Taiwan and the Philippines have pledged not to use force in fishing disputes, officials said, as they tackle a row over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Filipino coastguards. The agreement was reached during their first preparatory meeting on fishery cooperation held in Manila on Friday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement released late Saturday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago on Friday at the start of a tour of Latin America and the Caribbean, as Beijing seeks to increase trade in the region. Xi is due to arrive in the tiny English-speaking country off the coast of Venezuela at around 2130 GMT, kicking off a trip that will take him to Costa Rica and Mexico, before a June 7-8 summit with US President Barack Obama. China's trade ties with Latin America have soared in recent years as the world's second biggest economy taps into the region's mineral and oil wealth to fuel growth.

Brussels, May 22 (EFE).- The heads of state and government of the European Union are holding a summit Wednesday in an effort to make more progress in fighting tax evasion and tax fraud. EU leaders are targeting tax crimes both within the borders of their countries and in foreign tax havens despite the reluctance of Austria and Luxembourg. The leaders of the EU's 27 member states are expected to give the go ahead to the European Commission to negotiate new agreements with Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino to expand exchanges of bank informaiton.

Brasilia, May 21 (EFE).- Spain's development minister said here Tuesday that Spanish companies were prepared to meet all expectations for the high-speed rail Brazil wants to build. "We're able to not only do the structure, but also do the superstructure, the electrification systems, the security systems and the rail-traffic control systems," Ana Pastor said after a series of meetings with senior officials in Brazil's infrastructure sector.