Damascus, May 24 (RHC)-- The Syrian People's Assembly has begun its first meetings in Damascus for the new legislative term.  The newly-elected deputies of the Syrian parliament chose Mohammed Yihad Al-Laham as their president for the legislative process that begins today and is part of the reforms presented by the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Cairo, May 24 (RHC)-- Voters in Egypt headed to the polls on Thursday for the second and last day of the North African country's presidential elections.  The voting process is being monitored by 10,000 observers from 49 national non-governmental organizations and international monitors.

Mexico City, May 24 (RHC) -- At least 10,000 people, mostly university students, marched in Mexico City against the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that ruled the country from 1929 until 2000, its presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto, and the media.

Lima, May 24 (ANDINA-RHC) -- Secretary General of the Andean Community (CAN), Adalid Contreras, said that its four member countries will be putting great emphasis on social policies to reduce poverty by 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Andean bloc.

Quito, May 24 (RHC) -- The construction of hospitals, rehabilitation of medical facilities and improvement of personnel conditions are inserted into the Comprehensive Health Plan promoted by the Ecuadorian government.

Buenos Aires, May 24 (RHC) -- An exhibit about José Martí’s ideology is being inaugurated today in Buenos Aires as part of the Forum for Latin American Identity and Integration, organized each year by the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Argentina.

Caracas, May 24 (RHC) -- Rodrigo Cabezas, president of the Latin American parliament in Venezuela, has announced that his country will represent this entity regarding environmental preservation at the up-coming Rio + 20 conference.

La Paz, May 24 (RHC) -- The Bartolina Sisa Federation of Indigenous Women Farm Workers of Bolivia began its First Conference with the approval of a proposal to guarantee food security in the country. The conference, which concluded on Thursday, held debates about production and community economies, and wrote a statement supporting the process of change led by President Evo Morales.

Washington, May 24 (RHC)-- A fire on board the U.S. nuclear submarine "U.S.S. Miami" has been extinguished in a shipyard at Portsmouth, Maine.  Seven people suffered injuries during the fire-fighting response, however officials said that all injuries were minor.

Lima, May 24 (MERCOPRESS-RHC) -- Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo said that a June trip to Chile by Peruvian President Ollanta Humala to attend the Pacific Alliance Summit is subject to an agreement on de-mining the shared border.

London, May 24 (RHC)-- Britain's recession is deeper than first thought according to revised official figures published Thursday that showed the nation's economy shrank by 0.3 percent in the first quarter.

Washington, May 24 (RHC)-- Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has criticized the foreign policy advisers for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, calling them "quite far to the right."

Geneva, May 24 (RHC)-- Margaret Chan has been re-elected to a second term as director general of the World Health Organization, the WHO.  Voting by members of the organization was held in Geneva at the General Assembly of the World Health Organization.  She will serve the WHO for another five years, until June 2017.

Brussels, May 24, (PRESSTV), -- EU leaders have wanted Greece to stay in the debt-stricken eurozone and respect its commitments as they have been struggling to ease the Europe economic crisis.

Damascus, May 24, (RHC), -- The newly elected Syrian parliament has begun work in the violence-stricken Middle Eastern country on Thursday.