Castro misses birthday ceremony

Frail Cuban leader Fidel Castro has stayed away from the opening ceremony of his 80th birthday celebrations in Havana on doctors' orders.

A message apparently written by Mr Castro was read out saying he was not yet strong enough to attend the event.

President Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery at the end of July and has not been seen in public since.

He then temporarily handed over power to his brother Raul, and was last seen in a video on 28 October.

Since falling ill, he has only been seen in officially-sanctioned photographs and videos.

Reports in the US suggest that officials in Washington now believe Mr Castro is suffering from terminal cancer and may never recover.

Parade hope

The birthday festivities had been originally scheduled for August but were postponed.

They were rescheduled around 2 December, the 50th anniversary of the day Mr Castro and others landed in Cuba to start a guerrilla movement and eventually seize power in 1959.

There is speculation that he will attend a military parade in the capital on Saturday to mark that anniversary.

Bolivian President Evo Morales and the Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez are among some 1,500 notable guests heading to Cuba for the celebrations.

But if Mr Castro does not appear, many will wonder whether the president will ever return to power, says the BBC's Stephen Gibbs, in Havana.

'Challenging engagement'

Up to 5,000 people were packed into Havana's Karl Marx theatre when the president's note was read out.

In a note read from the stage to widespread applause, Mr Castro said his doctors had advised him not to appear before such a large crowd.

"It was only in the Karl Marx theatre that all guests could be seated but, according to the doctors, I was not yet ready for such a challenging engagement," he said.

The note did not rule out the possibility that he might appear at other events planned for later this week.

But it did veer off onto a range of other subjects, including a brief criticism of US President George W Bush and the voicing of concerns over the state of the global environment.

Those in the hall gave the absent author of the note a rapturous round of applause.

"I sign off with the great pain of not having been able to personally give you thanks and hugs to each and every one of you," the note read.

U.S. officials say Castro believed to have terminal cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government believes Fidel Castro's health is deteriorating and that the Cuban dictator is unlikely to live through 2007.

That dire view was reinforced last week when Cuba's foreign minister backed away from his prediction the ailing Castro would return to power by early December. "It's a subject on which I don't want to speculate," Felipe Perez Roque told The Associated Press in Havana.

U.S. government officials say there is still some mystery about Castro's diagnosis, his treatment and how he is responding. But these officials believe the 80-year-old leader has cancer of the stomach, colon or pancreas.

He was seen weakened and thinner in official state photos released late last month, and it is considered unlikely that he will return to power or survive through the end of next year, said the U.S. government and defense officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the politically sensitive topic.

With chemotherapy, Castro may live up to 18 months, said the defense official. Without it, expected survival would drop to three months to eight months.

American officials will not talk publicly about how they glean clues to Castro's health. But U.S. spy agencies include physicians who study pictures, video, public statements and other information coming out of Cuba.

A planned celebration of Castro's 80th birthday next month is expected to draw international attention. The Cuban leader had planned to attend the public event, which already had been postponed once from his Aug. 13 birthday.

Nicaraguan Voters Return Ortega To Power

(AP) Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist revolutionary who fought off a U.S.-backed insurgency in the 1980s, has won Nicaragua's presidential election, according to results released Tuesday.

With 91 percent of the vote counted, Ortega had 38 percent of the vote compared to 29 percent for Harvard-educated Eduardo Montealegre. Under Nicaraguan law, the winner must get 35 percent and have a five-percentage point lead to win the election outright and avoid a runoff.

Montealegre conceded the election, but said he and his party's lawmakers would spend the next five years ensuring that Ortega stayed true to his promises to support free trade and promote private business.

"We promise to continue our fight," he said.

Ortega was expected to speak later Tuesday.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Tuesday he'd been told that Washington would respond "positively and favorably" to whoever won the presidential election in Nicaragua �Edespite an earlier warning against a victory by Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega.

In Managua as an international election observer, Carter said he been given the assurance during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Rice's office confirmed that the two talked, but refused to give details.

President Carter, an International Observer to the elections, said, “All the candidates told us, including Daniel Ortega, that they would honor the results of the elections, and there were commitments made for reconciliation and eagerness to work harmoniously with the United States government."

Ortega's vice presidential candidate, Jaime Morales, told The Associated Press he was confident the Sandinistas had won and said Nicaragua's relationship with the United States would be "cordial, productive and respectful.

But he added, although he thought of the U.S. as a "great democracy" and a "great country," it didn't mean he agreed with the political decisions of its government.

Daniel Ortega, 60 and balding, says he isn't the same man who helped lead an uprising against Anastasio Somoza's dictatorship, then fought off the U.S.-backed Contra insurgency.

The former Marxist revolutionary spent most of the 1980s fighting a U.S.-backed Contra insurgency. He lost the presidency in the 1990 election, ending Sandinista rule and years of civil war. He's spent the past 16 years trying to get his old job back.

The Nicaraguan middle and upper classes have warned that Ortega would scare away investment, jeopardize U.S. relations and even plunge the country back into a civil war similar to that of the 1980s, when about 30,000 people were killed.

Some are preparing to flee to Miami or neighboring Costa Rica, haunted by memories of the uncontrollable inflation during Ortega's decade-long rule, when the dollar rose 33,000 percent against the local cordoba.

Morales said Ortega's government will focus on helping the poor as well as calming the fears of Nicaraguan business leaders and critics abroad, including the United States.

In Caracas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez praised Nicaraguan leftist leader Daniel Ortega on Tuesday for his apparent victory in the presidential election, saying it shows the rising power of the left in Latin America and a current of sentiment against U.S. influence.

The Venezuelan leader, one of U.S. President George W. Bush's most vehement opponents, has often expressed support for Ortega, whose Sandinistas once fought U.S.-backed Contra rebels.

Chavez also said he opposes the death penalty �Ewhether for former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein or anyone else �Eand added that if any leader should face a harsh sentence for genocide, it's President Bush.

Brazil re-elects President Lula

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been re-elected in a clear victory, polling more than 60% of the vote against rival Geraldo Alckmin.

In a victory speech, Lula said he would govern for all Brazilians and intensify efforts to alleviate poverty during his second four-year term.

"We will give attention to the most needy. The poor will have preference in our government," he said.

Lula narrowly failed to win in the first round, forcing Sunday's run-off.

In a speech in Sao Paulo, Lula promised to boost growth and reduce inequality to put Brazil on track to reach the ranks of developed nations.

"The foundation is in place, and now we have to get to work," he told crowds of supporters who had taken to the streets in celebration, waving Workers' Party flags.

Supporter Danusia Alves said: "For me it is a great happiness because we have a wonderful government. The people who were never taken care of now are being taken care of."

'Resounding victory'

Votes in Sunday's run-off were cast using electronic ballot boxes, allowing officials to deliver a swift result.

A partial count showed the incumbent president had 60% of the vote - an insurmountable lead. Shortly after, the head of Brazil's electoral court declared Lula re-elected.

The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Sao Paulo says it is a resounding victory for a man who was written off by many just over a year ago, when his Workers' Party was at the centre of a cash-for-votes scandal.

But Lula weathered that storm and another during the first phase of this campaign when party colleagues were again accused of corruption, our correspondent says.

Lula narrowly failed to win outright in the first round of voting on 1 October.

During the ensuing campaign the president suggested to voters that Mr Alckmin might scrap welfare benefits for the poor and privatise Brazil's remaining state companies.

Privatisation is generally viewed with suspicion in Brazil. Despite repeated denials by Mr Alckmin, the accusation undoubtedly cost him votes, our correspondent adds.

Deadlock in Latin America UN race

Voting in the fierce battle for one of Latin America's UN Security Council seats will go into a second day after delegates failed to end a deadlock.

After 10 rounds of voting neither of the leading nations, Guatemala and Venezuela, emerged as the victor in the election for the temporary seat.

Guatemala has forged ahead but is still short of the 124 votes needed to win.

Guatemala is backed by the US and Western diplomats over Venezuela - a strong critic of Washington.

Lobbying

The BBC's UN correspondent, Laura Trevelyan, says diplomats will now try to see whether enough of Venezuela's votes can be transferred to Guatemala for victory or whether a compromise candidate can come through with enough votes to win.

Costa Rica, Panama and Uruguay could emerge in the compromise.

The race has been the most dramatic at the Security Council since Cuba ran against Colombia in 1979, at the height of the Cold War, our correspondent says.

Guatemala was ahead in the early rounds of Monday's voting. Venezuela then drew level but in the final rounds it slipped back.

