Damascus, May 29, (RHC), -- UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the capital, Damascus over widespread concern about the future of the UN-brokered peace plan.

Islamabad, May 29, (RHC), -- Pakistan has successfully tested a short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, military authorities said Tuesday.

Calabar, Nigeria, May 29, (RHC), – Border clashes between two local communities in southeastern Nigeria have left at least 40 people dead, local authorities said.

Damascus, May 28 (RHC)-- The United Nations and Arab League special envoy, Kofi Annan, has arrived in Damascus, the Syrian capital, to review his peace plan with both the opposition and government officials.

Damascus, May 28 (RHC)-- Demonstrations were held over the weekend in a number of Syrian cities in support of actions by the Syrian government against terrorist groups.  During a demonstration in al-Hijaz Square in Damascus, hundreds of people expressed their condemnation of the violent groups and their rejection of foreign interference.

Beijing, May 28 (RHC)-- China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming said Monday that China is expected to become the world's largest consumer market in 2015.

Caracas, May 28 (RHC) -- Thousands of Venezuelans staged a mass rally in the state of Anzoátegui to show their support for President Hugo Chavez, a few months before the October 7th general election.

Ramallah, May 28 (RHC)-- Leaders of the Fatah movement and the Islamist Hamas traveled to Egypt on Monday to resume discussions on a reconciliation agreement signed in 2011.  They are also making preparations for Palestinian elections in Gaza and the West Bank.

Berlin, May 28 (RHC)-- Dutch-born Nazi war criminal Klaas Carel Faber has died in Germany at the age of 90.  Faber, who served in an SS unit, was second on the Simon Wiesenthal Center list of most-wanted Nazi criminals.  He was sentenced to death in 1947 for the deaths of 22 Jews at the Westerbork transit camp, but his term was later commuted to life.

Brasilia, May 28 (RHC) -- Mayors from the largest cities around the world will meet in Brazil, in June, for the Rio Climate Conference, aimed at setting the targets to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

Brussels, May 28 (RHC)-- The European Union has agreed to share the private information of passengers flying from Europe to the United States with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

La Paz, May 28 (RHC) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales said his government will guarantee respect for private ownership in the country, during a ceremony in the city of Cochabamba to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the independence struggle of May 1812.

Miami, May 28 (RHC)-- Tropical storm Beryl brought heavy rain and caused widespread power outages as it hit the south-eastern coast of the United States over the Memorial Day weekend.

Buenos Aires, May 28 (RHC) -- Argentinean Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Zuain is on a visit to Haiti to sign a trilateral agreement with the Caribbean country and Venezuela, as part of South-South cooperation to strengthen the agriculture and health sectors.

Santiago de Chile, May 28 (PL-RHC) -- Leaders of the Chilean opposition and left-wing groups challenged statements about the 1973 coup made by former President Patricio Aylwin (1990-1994), who they accused of distorting history and attempting to tarnish the memory of Salvador Allende.