare the country’s self-sufficiency in hydrocarbons as public interest and expropriate 51 percent of the shares of oil company Repsol YPF.

Quito, April 25 (PL-RHC) -- The El Telégrafo newspaper of Ecuador has published cables released by the Wikileaks website about this South American country, which reveal the links, plots and dark interests between the government of Lucio Gutierrez -- who was the country’s president from 2003 until 2005 -- and the United States.

Brasilia, April 25 (PL-RHC) -- The construction of three inter-oceanic access routes to join the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are included in a work plan that the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) presented Wednesday to the 12 member nations of the regional group.

Lima, April 24 (ANDINA-RHC) -- Finance Minister Luis Miguel Castilla said Peru is one of the strongest countries in the region to weather any decline in the global economic environment, as it has the needed fiscal and monetary margins to mitigate any external shock.

Havana, April 24 (ACN-RHC) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez garnered more than 50 percent of the voting intentions, ahead of the general elections on October 7th, according to a recent poll carried out by the Hinterlaces agency.

Rio de Janeiro, April 25 (Xinhua-RHC) -- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has announced investments of 17 billion U.S. dollars to improve the public transportation system in large cities in 18 Brazilian states.

Damascus, April 25 (RHC)-- UN and Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan has called for the rapid deployment of 300 ceasefire monitors in Syria, saying that the levels of violence are "unacceptable" 12 days into a promised truce.

Tripoli, April 25 (RHC)-- The self-proclaimed government of the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Libya has banned the formation of parties on religious and tribal grounds, admitting their inability to stop fighting between militias of former insurgents.

London, April 25 (RHC)-- Britain’s economy is back in recession, putting pressure on the coalition government in London and providing fodder for the critics of austerity measures.

Leavenworth, April 25 (RHC)-- Attorneys for alleged U.S. Army whistleblower Private Bradley Manning have issued a new request for the military to dismiss all charges in the case.

Washington, April 25 (RHC)-- Supporters of former death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal protested outside the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday to demand U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder open a federal probe into Abu Jamal’s case.

Havana, April 25 (RHC)—In statements to Cubadebate webpage, US actor Danny Gloversaid that he was not arrested on Tuesday during a demonstration staged in front of the US Surpreme Court in Washington, as it has been previously informed by Venezuela Radio.

Kabul, April 25, (RHC), -- Two NATO tankers have been set ablaze by Taliban militants in the country’s Herat Province.