Round 10 ended with 77 votes for Venezuela to 110 for Guatemala, leaving Guatemala short of the two-thirds majority required. Further voting is set for Tuesday.

The US has warned that the work of the Security Council will become impossible if Venezuela wins and denounces President George W Bush at every turn.

Venezuela says every vote cast for it is a vote of conscience for the developing world.

Venezuela's UN ambassador Francisco Arias Cardenas blamed its performance in the vote on lobbying by the US.

"We're not competing with our brother country [Guatemala]," he said. "We are competing with the most powerful country on the planet."

Diplomats told Associated Press news agency that the campaign of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have hurt his country's chances.

President Chavez denounced George W Bush as "the devil" in a speech at the UN last month.

Rotated

With Iran, Darfur and North Korea on the agenda of the council in the coming months, a position on the Security Council gives some influence over key decisions.

Five of the UN Security Council seats are held permanently by China, the US, Russia, the UK and France.

The others are held by regional blocs from Africa, Latin America, Asia, Western Europe and Eastern Europe.

Other regional seats, which are rotated every two years, went to Indonesia, South Africa, Italy and Belgium in the first round of voting.

The 1979 battle between Cuba and Colombia took three months of voting to resolve, with Mexico eventually winning as the compromise candidate.

Venezuela rejects US apologies

Venezuela has made a formal complaint to the US authorities and the United Nations after its foreign minister was detained at a New York airport.

The US state department has apologised to Nicolas Maduro who was detained for 90 minutes at New York's JFK airport as he travelled home.

He had been attending this week's UN General Assembly meeting.

He said he was verbally abused and strip-searched in what he said was a "flagrant breach of international law".

President Hugo Chavez described Mr Maduro's detention as a provocation.

Our correspondent Pascale Harter says the apology has done little to ease the tense relations between the two countries.

Mr Maduro said the US apology was not enough.

"We were detained during an hour and a half, threatened by police with being beaten," he told reporters at Venezuela's mission to the UN. "We hold the US government responsible."

US authorities initially denied Mr Maduro had been detained and his documents seized, saying he had simply been asked to go through a second security screening.

The US state department later confirmed the incident had taken place and apologised.

"The state department can confirm there was an incident with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro at JFK airport in New York," a spokesman said.

"The state department regrets this incident. The United States government apologised to Foreign Minister Maduro and the Venezuelan government."

Coup questions

President Chavez earlier said Mr Maduro had been questioned about his alleged role in a failed Venezuelan coup attempt in 1992, led by Mr Chavez.

US officials said airport security had questioned him, and diplomatic security was then sent to resolve the issue.

This latest episode shows that even small difficulties between the two governments are likely to trigger full-blown diplomatic rows, says the BBC's Greg Morsbach in Caracas.

Iran and Venezuela bolster ties

Iran and Venezuela have signed a string of bilateral agreements at the start of Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the Latin American country.

Mr Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez signed accords including oil exploration and car production.

President Chavez said the visit would strengthen the strategic alliance between the two states.

The Iranian leader was earlier welcomed to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, with full military honours.

Iran and Venezuela have emerged as leaders of a growing anti-US front of developing countries.

'Common interests'

The BBC's Greg Morsbach in Caracas says both leaders define themselves as revolutionaries and the 29 agreements they have signed are, in their own words, designed to drive forward those revolutions.

The deals include the creation of a joint petrochemical and steel company and a shared firm for the exploration of petroleum.

In addition, Iran and Venezuela are to start building a car plant to produce affordable family cars, designed to appeal to consumers in developing nations.

Our correspondent says there has been plenty of talk by both men of creating a world without the dominance of one single power.

On arrival at Caracas airport, President Ahmadinejad took Mr Chavez's hands and said: "I salute all the revolutionaries who oppose world hegemony."

He added: "The distance between our countries may be a bit far, but the hearts and thoughts are very close.

"We have a common thinking, common interests."

'Seeking balance'

President Chavez paid tribute to Iran's Islamic form of government and said it was high time Islam was no longer demonised in the world as a religion.

Mr Chavez said the two countries sought "a union that seeks a balance in the world and to save the future of your children, my children and our grandchildren".

Iran is backing Venezuela's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council.

Mr Ahmadinejad is expected to lobby for his nation's nuclear programme, which he insists is for peaceful purposes, at this week's UN General Assembly in New York.

The US and other Western nations fear Iran is trying to make nuclear weapons.

At the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Cuba which both leaders recently attended, Mr Chavez said he would defend Iran. He said it was "under threat" of invasion, after it ignored UN demands to suspend uranium enrichment.

Doubt over Castro's public return

There is confusion in Cuba over whether President Fidel Castro is to make his first public appearance this week after surgery for intestinal problems.

One official timetable says Mr Castro will host a dinner for the Non-Aligned Movement next Friday.

But Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said he could not be certain that the 80-year-old leader would attend.

Mr Castro handed temporary power to his brother in July, prompting speculation that his 47-year rule was nearly over.

A Cuban statement last week said he was over the worst of his illness.

Details of the ailment have been a state secret, although photographs of Mr Castro meeting Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez in hospital were released last month to quell fears that he had died.

He has met Mr Chavez three times since his surgery and also held a private meeting last week with Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Fringe meetings

A handwritten statement published in state newspaper Granma last week revealed that Mr Castro had lost more than 18kgs (40lbs) during the illness but was now getting better.

"One can say that the most critical moment is behind us. Today, I am recovering at a satisfactory pace," he wrote.

An official schedule of the Non-Aligned Movement meeting released on Sunday said that Mr Castro would attend a welcoming dinner for visiting leaders at 2030 local time on Friday (0030 GMT).

But the foreign minister said that that was not certain, adding that if Fidel Castro could not attend, his brother, acting president Raul Castro, would do so instead.

A statement earlier this week suggested that Mr Castro would hold several small and private fringe meetings with visiting leaders during the summit, although no details were given in Sunday's schedule.

Most observers believe that if he is healthy enough to appear in public in the next few days, he will.

Cuba is taking over chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement from Malaysia.

The grouping brings together leaders and dignitaries from 116 developing nations.

Among those attending the meeting are UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, and Bashar Assad of Syria, as well as Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh of India and Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand.

Bush calls for democracy in Cuba

US President George W Bush has urged Cubans to work for democratic change in his first public comments since Fidel Castro had stomach surgery on Monday.

He pledged Washington's support for Cubans who sought to "build a transitional government in Cuba committed to democracy".

The US has blockaded Cuba since Mr Castro took power in the 1960s.

Since Mr Castro passed power to his brother Raul, three days ago, no images have been released of either man.

Street interviews with the members of the Cuban public have been repeatedly broadcast on Cuban government-controlled television.

The interviewees have been wishing Fidel Castro a speedy recovery, and voicing their total confidence in Raul Castro, who is currently Cuba's acting president.

Some Cubans are beginning to wonder what might be going on behind the scenes here, reports the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Havana.

The question of Raul Castro's non-appearance remains unanswered.

Inevitably, there are also plenty of rumours going about as to the real state of Fidel Castro's health, our correspondent says.

'Take note'

In a written statement issued on his way to his summer retreat in Texas, Mr Bush also warned that the US would "take note of those, in the current Cuban regime, who obstruct [Cubans'] desire for a free Cuba".

The US is home to a large Cuban exile community based in Miami, much of which is hostile to the communist authorities in their home country.

Cuban media have been stressing that the armed forces are ready for any attack on the communist system.

Earlier, the US state department criticised the "imposition" of Raul Castro as acting leader of Cuba.

The move "denies the Cuban people of their right to freely elect their government," spokesman Sean McCormack said.

He added that Washington stood ready to support any "genuine transition" with humanitarian relief.

'Stop the hate'

Juanita Castro - estranged younger sister of the ailing Cuban leader - has hit out at the celebrations that have been taking place in Miami following news of his ill-health.

Ms Castro, who has been in exile in the US since the 1960s, told the BBC from Miami that she thought images of celebrations in the city were damaging "the cause, the country and the exiles".

It was time to stop the hate, she said.

She also said she had heard from sources close to her brother that he was out of intensive care and in a stable condition.

Some people in Miami believe the Cuban leader is dead.

'Punishing schedule'

The Cuban leader, who turns 80 this month, has been quoted as saying that a punishing schedule in recent weeks had affected his health.

It is not clear whether he is in hospital or recovering at home.

This is the first time Mr Castro has relinquished any of his duties as head of the communist state since he came to power in 1959.

Fidel Castro has been among the world's longest-ruling leaders, outlasting nine US presidents.

