Welcome to another exciting edition of our Weekly Newsmakers – your source for national and international news.

BP Settles Criminal Charges for $4 billion in Spill; Supervisors Indicted on Manslaughter – Washington Post (Editor’s Pick)
BP says that it is close to completing a deal with the U.S. government that would resolve criminal claims that arose from the 2010 oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. While no formal agreement has been finalized, the London-based oil giant expects to pay over $4 billion USD in criminal fines, the largest sum ever paid to account for criminal charges in history.

Ending Congress, China Presents New Leadership Headed by Xi Jinping – New York Times (Editor’s Pick)
On Thursday, China’s Communist Party revealed the new elite group of leaders who will guide China for the next 10 years. As expected, Xi Jinping, the son of a well-known revolutionary leader, will take over for departing party chief, Hu Jintao. Xi’s administration faces growing demand from Chinese elites to support greater “openness” in China’s economic and political systems, which some believe has been on the decline in the last decade. What do you think the future of China will look like in the next decade under this new administration? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below.

Burma Frees more than 450 Prisoners Before Barack Obama’s Visit – The Guardian
In what appears to be a goodwill gesture, the Burmese administration has freed over 450 detainees before U.S. president, Barack Obama’s historic visit. Obama is the the first U.S. President to visit Burma. None of the persons released were political prisoners. Obama’s visit comes after indications of goals to revamp U.S. foreign policy on the Asia-Pacific region with goals to roll back Chinese influence.

Romney’s Hispanic Chairman Says Candidate Made Mistakes – CNN

Carlos Gutierrez, head of Gov. Romney’s Latino outreach recently cited that Latino votes for Mr. Romney were low during this year’s Presidential election because the far right of the party controls the primary process. Gov. Romney had to take a harsh stand on immigration policy to win during the primaries which led to controversial ideas such as “self-deportation”. Gutierrez believes that this caused Latino voters to fear a Republican Party they felt was “anti-immigration” and xenophobic.