As if he didn't have enough on his plate with the economy and a pummelling in the polls, a major oil summit planned for December is proving a headache for Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he wrangles over just whom to invite. The guest list for a gathering of OPEC states and other oil giants would tax even the most gifted of party planners, requiring as it does a pow-wow including some of the......

How envious our former Mayor must be when it comes to Venezuelan politics and the power that his erstwhile chum and budding autocrat Hugo Chavez wields. Pesky media criticising your government and daring to oppose you? Close them down. Irritating elections every four years? Heck, just eliminate your term limit. ¿Es facil, no? Ken's love affair with the Bolivarian Revolution reached its zenith when he struck a deal that saw impoverished developing world Venezuela......

Mayor Ken has blockaded himself inside a safe house in the country. Why? To escape the hired goons that Shell and BP and Texaco are sending around to break his kneecaps. Ken has signed a deal with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to receive oil relief for the poor of London. Patterned after home heating oil agreements Chavez made with Boston and New York, Venezuela's nationalized oil industry will offer a 20 per cent reduction......

This week's films share the common theme of having pissed off the leaders of the countries in which they were made. Offside has been banned in Iran (well, what hasn't been?) and Secuestro Express has but a bee in the bonnet of everyone's favourite smiling authoritarian leader, Hugo Chavez. We can't confirm whether RV has annoyed GW but judging by the reviews, it's not very good. Mind you, we don't suppose GW's favourite films......

A four-week trial of anti-terrorist screening devices is due to start on the Jubilee Line at Canary Wharf later this week (although there's a bit of dodgy scanning going on there already). The Tories have sent Tessa Jowell a nasty letter accusing Labour of playing politics with the Olympics. And the Conservatives aren't too happy about Hugo Chavez's visit either. The final stages of this year's Tour of Britain will take in eight London......

If you thought last weekend's elephant extravaganza was good then you ain't seen nothing yet. This weekend sees the arrival of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and he's already stirring up trouble. Even though Chavez has pointedly 'snubbed' Blair you might still be in a chance with an audience as there's a public meeting organised by the GLA on Sunday at 3pm. We're not sure of the venue yet but if you want to get in......

Our weekly roundup (late because of the bank holiday) of what went on last week around the Istiverse: Houstonist reports on cross-dressing thieves and undressing educators this week. A Peeping Tom defends himself with a papaya and an outraged onlooker asks Ken Lay, "TATER TOTS OR FRIES?" Also, FEMA wants it's money back. LAist are a bug bunch of geeks. They're Star Trek geeks, David Duchovny geeks and Frank Gehry geeks. During their Cochella preview......

After the inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes was reopened yesterday, his family have asked that a High Court judge investigate the shooting. But according to the Met, since July 7 three major terror attacks on London have been foiled and each time the decision to 'use a 'shoot to kill' policy was not taken. The RMT have voted by 884 to 479 to strike next Thursday (March 2). They are sitting......