Castro 'feels fine' after surgery

Cuban leader Fidel Castro says he is in a stable condition and good spirits following surgery, according to a statement read on Cuban TV.

"I feel perfectly fine," Mr Castro was quoted as saying.

On Monday he handed power temporarily to his brother Raul, to recover from his treatment for internal bleeding.

Earlier the Cuban leader, who turns 80 this month, was quoted as saying that a punishing schedule in recent weeks had affected his health.

It is not clear whether he is in hospital or recovering at home.

The statement expressed gratitude for the good wishes Mr Castro had received from around the world, and urged Cubans to maintain their daily routines.

"Everyone needs to struggle, and work," he is quoted as saying.

This is the first time Mr Castro has relinquished any of his duties as head of the communist state since he came to power in 1959.

The BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Havana says most Cubans are taking the news of their leader's sickness in their stride.

The White House has said it is monitoring events while Cuban exiles have been celebrating in Miami.

Raul Castro, the 75-year-old defence minister, has long been designated as his brother's successor should he become incapacitated.

'Normal for now'

Fidel Castro has been among the world's longest-ruling leaders, outlasting nine US presidents.

Shops and offices are open in Havana and there is no sign of extra security, our correspondent says.

Ricardo Alarcon, Cuba's parliamentary speaker, sought to play down the gravity of the leader's condition.

Castro steps aside after surgery

Veteran Cuban leader Fidel Castro has temporarily handed power to his brother Raul because of illness.

A statement written by the president and read out on TV by his personal secretary said Mr Castro had undergone surgery to halt internal bleeding.

The Cuban leader, who turns 80 next month, said a punishing schedule in recent weeks had affected his health.

This is the first time Mr Castro has relinquished any of his duties since he came to power in 1959.

Raul Castro, the defence minister, has long been designated as his successor should he become incapacitated.

Cuba has a communist, one-party system.

Stress

In his statement, Fidel Castro said his operation had forced him to take several weeks' rest.

He said stress caused by a recent trip to Argentina and last week's anniversary of the Cuban Revolution had contributed to his ill-health.

Raul Castro, 75, will temporarily act as both president and first secretary of the Communist Party.

The BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Havana says the fact that the Cuban leader did not appear in person to read the letter has added to speculation about the gravity of his condition.

A major celebration had been planned for 13 August - his 80th birthday - but the event has now been postponed until December.

Handing over the reins of power will be a shock to many Cubans, 70% of whom have known no other leader, our correspondent adds.

Fidel Castro has been among the world's longest-ruling leaders - outlasting nine US presidents.

Castro lands for Mercosur summit

Cuban President Fidel Castro has arrived in Argentina for a meeting of the regional trade pact, Mercosur.

Mr Castro, who turns 80 in August and has rarely been seen in public in recent months, arrived in Cordoba late on Thursday wearing a military uniform.

Critics say that his infrequent public appearances are a sign of failing health, but Cuban officials deny this.

Mr Castro met Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, a new member of Mercosur, shortly after arriving in Argentina.

Cuba is not a member of Mercosur, but reports say Mr Castro will sign a trade agreement with the bloc.

Earlier this month, the court backed Uruguay's plans to build the mill near an Argentine river. Argentina has voiced concerns about the potential environmental costs of the venture.

Bolivia wants to talk to Chile about access to the sea while another lively meeting will involve Mr Chavez and the outgoing Peruvian president, Alejandro Toledo, who have been hurling insults at one another.

A planned transcontinental oil and gas pipeline and the price of Bolivian gas are also on the agenda.

Cordoba was once the home of the Argentine revolutionary, and Fidel Castro's comrade-in-arms, Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

Last month, Uruguay's president Tabare Vazquez criticised Mercosur - which was founded in 1991 - saying it did not work in its current form and only benefited Argentina and Brazil.

Brazil 'surprised' over Menezes

Brazil has expressed its disappointment over the decision not to prosecute any police officer involved in the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

Mr de Menezes, a 27-year-old Brazilian, died at Stockwell station in London on 22 July last year after police mistook him for a suicide bomber.

Manoel Gomes Perreira, Brazil's ambassador to the UK, said he was surprised by the decision.

The Metropolitan Police will be charged under health and safety laws instead.

Mr Gomes Perreira said the Brazilian government would continue to do whatever it could for the family of Mr de Menezes.

On Monday, the Crown Prosecution Service said there was "insufficient evidence" to prosecute any individual over the death of the electrician.

'Unbelievable'

Alex Pereira, a cousin of Mr Menezes, who was shot seven times in the head, said: "It's unbelievable what they sent to us today because we had to wait for a year and it was a hard year for us."

Reacting to the CPS decision over health and safety, the Met Police said in a statement it was "concerned and clearly disappointed".

But on the decision not to prosecute individual officers it was "pleased for the officers and their families who have faced much uncertainty over the last year".

On 22 July 2005, a surveillance team had been monitoring a block of flats in Tulse Hill, south London, where Mr Menezes lived, in the belief that a man wanted in connection with the previous day's attempted suicide bombings in London resided there.

When Mr Menezes emerged from the flats, he was wrongly identified as the suspect and followed to Stockwell, where he was shot as he boarded a Tube train.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report, handed to the CPS in January but not yet made public, is said to be highly critical of the surveillance operation and police control room staff.

Thousands demand Aristide return

Thousands of people have demonstrated in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, demanding the return of exiled former President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Supporters chanted "Aristide or death!" and "Aristide's blood is our blood!" as they marched to the National Palace on the ex-leader's 53rd birthday.

Mr Aristide fled an armed revolt two years ago and is in South Africa.

President Rene Preval had said during this year's election campaign he would consider allowing him to return home.

However, the US has warned this could destabilise the country.

Political prisoners

Saturday's march was largely peaceful although there were some stand-offs with riot police.

One of the rally's organisers, Andre Michelet, said: "We voted for Rene Preval to obtain the return of our leader."

Mr Preval won the presidential poll in February to become the first elected leader since Mr Aristide.

Demonstrator Harold Lafaliese told Associated Press news agency: "The international community doesn't want Aristide to come back, so they're pressuring Preval to keep him out."

The demonstration has added to the pressure on Mr Preval, who has also faced a resurgence of gang violence that left 20 people dead in the past week.

Saturday's protesters demanded the release of political prisoners held under the regime of Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, who took over after Mr Aristide fled.

US in $80m 'Cuba democracy' plan

US President George W Bush has approved an $80m (£43m) fund towards boosting democracy in Cuba.

The president said the fund would help the Cuban people in their "transition from repressive control to freedom".

The fund is part of proposals put forward by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, which is considering a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.

A draft version of the proposals, released last week, drew strong criticism from Cuban officials.

In a statement, the president said: "I approved a Compact with the People of Cuba, which outlines how the United States will support the Cuban people as they transition from the repressive control of the Castro regime to freedom and a genuine democracy.

"The report demonstrates that we are actively working for change in Cuba, not simply waiting for change," the statement said.

Strained relations

The report also includes other measures such as enforcing sanctions already in place against the communist regime and 'providing uncensored information' for Cubans who want change.

The Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba includes US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez on its panel.

Ties between the US and Cuba have steadily become strained since Fidel Castro took power in 1959 and the two nations have not had diplomatic ties since then.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro turns 80 in August.

Argentina talks tough over new claim to the Falkland Islands From Fiona McCann in Buenos Aires

ARGENTINA has given a warning of �ga drastic change�h in its quest for sovereignty over the Falklands. It has also accused Britain of bad faith for failing to enter substantive talks on the future of the islands over which the two countries went to war 24 years ago. The Government of Nestor Kirchner has indicated that it will take a hardline approach on issues such as fishing and oil exploration rights in pressing Argentina�fs claim to the South Atlantic islands — a move that marks a significant deterioration in relations with Britain.

More than a thousand people died in the conflict that followed Argentina�fs invasion of the islands in 1982. Margaret Thatcher sent a naval taskforce to the South Atlantic and the three-month conflict ended with Argentina�fs surrender on June 14. Yesterday Britain announced plans for a �gmajor celebration�h to mark the 25th anniversary of the liberation next year. That is likely to include a service of remembrance at the islands�f capital, Port Stanley.

Argentina�fs tougher approach to the sovereignty issue will cast doubts on moves to improve relations between Buenos Aires and Port Stanley. Argentina, which has blocked attempts to set up extra charter flights to the islands, is likely also to restrict co-operation on fishing and oil exploration. Señor Kirchner, who is expected to win re-election next year, has told ministers that he will abandon the so-called �gsovereignty umbrella�h agreed by former President Menem, under which Argentina agreed to set aside claims over the Falklands to facilitate accords on fishing, oil exploration and transport. Señor Menem and Guido Di Tella, his Foreign Minister, had sought to eradicate the legacy of Argentina�fs military dictatorship and the invasion to gain the goodwill of the islanders.

