Brussels, May 11 (RHC) The European Commission released a Spring projection report that revealed that the Gross Domestic Product in Spain will be reduced to 1.8 percent in 2012 and to .3 percent in 2013. The report also estimated that the Spanish deficit will rise to 6.4 percent this year, higher than previously projected. The report said that the Spanish economy will continue to be vulnerable due to its large disposition in the housing market, and the unemployment continues to be very high and will probably continue increasing.

Beijing, May 11(RHC) Russian Foreign Minister, Serguei Lavrov, declared that Russia hopes its ties with China can be strengthened in all ways when speaking at a meeting with Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, who also expressed his hope for the development of Chinese-Russian relations, and sent a greeting to Vladimir Putin and Dmitri Medvédec. 

London, May 11 (RHC) More than 400,000 public sectors workers in Great Britain staged the third strike against the controversial pensions reforms the day after the government of Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed its intent to take it to the Parliament.

Ramallah, May 11 (RHC)-- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday urged the United Nations to address the plight of some 1,600 Palestinian prisoners who are on a mass hunger strike in Israeli prisons that has left several detainees close to death.

Moscow, May 11 (Xinhua-RHC) Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov warned that Russia is ready to destroy U.S. missile defense facilities in Europe if Moscow considers them as real threats.

Washington D.C., May 11 (BBC-RHC) Barack Obama has been both praised and criticized a day after he became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support gay marriage.

United Nations, May 11, (PRESSTV), -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned the latest terrorist attacks in the Syrian capital Damascus which left more than 50 people dead.

Kabul, May 11, (RHC), -- A NATO soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, after a man wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire on coalition forces in the eastern Kunar province.

Kabul, May 11, (RHC), -- A powerful bomb explosion has rocked Jalalabad Airport in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, with no casualties reported.