But Buenos Aires has grown impatient with London�fs refusal to enter negotiations over sovereignty, believing that Britain has abused its position to exploit fishing rights at the expense of Argentine trawlers. Of particular concern to the Argentinians was the extension of British-issued fishing licences, some of which will be valid for up to 25 years after they are renewed next month. Now Argentina is preparing to embark on a public relations offensive to win support for its claim to the islands it knows as Las Malvinas. On Thursday Señor Kirchner will launch a parliamentary commission on the Falklands, to comprise politicians and academics. The commission, which enjoys crossparty support, will be charged with developing the sovereignty claim and promoting the cause abroad.

Diplomats have been instructed to make the Falklands a priority, helping to keep the claim prominent on international agendas. They will present foreign counterparts with a DVD setting out the claim and Britain�fs �gnon-fulfilment�h of agreements established at the end of the conflict. But last night the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that Britain�fs position towards the disputed islands would not be swayed by the initiative. �gThe UK will not negotiate on sovereignty unless and until the islanders wish it,�h a spokesman said. �gWe remain committed to co-operation work on a bilateral agenda to the benefit of all, including Argentina.�h

Last month Howard Pearce, the Governor of the Falklands, said that those living on the islands were still committed to remaining part of the UK. In his annual address he said: �gPressure (from Argentina) will prove utterly counter-productive. Falkland islanders are united in their wish to remain British.�h But the Argentine Government rejects the claim that the islanders have a right to self-determination. Jorge Taiana, the Foreign Minister, contends that they had been �gplanted�h on what he called �gsovereign Argentine territory�h.

Earlier this month Señor Taiana spoke before the UN�fs Decolonisation Committee, pushing for the ratification of a resolution calling for sovereignty negotiations to be resumed. He said that Argentina was prepared to co-operate with Britain on practical issues as long as it created the conditions to resume sovereignty negotiations. The committee unanimously approved a resolution from Chile insisting that Britain should resume negotiations, and renewed its support for the UN Secretary-General to embark on a goodwill mission between the two countries.

Yesterday the British Embassy in Buenos Aires declined to comment on reports that Argentina was reformulating its policy on the islands. �gIt is up to the Argentine Government to comment on whether these media reports are true,�h the spokesman said. The policy shift by Señor Kirchner�fs Government comes as campaigning kicks off for the 2007 presidential elections. Señor Kirchner, whose populist policies have garnered him record approval ratings since he took power in 2002, has consistently affirmed Argentina�fs claim to the Falklands. He raised the issue with Tony Blair as far back as 2003.

Bolivia protest over Cuba medics

Doctors in the Bolivian capital La Paz have staged a protest against an influx of Cuban medics offering free care in poor and rural parts of the country.

The doctors, whose protest included offering free treatment themselves, say the Cubans take jobs away from unemployed Bolivian doctors.

They want the Bolivian government to subsidise the national medical service, so it is free at the point of delivery.

But the Bolivian President Evo Morales has accused the doctors of selfishness.

Over 1,000 doctors are reported to have been dispatched by Cuba to provide health services in Bolivia, along with several thousand in Venezuela.

Cuba has reportedly equipped some 20 Bolivian hospitals and is behind Operation Miracle, a drive to operate on the eyes of 14,000 Bolivians with cataracts.

'Foreign influence'

Thursday's protest was the second organised by doctors from the Medical College of La Paz.

The college president Eduardo Chavez, a driving force behind both protests, said "a fundamental social pillar such as the health of a people" should not be left in the hands of foreigners.

He complained that Bolivian doctors were not being given opportunities to join the ranks of the Cuban doctors working in poor, undeveloped areas of Bolivia - one of the poorest countries in the world.

And he said the recently elected government of Mr Morales should focus their efforts on providing healthcare free at the point of delivery.

The protest comes amid growing criticism by opposition politicians of what they say is the influence of the Cuban government in Bolivia.

'Medical inroads'

But Mr Morales has accused the doctors of acting selfishly and against the interests of Bolivia's most disadvantaged people.

Deputy Health Minister Juan Alberto Nogales said Bolivia's health indices were among "the worst in Latin America, if not the world", and were a permanent preoccupation for the government, according to the news agency Efe.

"In those places where we are supporting our Cuban colleagues there has never been a medical service," he said, rejecting the doctors' assertion that the Cubans were taking away jobs.

Chile students clash with police

Police in Chile have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of secondary school students in Santiago who are pressing for education reforms.

Many students were held in the capital and hundreds of schools remained closed across Chile as at least 400,000 students are staging a national strike.

They are demanding a new curriculum, free use of public transport, and the scrapping of exam fees.

The government is now meeting protest leaders to hear their demands.

The strike - the largest in the country for decades - is seen by many as a big test for the new President, Michelle Bachelet.

School takeovers

The rally in Santiago started peacefully, with thousands of students marching and dancing in the streets of the capital.

But later some of the demonstrators clashed with police, who used water cannons and fired tear gas to scatter them.

"We are protesting on behalf of our school," Bernardo Ferrada, 15, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

"The bathrooms are disgusting, you can't even take a shower in the locker room, and they don't do anything about it," he said.

Students in Valparaiso, Concepcion and other cities also staged marches to demand changes to the education system.

Protests began several weeks ago when students took over several schools in Santiago, and the strike later became nationwide.

Demands

Students are challenging the foundations on which much of the school curriculum is based, the BBC's Americas reporter Will Grant says.

The Constitutional Teaching Law, as it is called, is a throwback to the Pinochet era, and both students and teachers want it comprehensively reformed.

The students also have a number of more practical demands.

They must pay a fee of about $40 (£21) to sit their university entrance exams, a price which many poorer students cannot afford.

They are also demanding a shorter school day, saying that a recently proposed eight-hour day is unreasonable.

Last, they want free travel on public transport. Reports say the daughter of President Bachelet will be joining her classmates on the picket line.

Ms Bachelet herself has said she is sympathetic to many of the demands and agrees with the fundamental need to improve the Chilean education system.

The last big protest was in 1972 when a number of student groups challenged the then-President Salvador Allende over his socialist policies.

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Hemingway papers link Cuba and US

Cuba is sending the US copies of more than 20,000 papers relating to the Nobel Prize winning American writer Ernest Hemingway.

The move is part of a deal on restoring Hemingway's legacy that, correspondents say, has united the usually feuding governments of Havana and Washington.

The papers sent to the US Library of Congress include copies of Hemingway's letters and some of his famous novels.

Hemingway spent much of his time living in Cuba between 1939 and 1960.

Marta Arjona, the head of Cuba's National Heritage Council, said the documents being sent to the US amounted to an "invaluable" gift relating to that period.

She told Cuba's Communist Party newspaper Granma that the move was part of an agreement, reached in 2002, to restore and digitalise some 11,000 documents relating to Hemingway.

The documents sent include copies of letters in which Hemingway outlines his stance on World War Two and the Spanish Civil War.

Copies of his novels, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea - inspired by his time in Cuba - have also been sent to the US.

The originals are expected to remain at a museum at the writer's former house in Havana, Cuba.

Under the agreement, US experts have travelled to Cuba to help restore the museum, Ms Arjona said.

But she pointed out that Cuba had met all the costs of the restoration.

The museum, the Museo Ernest Hemingway, is in the house where the novelist lived while he was in Havana.

Established in 1962, it houses the writer's furniture and personal possessions, as well as works of art and books.

Bush unveils border guard boost

US President George Bush is to send up to 6,000 National Guard troops to boost Mexican border patrols in a bid to curb illegal immigration.

It is among the plans he is revealing in a televised speech.

There are an estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants in the US, about half of them of Mexican origin.

Observers say Mr Bush hopes being tough on future illegal immigration could help to win Republican backing to give an amnesty to those already on US soil.

Mexican President Vicente Fox has voiced concern over the plans, but the White House has denied it amounts to militarisation along the 2,000-mile (3,219km) border.

The immigration issue has sparked fierce debate in the US and is high on the agenda as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress in November's mid-term elections.

'Dramatic improvements'

Mr Bush was set to address how the US should deal with border security and what should happen to the millions of illegal immigrants already in the country.

"We do not yet have full control of the border and I am determined to change that," he said in remarks released in advance.

"Tonight I am calling on Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border."

Under his proposal, the National Guard would act as temporary support for existing patrols, White House officials said.

Civilian patrol agents would maintain primary responsibility for guarding the border, while National Guard soldiers would help in areas such as construction, surveillance and transportation, they said.

Officials did not reveal how long it would take to boost the border patrol to the point where National Guard troops would no longer be needed, nor the nature of funding for the operation.

In his 20-minute speech, Mr Bush is also expected to mention the need for immigrants to learn English and assimilate into American culture if they are to become citizens.

Before the deployment plan was announced, some Republicans defended the proposal, while others from both major parties questioned whether such a move would overstretch the US military.

The speech comes as Congress considers plans to reform immigration laws.

Last week the House of Representatives backed an amendment to another bill allowing the military to be used for border issues.

A bill passed last year by the House includes provisions to make illegal immigration a felony and to bolster border security.

However a Senate bill, currently stalled, would allow illegal immigrants to apply for citizenship and set up a guest worker programme, which is favoured by Mr Bush.

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Attacks in Brazil leave 30 dead

At least 30 people including police and off-duty prison guards have been killed in a spate of overnight attacks in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

At least two civilians were among the dead and at least 30 people were injured in 55 separate attacks.

The authorities are blaming a criminal faction known as the First Command of the Capital (PCC) for the violence.

Correspondents say the wave of attacks could be a response to Friday's mass jail transfer involving PCC inmates.

The transfer of around 600 prisoners to a maximum security unit was organised to try to counter a co-ordinated rebellion planned by the PCC for the weekend in a number of prisons in Sao Paulo state.

Separately, PCC leaders were moved to police headquarters in Sao Paulo.

Revolts have nevertheless broken out in more than 20 state jails, but a state official, quoted by AP news agency, said most were minor.

Pools of blood

PCC leaders were being questioned on the subject when the attacks started on Friday night, targeting police officers in police stations, mobile units, at their homes or in bars.

As well as in the city of Sao Paulo, they took place in the suburbs of Osasco, Guarulhos and Carapicuiba, and in the coastal cities of Cubatao and Guaruja.

Local TV footage showed scenes of bullet-hole-riddled police cars and stations with pools of blood in seats and on the pavement.

Police officials said they would not be intimidated.

"The police will not retreat from these attacks," Sao Paulo State Security Secretary Saulo de Castro Abreu Filho told local TV.

"They have struck at the spinal cord... of our security."

Founded in 1993, the PCC has been involved in drugs and arms trafficking, kidnappings, bank robberies, and prison breaks and rebellions, police say.

In November 2003, the gang attacked more than 50 police stations, killing three police officers and wounding 12.

Those attacks were thought to have been orchestrated by PCC leaders in jail.

Brazil joins world's nuclear club

Brazil has joined the select group of countries with the capability of enriching uranium as a means of generating energy.

A new centrifuge facility was formally opened on Friday at the Resende nuclear plant in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian government says its technology is some of the most advanced in the world.

The official opening follows lengthy negotiations with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

Brazil has some of the largest reserves of uranium in the world but until now the ore has had to be shipped abroad for enrichment - the process which produces nuclear fuel.

In future some of that enrichment will take place in Brazil.

The government says that within a decade the country will be able to meet all its nuclear energy needs.

Brazilian scientists insist their technology is superior to that of existing nuclear powers. They claim the type of centrifuge in use at Resende will be 25 times more efficient than facilities in France or the United States.

Safeguards

Sensitivity over that technology led to a standoff two years ago with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN watchdog.

Keen to protect its commercial secrets, Brazil was reluctant to give inspectors full access to its facilities and politically the negotiations were complicated by simultaneous concerns about Iran's nuclear plans.

But in the end Brazil and the IAEA agreed a system of safeguards to ensure that the new facilities would not be channelled into weapons production.

Friday's opening at Resende is being hailed as a major step forward in Brazil's development and it comes amid renewed concerns about energy supplies in South America.

Last week Bolivia announced plans to nationalise its gas reserves, prompting fears of price rises. As a big importer of Bolivian gas, Brazil sees nuclear energy as one of several strategic alternatives.

Leftist trio seals Americas pact

The left-wing leaders of Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela have signed a three-way trade agreement aimed at countering US influence in Latin America.

The pact was signed in Cuba by Bolivian President Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, and their host Fidel Castro.

The initiative, the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, was drawn up by Cuba and Venezuela.

Mr Morales, an ally of both Mr Castro and Mr Chavez, decided to join it after his election last December.

The initiative - known by its Spanish acronym Alba - is being promoted as a socialist alternative to the Washington-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

The deal aims to reduce or eliminate tariffs between the three countries. But apart from this, it is very unlike conventional trade agreements, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Havana says.

Participants have vowed to work towards the eradication of illiteracy and the expansion of employment.

Cuba has promised to help Bolivia provide free eye treatment to those Bolivians who otherwise would not be able to afford it.

Venezuela has agreed to provide at preferential rates all the subsidised oil Bolivia requires for its domestic consumption.

More takers?

Our correspondent says closer integration between oil-rich Venezuela and gas-rich Bolivia will give the new pact added weight.

The question now is who else they can persuade to join, he adds.

After the signing, Fidel Castro said: "Now, for the first time, there are three of us - I believe that, one day, all [Latin American] countries can be here."

After his arrival in Cuba on Friday, Mr Morales said the meeting was a was a "historic gathering of three generations and three revolutions".

Mr Chavez has vowed to create economic and political unity in South America without the help of Washington.

Earlier this month he took Venezuela out of the South American trade bloc, the Andean Community of Nations, saying it was overly aligned with the US.

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Bush criticises Spanish US anthem

George Bush has entered a row about the US national anthem, criticising a Spanish version featuring Wyclef John and Gloria Trevi.

"I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English," he said when asked at a news conference.

But Adam Kidron, the British-born producer behind Nuestro Himno, said: "There's no intent to usurp anything."

"I wanted to show my thanks to these people who buy my records... and do the jobs I don't want to do," he added.

The record is released in the US on Friday.

The song also drew derision from Mark Krakorian, head of a US think-tank called the Center for Immigration Studies.

"Would the French accept people signing the La Marseillaise in English as a sign of patriotism? Of course not."

Controversy

A remix version due to go on sale in June will contain several lines in English that criticise US immigration law, such as: "These kids have no parents, 'cause of all these mean laws... let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."

Bryanna Bevens who writes for a web magazine about immigration called Vdare.com, said she was unhappy with the remix.

"It's very whiny. If you want to say all those things, by all means, put them on a poster board, but don't put them on the national anthem," she said.

Hip hop star Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez, also features on the track.

He said the US was built by immigrants and "the meaning of the American dream is in that record: struggle, freedom, opportunity, everything they are trying to shut down on us".

Urban Box Office records, who are releasing the single, are urging Hispanic radio stations to play the track at 7pm EDT (2300 BST) on Friday as a sign of solidarity.

James Gardner of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History said Americans have long enjoyed different versions of the Star Spangled Banner, including gospel and country interpretations.

"There are a number of renditions that people aren't happy with, but that's part of it - that it means enough for people to try to sing."

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Brazil follows Iran's nuclear path, but without the fuss

Brazil — like Iran — has signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and Brazil's constitution bans the military use of nuclear energy.

Also like Iran, Brazil has cloaked key aspects of its nuclear technology in secrecy while insisting the program is for peaceful purposes, claims nuclear weapons experts have debunked.

While Brazil is more cooperative than Iran on international inspections, some worry its new enrichment capability — which eventually will create more fuel than is needed for its two nuclear plants — suggests that South America's biggest nation may be rethinking its commitment to non-proliferation.

"Brazil is following a path very similar to Iran, but Iran is getting all the attention," said Marshall Eakin, a Brazil expert at Vanderbilt University. "In effect, Brazil is benefiting from Iran's problems."

While Iran leads a war of words against nuclear-armed Israel and has defied a U.N. Security Council request to stop all uranium enrichment, Brazil is peaceful and democratic. It doesn't have border disputes, is not in an arms race, and strives for good relations with all nations. Its last war ended in 1870.

"Brazil doesn't cheat on the Non-proliferation Treaty and it does not exist in an area of high tension," said David Albright, a former U.N. inspector who runs the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.

The U.S. Embassy in the capital, Brasilia, referred all questions to the State Department in Washington, where spokesman Sean McCormack dismissed any parallel between Brazil's nuclear program and Iran's.

"My understanding is they have a peaceful nuclear program," he said Thursday.

Still, Brazil's enrichment program — and its reluctance to allow unlimited inspections — has raised suspicions abroad.

"Brazil is beginning to be perceived as a country apparently wanting to reevaluate its commitment to non-proliferation, and this is a big part of the problem," said Jon Wolfsthal, deputy director for non-proliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

The government-run Industrias Nucleares do Brasil S.A. has been conducting final tests at the enrichment plant, built on a former coffee plantation in Resende, 90 miles west of Rio de Janeiro. When it opens this year, Brazil will join the world's nuclear elite.

Brazil has the world's sixth-largest uranium reserves, but until the plant becomes operational, it can't use the fuel for energy without shipping it to and from URENCO, the European enrichment consortium.

Brazil says its plant will be capable of enriching natural uranium to less than 5% uranium-235, an isotope needed to fuel its two reactors. Warheads need ore that has been enriched to 95% uranium-235, a material Brazil says it can't and won't produce.

"If you can enrich to 5%, you're decades away from enriching to 90%," Udayr Dias Goncalves, president of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission, told The Associated Press. "You need a whole new technology that we don't have."

But former U.N. inspector Albright said he worked with Goncalves at the Brazilian Physics Society on a project to show that the Brazilian centrifuges could be used to produce highly enriched uranium, even if that wasn't their intended use.

"Centrifuges are very flexible," he said. "Reconfiguring the cascades or recycling the enriched uranium multiple times can allow for the production of weapons-grade uranium."

Brazilian leaders insist the fuel will be used for the nation's $1 billion nuclear energy industry. Already Latin America's biggest nuclear power provider, Brazil plans up to seven new atomic plants to reduce its dependence on oil and hydroelectric power and plans to export enriched uranium to provide energy for other countries.

Brazil initially refused inspections by the International Atomic Energy Association, arguing that providing full access to its state-of-the-art, Brazilian-designed centrifuges would put it at risk of industrial espionage. Since then, IAEA inspectors have visited the plant many times, monitoring the uranium that comes in and out, but they're still prevented from seeing the actual centrifuges, which are covered with opaque screens.

The IAEA inspectors have said they're satisfied no material is being diverted. Brazilian physicist Jose Goldemberg said Brazil won't be able to produce enriched uranium for export until 2014.

Brazil had great nuclear ambitions during a 1964-85 military dictatorship, when it built the two nuclear energy plants, worked to develop a nuclear submarine and had secret plans to test an atomic bomb in a 1,000-foot-deep, concrete-and steel-lined hole in the Amazon jungle. That idea was formally scrapped in 1990, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell declared in 2004 that "we know for sure that Brazil is not thinking about nuclear weapons in any sense."

But Brazil's nuclear ambitions have been rekindled under leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in part, analysts say, because joining the nuclear club would boost Brazil's status internationally and possibly earn it a permanent seat on the Security Council.

What is really at stake in both Brazil and Iran is self-image, Goldemberg said. "It's nationalism, pride. That's the real reason," he said.

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Venezuela head accuses US envoy

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has threatened to expel the US ambassador to the country after accusing him of "provoking" a recent demonstration.

Last week ambassador William Brownfield's convoy was pelted with eggs, onions and tomatoes and chased by supporters of the president.

The US accused officials in the capital Caracas of condoning the attack, but the mayor's office has denied this.

Mr Chavez told Mr Brownfield to "start packing" before he "kicks him out".

"I'm going to throw you out of Venezuela if you continue provoking the Venezuelan people," Chavez said in a nationally televised speech.

President Chavez said Mr Brownfield was partially responsible for the incident because he failed to advise the local authorities or the foreign ministry of his travel plans.

Mr Brownfield was visiting a low-income neighbourhood in Caracas to donate baseball equipment to underprivileged children.

Strained relations

The US under secretary of state warned Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez of severe diplomatic consequences if another incident occurs, state department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The US embassy has also asked the Venezuelan government to improve security for the ambassador, saying it is legally bound to do so.

Relations between the US and Venezuela have been strained for some time, and Mr Brownfield has faced protests at recent appearances.

President Chavez has accused the Bush administration of orchestrating assassination and coup attempts in order to get at Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the BBC's Greg Morsbach in Caracas says.

But US officials say Mr Chavez is causing instability in the region with his fiery anti-Bush rhetoric and autocratic style of leadership.

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US accuses Venezuela over attack

The US has accused city officials of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, of complicity in an attack on the car of US Ambassador William Brownfield.

The ambassador's convoy was pelted with eggs, onions and tomatoes and chased by motorbikes for some miles by supporters of President Hugo Chavez.

US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said the attack had been condoned by the city government.

However, the mayor's office in Caracas denied any involvement in the incident.

The BBC's Greg Morbasch in Caracas said Mr Brownfield is accustomed to verbal abuse from supporters of the president but this latest incident is the first time he and his team have had objects thrown at them.

Mr Brownfield - who was visiting a low-income neighbourhood in Caracas to donate baseball equipment to underprivileged children - had recently stated he was concerned for his safety.

Diplomatic consequences

The US under secretary of state told Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez that if such an incident happens again there would be severe diplomatic consequences, department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Mr Burns said the attack was a violation of the Vienna Convention and that the action was clearly condoned by the local government, the spokesman said.

US Embassy spokesman Brian Penn said the Venezuelan police escorting the convoy did not intervene to stop the incident.

"The motorcyclists were throwing things at us for at least 10 minutes, and the police did nothing... It was serious," he said.

Mr Penn claimed the incident was organised by the mayor's office in Caracas, which has denied any involvement in the incident.

"No official authorised by the mayor's office participated," Luis Martinez, a spokesman for Mayor Juan Barreto, told AP.

Officials said the incident was organised by local residents who wanted Mr Brownfield to leave the area.

Strained relations

Relations between the US and Venezuela have been strained for some time, and Mr Brownfield has faced protests at recent appearances.

The American embassy has also asked the Venezuelan government to improve security for the ambassador, saying it is legally bound to do so.

President Chavez has been at loggerheads with Washington, accusing the Bush administration of orchestrating assassination and coup attempts in order to get at Venezuela's vast oil reserves, our correspondent says.

But US officials say Mr Chavez is causing instability in the region with his fiery anti-Bush rhetoric and autocratic style of leadership.

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US parties agree immigration deal

Republicans and Democrats in the US Senate have reached a last-minute compromise on a new immigration bill.

The breakthrough could clear the way for approval of legislation granting millions of illegal immigrants the right to stay in the US.

President George Bush said he was encouraged by the development.

The deal, which came after weeks of wrangling, now requires a full Senate vote that could take place before Friday night.

"I'm pleased that Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate are working together to get a comprehensive immigration bill," President Bush said in a statement welcoming the accord.

Various requirements

The deal would allow illegal immigrants who arrived in the US five years ago or more to be allowed to stay subject to various criteria, including a criminal background check.

Those who have lived in the US for less than five years but more than two years would be able to get a temporary work visa - but they first must leave the country and would be fingerprinted and processed on their return.

They would be given priority in applying for US residency over future immigrants entering as temporary workers.

However, under the bill, millions of illegal immigrants who have been in the country for less than two years would be required to return to their countries of origin.

Conservative senator Sam Brownback called the immigration debate "probably the most divisive issue in America today".

"I hope this compromise ends up bringing us together, and I believe it can," he said.

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Mexico's Fox: We have 'obligation to opportunity'

(CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday that he expects an immigration bill to be passed by week's end, but comments from other U.S. lawmakers left it difficult to predict what kind of legislation might ultimately win passage.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer spoke Sunday with Mexican President Vicente Fox about his country's role in the debate and the results of a summit last week in Cancun, Mexico, with President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

BLITZER: Help us understand what, if anything, was accomplished in Cancun on this very sensitive subject of illegal immigration into the United States.

FOX: Wolf, how are you? Good to be in your program.

This meeting in Cancun was extraordinary. It held a lot of accomplishments; to begin with, to get the friendship and the personal relationship stronger, especially with the visit of the prime minister from Canada, Stephen, because [becoming acquainted] at [the ancient Mayan ruins at] Chichen Itza and the meetings gave us the opportunity to really exchange about different subjects.

On the subject of migration, a bilateral subject among United States and Mexico, we had the opportunity to review where is the issue right now, where is the debate.

And it's clear that the issue is [in the] U.S. Congress, so the ball now is there. And we fully respect the sovereignty of the U.S. Congress. And I know they will take the most appropriate decision for both, for the betterment of the United States and for Mexico.

We understand the issue of migration as a responsibility that we share, both countries, but we have to deal with it until we can have a flow of migrants or the situation of migration in United States handled with an orderly manner, with a legal manner, secure manner.

And we are here to cooperate and do our part of the job and exercise our clear responsibilities that we have on the issue, which is building up opportunities for our people in Mexico.

That is what we want at the very end. And we're trying hard. We're working on this, bringing in new jobs, granting new opportunities to people in their communities. So this is the situation right now.

BLITZER: ... The president of the United States, he wants you to take more aggressive steps to stop the illegal immigration into the United States. Are you planning on taking any steps along your northern border with the United States to do that?

FOX: Absolutely, yes -- No. 1, by creating opportunities in Mexico. Right now, on the border there's 100,000 spaces available for jobs on the Mexican side. So we work hard on the opportunities.

No. 2, we work hard on the enforcement of the law and the security on the border. We work very closely together ... with the Homeland Security Department in the States, with Mr. [Michael] Chertoff.

We work on an everyday basis to make that border secure, to make sure that we comply with human rights respect, and we're doing the same actions and programs on the southern border. Because today, we have a strong migration coming from Central America into Mexico illegally, and then trying to move up to the United States.

Now, for instance, last year we withheld 240,000 Central Americans, and we sent them back to their communities, to their nations. So we're working on all aspects.

First, our obligation is to grant opportunities to our people in Mexico. No. 2 is to do our part of the responsibility in complying with the law and, yes, trying to retain our people here in Mexico.

BLITZER: The House version [of immigration legislation] would make illegal immigration a felony, would require employers to verify workers' status.

It would place serious fines for hiring illegal immigrants. It would build a 700-mile fence along part of the U.S.-Mexican border. It would not allow any guest worker program. The president of the United States wants a guest worker program.

What do you think of this 700- mile fence that so many members of the U.S. House of Representatives and some in the Senate would like to build?

FOX: Wolf, the specifics are hard to meet at this point of time. But let me tell you that I fully agree that it has to be a comprehensive resolution that, first of all, has to do with security, has to do with a border that really is sufficient -- but also has to do with the jobs that these people [are] doing in United States.

They are being hired by somebody. [The] U.S. economy needs this energy, needs this working force. At the same time, we know that we have to do the part of our responsibility that has to do with building up opportunities in Mexico.

Now, how we manage the border, it has to be No. 1 with security. And migration should be under the rules of a legal situation, has to be with order, the flow of migrants, and has to be secure, respecting their human rights.

And if we reach that situation, that desired situation, then there's no need for walls or there's no need for other actions now.

We are not just going to sit down here in Mexico and say, 'Oh, very good, we have now the opportunity to send people there.' No way. We understand our responsibility. ...

BLITZER: Mr. President, did you know there's serious criticism that elements of your government have actually encouraged illegal immigration from Mexico into the southern part of the United States for whatever economic or social reasons?

What do you say to those critics?

FOX: I deny that. That's not true. We work hard on the opposite, in trying to build up opportunities here in Mexico.

As a matter of fact, our people don't want to be there as long as they have opportunities here.

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Bush backs 'controlled' migration

President George W Bush has reiterated his support for a "guest worker" programme which could allow millions of illegal immigrants to remain in the US.

Mr Bush was speaking at the end of a two-day summit in Cancun with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.

He also spoke of new technology and closer cooperation to help increase border security between the neighbours.

The US Congress is currently debating an immigration bill.

More than half of the illegal immigrants in the US are from Mexico.

Hardline conservatives are strongly opposed to legalising undocumented immigrants and want to criminalise them.

Mr Bush made it clear that he was not in favour of allowing illegals to be put on a fast track to US citizenship.

But he called for a dignified debate on the issue, "in recognition that America is a land of immigrants and people ought to be treated with respect".

He also said a guest-worker programme would allow workers to do the jobs Americans did not want to do.

"I believe a guest worker programme will help us rid the society and the border of these coyotes who smuggle people in the back of 18-wheelers," he said.

"I believe it'll help get rid of the document forgers... I believe that it's important to bring people out of the shadows of American society so they don't have to fear the life they live."

However, he refused to say whether he would veto a bill by hardline conservatives that would criminalise illegal immigrants.

The House of Representatives has approved a bill making it a crime for them to remain in the US.

Mexican role

The bill touched off mass protests in US cities and now the Senate is working on a possible compromise that would reinforce border security while allowing work visas and eventual residency for some immigrants.

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Bush Tours Ruins Before Cancun Talks

(AP) Embarking on a neighborly sightseeing jaunt Thursday with the leaders of Mexico and Canada, President Bush said the three were working to improve vital relationships that can improve the lives of all their people.

Mexican President Vicente Fox treated Mr. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to an hour-long tour of the ancient Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza before they began two days of talks amid spring breakers in this Caribbean resort city.

"This is a good start to a very important series of discussions," Mr. Bush said, standing along side the other two with the massive pyramid called "El Castillo" in the background. "We've got vital relations that matter to the future of our people."

The three leaders gazed up at the famed archaeological site while Fox, wearing a white shirt and brimmed hat, and a guide motioned at different points. They listened to a traditional band play music for colorfully dressed dancers, strolled around a large plaza and climbed about half a dozen steps of the pyramid at the center of the site. They paused briefly so photographers could get pictures before coming back down.

After their tour, each leader spoke in his own language. Harper said the ruins were "a symbol here of our determination to build a new future for all inhabitants of North America."

Mr. Bush doesn't typically get in much sightseeing on his foreign visits, but the tour began two days of talks in this beer and bikini mecca designed to showcase North American unity.

Mr. Bush, who was wearing an untucked cream-colored Hawaiian shirt, and Harper, wearing an open-necked shirt and a safari vest, were all smiles for their first meeting since Harper, a Conservative, took office two months as Canada's new leader.

Topping Harper's agenda is a long stalemate over U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports. "I'm always optimistic" about resolving the problem, Mr. Bush said. In a pre-trip interview, Mr. Bush said he thought the two sides were "pretty close to a deal a couple of years ago." He said it would not be resolved by public negotiations. "It's going to require some very quiet consultations."

Illegal immigration and terrorism fears also are on the agenda.

After touring the Mayan ruins, Mr. Bush was sitting down one after the other with Fox and Harper, and then was attending a lavish leaders dinner put on by his Mexican hosts. The president's wife, Laura, did not join him for this trip.

The official focus of the trilateral summit is a three-way pact designed to make borders more secure without hampering business and traffic. Signed a year ago near the Bush ranch in Texas, the Security and Prosperity Partnership aims to better protect North America from outside attack and ensure its global competitiveness with China and other trade powerhouses.

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US activists rally for immigrants

About half a million activists have rallied in Los Angeles in the US state of California to protest against plans to criminalise undocumented workers.

Organiser Javier Rodriguez said demonstrators wanted an immigration system that was humane and not racist.

The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would make it a felony for immigrants to be in the US illegally.

The Senate is set to discuss the bill on Tuesday. President George Bush has proposed a guest-worker plan.

He is proposing to allow foreigners to remain in the US for a set period of time to carry out specific jobs, but his Republican Party is divided over the issue.

The president this week urged all sides of the debate to tone down their rhetoric.

He said securing borders was a top priority but he also invoked the country's history as "a nation of immigrants" to argue for a balanced approach.

'Free world'

The new bill would also impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and allow for the erecting of fences along a third of the US-Mexican border.

The proposals have angered many Hispanic-Americans, a key voting bloc in November's mid-term elections.

Mr Rodriguez, of the March 25 Coalition, said he wanted to stop "the approval of anti-immigrant reforms" and demand "migration reform that is humane and fair, and not racist".

Protester Lionel Vanegas told the Reuters news agency that the bill was wrong "because this is a country for everybody who wants to live a better life and this is a free world".

It is estimated that 11.5 million people are living in the US illegally. Many of them work in the agricultural sector and the construction and service industries.

The debate on the issue has intensified in the past week, with protests against the bill on Friday in the cities of Milwaukee and Phoenix.

On the other side of the debate, supporters of tighter border controls are planning to take to the streets of Washington and Boston on Monday.

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Canadian hostages heading home

Two Canadian peace activists held hostage for almost four months in Iraq are due to leave Baghdad as they begin their journey home.

Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, and James Loney, 41, were released along with Briton Norman Kember, 74.

They were freed from a house west of Baghdad by multinational forces.

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), the group the men were campaigning for, said all three were still committed to working for peace in Iraq.

The CPT's Peggy Gish, who met with the men in Iraq on Friday - Mr Sooden's 33rd birthday - said: "I don't know if it will be here, or if it will be in another country but they are still very concerned.

"They are concerned for justice for all different ethnic groups here."

All were unharmed during their captivity, she added.

Mr Sooden and Mr Loney were due to arrive in Dubai at 1730 local time on Saturday before making their way back to Canada, the CPT office in Baghdad said.

Mr Kember spent Friday night in Kuwait flew to Heathrow Airport in London on Saturday.

The rescue followed a weeks-long operation by British troops and US and Canadian special forces.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the Canadian special forces were only in Iraq temporarily to carry out the rescue.

US citizen Tom Fox, kidnapped at the same time on 26 November in Baghdad, was found shot dead earlier this month.

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Argentina marks coup anniversary

Argentina's President, Nestor Kirchner, has led a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the coup that brought the military to power for seven years.

He unveiled a plaque with the words "Never Again" in Buenos Aires.

Mr Kirchner also called on the judiciary to decide what action to take over the remaining immunity laws for Argentina's former military leaders.

Big crowds have gathered in the capital for a march to mourn the tens of thousands of victims of the coup.

At least 30,000 people were killed in what was known as the Dirty War. Many of the bodies have never been recovered.

Archives opened

Speaking at the Military College, Mr Kirchner said there could be "no reconciliation if any trace of impunity remained".

"The justice system has already declared [the pardons] unconstitutional in some concrete cases... And now, it is the judiciary that must determine whether the pardons are valid or constitutional," he said.

After he unveiled the plaque, a minute of silence was held to honour the victims.

In Buenos Aires, more than 3,500 photographs of victims were projected onto the Obelisco monument. Thousands of people sang protest songs and watched newsreel footage of coup leaders on large screens.

The BBC's Daniel Schweimler reports from the city that the 30th anniversary seems to have struck a chord like no other in Argentine society.

The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, who held weekly protests for much of the past 30 years to demand justice for their children, held an all night vigil ahead of Friday's commemorations.

"We all want to be present to say 'never again' to military dictatorship," said Argentine Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel.

Pardons cancelled

Plaques listing the victims of the Dirty War have been unveiled at work places and in parks. And there have been art exhibitions, poetry readings and debates around the country.

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Ecuador demos prompt resignation

Ecuador's interior minister has resigned after continued nationwide protests over a possible free trade agreement with the US.

Alfredo Castillo said he was stepping down for personal reasons but also because of the government's handling of the crisis.

Protests by indigenous groups have entered a third day.

They say a pact with the US will affect their livelihood and are demanding a referendum on the issue.

Mr Castillo is the third interior minister to resign from the post in just 11 months.

The protestors have blocked major roads with burning tyres, rocks and trees.

Reports say the blockades have already led to a shortage of provisions and a rise in prices in the capital, Quito, and other central provinces.

At least six people have been arrested and 14 others injured in minor scuffles with security forces, according to police sources.

The Indians say a deal with the United States would harm their economy and their culture.

A protest leader, Cesar Umajinga, told the BBC a trade deal with the US would only benefit the wealthy.

Reassurances

But President Alfredo Palacio has sought to reassure the Indians that his government will do nothing to harm the indigenous community, which forms the majority of Ecuador's rural workers.

The government has described calls for a referendum as premature.

The unrest over the trade talks follows two strikes in the oil industry.

Ecuador is set to enter a final round of the free trade talks on 23 March.

Colombia and Peru already having signed similar deals with the United States.

President Palacio took office after his predecessor, Lucio Gutierrez, was forced out last year.

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Colombian paramilitaries disarm

More than 20,000 paramilitaries have now laid down their arms in Colombia following the latest disarmament drive under the peace process, officials say.

Over 2,500 fighters of the Central Bolivar Bloc surrendered their weapons at a ceremony in the town of Santa Rosa, north of Bogota.

The government believes this faction controlled a coca production area.

Under the peace process, those who have committed crimes and agree to disarm face reduced prison terms.

Most of the rank-and-file paramilitaries are expected to be pardoned and can be eligible for job-training programmes and a monthly government stipend for two years.

Human rights groups are concerned that paramilitaries who have committed atrocities will go unpunished.

Arrest warrants

The Central Bolivar Bloc belongs to Colombia's biggest paramilitary group, the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC).

Its commander, Carlos Jimenez (known as Macaco), is wanted in the United States for drug-trafficking, but he will avoid extradition.

The fighters handed over their weapons in the presence of Colombian officials and international observers.

As part of the ceremony, they turned over 900 rifles, 90 pistols, 40 revolvers and eight trucks, according to AP news agency.

In a separate development, a Colombian prosecutor issued arrest warrants against two demobilised paramilitary leaders, Carlos Castano and Salvatore Mancuso, in connection with a massacre in the year 2000.

Correspondents say they are unlikely to be arrested provided they observe the terms of the peace process.

The paramilitaries were formed in the 1980s by drug traffickers and cattle ranchers to counter Marxist rebel groups that have been battling the government for more than four decades.

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New Canadian PM rebuffs US envoy

Canadian Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper has defended plans to send military ice-breakers to the Arctic in defiance of criticism from Washington.

US ambassador David Wilkins said on Wednesday that Washington opposed the plan and, like most other countries, did not recognise Canada's claims.

Mr Harper said his mandate was from the Canadian people, not Mr Wilkins.

Mr Harper's Conservatives have promised to defend Canada's northern waters from claims by the US, Russia and Denmark.

The party won a narrow victory over the outgoing Liberal administration in Monday's election, but failed to secure an overall majority.

'Non-existent problem'

The Conservative plans include the construction and deployment of three new armed heavy ice-breaking ships and an underground network of listening posts.

The BBC's Lee Carter in Toronto says Canada has only recently woken up to the fact that, with global warming being blamed for melting ice in the Arctic, the so-far-mythical northwest passage, which could link the Atlantic and the Pacific, may in fact become a reality.

But the US has challenged Canada's claims, saying that it considers much of the region to be international waters.

Ambassador Wilkins described the Canadian position as creating a problem that did not exist, prompting an angry reaction from Mr Harper.

"The United States defends its sovereignty, the Canadian government will defend our sovereignty," he said.

"It is the Canadian people we get our mandate from, not the ambassador of the United States."

Mr Harper had criticised election opponents for attacking the US in a bid to win votes.

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Castro slams 'mad' US change plan

Cuban President Fidel Castro has called the US secretary of state "mad", following American moves to promote democratic change on the island.

On Monday, Condoleezza Rice said a government commission on Cuba had been reconvened and would report by next May on more measures to promote change.

She said the time had come to end 46 years of "cruel dictatorship".

But Mr Castro described the venture as "befuddled" and said the Cuban revolution was stronger than ever.

'Pitiful'

President George W Bush appointed the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba in late 2003 under the leadership of Ms Rice's predecessor, Colin Powell.

It received its first recommendations in May 2004.

The proposals are designed to hasten the fall of Mr Castro and prevent his younger brother, Raul, from succeeding him.

Mr Castro asked the National Assembly if there could be "anything more befuddled than having this crazy woman speak of transition [in Cuba]?"

"They are stark raving mad. It's pitiful," he said, quoted by Efe news agency.

Mr Castro also described his revolution as "the sanctuary of universal ethics."

Since the fall of the US-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Cuba has been a one-party state led by 79-year-old Mr Castro.

The US has maintained a strict economic embargo in response to Cuba's communist policies. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has announced the creation of a new post to help "accelerate the demise" of the Castro regime in Cuba.

Caleb McCarry, a veteran Republican Party activist, was appointed as the Cuba transition co-ordinator.

Ms Rice said for 50 years Fidel Castro had condemned Cubans to a "tragic fate of repression and poverty".

Mr Castro accuses the US of funding unrest and vowed that dissidents would never bring down his government.

'Castro's tyranny'

The post was recommended in a 2004 report on Cuba by a commission headed by Ms Rice's predecessor Colin Powell.

The report outlines the steps the US is prepared to take to bring about regime change in Cuba, such as subverting Mr Castro's plans to hand over power to his younger brother.

Introducing Mr McCarry at the State Department in Washington, Ms Rice said the US was working with advocates of democratic change on the island.

"We are working to deny resources to the Castro regime to break its blockade on information and to broadcast the truth about its deplorable treatment of the Cuban people," she said.

She said the aim of the effort was to "accelerate the demise of Castro's tyranny" on the Caribbean island, which he has ruled since 1959.

Earlier this week, in a speech marking the anniversary of the Cuban revolution, Mr Castro accused the US of financing dissidents and false propaganda.

"No other revolutionary process has been able to count on as much consensus and overwhelming support as the Cuban revolution has," he told supporters in Havana.