Guillermo Gaviria, the governor of Antioquia, was abducted by suspected members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) at a roadblock on Sunday with the state's peace adviser Gilberto Echeverri Mejia.

Peace adviser Echeverri is a former defence minister

The latest abductions come as the Colombian Government again rejected an offer by the FARC to exchange imprisoned rebels for politicians and soldiers kidnapped by the guerrillas.

Growing violence

The peace demonstrators had left the city of Medellin on Wednesday to promote non-violence and reconciliation.

They were held up just three kilometres from their destination, the north-eastern town of Caicedo in Antioquia.

FARC rebels demanded to see the governor and a delegation which included members of the Catholic Church.

Part of the delegation returned safely, but Mr Gaviria and Mr Echeverri have not been seen since.

The governor of Antioquia had said the peace march was directed against the FARC, but was a protest against all forms of violence.

Violence has been rising since the government ended a three-year peace process with FARC in February. 

Among the hundreds of hostages being held by rebels is the presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, kidnapped in February.

By the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh  Monrovia

People in northern Liberia are running away from a new upsurge of fighting between government troops and rebels known as Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd).

Over 6,000 displaced people fled from camps in the town of Belefanai, in Bong County, over the weekend due to fears of rebel attack.

Lurd rebels based in northern Liberia have waged a sporadic campaign against the government of President Charles Taylor since mid-2000, but have pushed towards the capital, Monrovia in recent months.

Ghost town

Aid workers with the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) who were working in the area say the movement of the internal refugees was triggered by terrifying sounds of gunfire from the direction of the St Paul's River Bridge that separates Bong and Lofa counties. 

President Taylor declared a state of emergency in February

MSF spokesman Emmanuel Tronc said that fighting had not reached Belefanai when his team left over the weekend. But he said the place was deserted and only military people were there.

He said some of those who fled have already arrived on foot in two camps near the central provincial town of Gbarnga, which is already paying host to some 15,000 displaced people.

MSF says it has established a mobile clinic in the highway town of Weinsu to provide at least safe-drinking water to the trekking people.

Weinsu is situated half-way between Belefanai and Gbarnga.

Efforts to get official confirmation about the latest development from the Ministry of Defense have so far proved futile. 

Homeless

But a Liberian soldier on the front line told me that fighting was going on along the banks of the St Paul's River, forcing civilians to flee the town of Gbalatuah situated on the shore of the river. 

Another soldier said the rebels have seized at least two vehicles and a VHF radio set from an aid agency in their latest attack, but so far no aid agencies have confirmed this.

In recent weeks Lurd rebels have used the town of Bopolu, 100km north of Monrovia, as a base for attacks on towns in neighbouring counties. 

Ten of thousands of people have fled their homes in north-west Liberia. 

Most of them are living in camps in the Monrovia area.

Mr Razali (left) has helped get prisoners released

 

By Larry Jagan  BBC Burma analyst in Bangkok

The United Nations envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, has arrived in Rangoon to try to revive talks between the country's ruling generals and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 

After more than 12 months of talks, UN officials say Mr Razali's visit is really a make-or-break trip because the international community is growing increasingly impatient at the lack of concrete results. 

Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest

But privately, UN officials admit that Mr Razali is unlikely to have any new ideas to put before the two sides, and the prospects for a major breakthrough are dim. 

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have both written personally to Burma's top leader General Than Shwe, urging him to give the opposition leader an effective political role. 

But in recent weeks the generals seem to have been backtracking on earlier hints that they were ready to release her. 

Her party, the National League for Democracy, is also anxious to see the dialogue move onto substantive talks as soon as possible. 

Credibility at stake

 Sources in the NLD say the opposition leader herself is growing concerned at the lack of progress and may consider breaking her silence soon if nothing substantive emerges from Mr Razali's mission. 

General Than Shwe wants concessions in return for reform

She may feel her credibility is at stake, according to diplomats in Rangoon. 

Diplomats say there is no question of breaking off the talks because Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD are totally committed to the dialogue process. For them it is the only way to bring democratic change to Burma. 

For the international community, 18 months of confidence-building contact should have produced more concrete results. Many diplomats believe that Burma's military leaders are simply trying to spin the process out without making any major concessions. 

If the generals do not show their commitment to the process, by at least releasing Aung San Suu Kyi as soon as possible, then Rangoon will face increased international isolation and further possible trade sanctions. 

Mr Razali has also hinted that if this trip does not produce significant progress, then he may feel it is not worth continuing as the UN special envoy.

Allied aircraft have already been threatened by missiles

Iraq has been moving more anti-aircraft missiles into the no-fly zones in the north and south of the country, according to the United States.

Saddam Hussein: Oil embargo call

Although Iraq has a history of missiles in and out of the no-fly zones, the most recent movements are the largest in a few years, said US General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The no-fly zones, which are patrolled by US and British aircraft, were created after the 1991 Gulf War to prevent the Iraqi military from using its aircraft against minority Kurds in the north and against Shiite Muslim rebels in the south.

The British and US pilots in northern Iraq have been threatened by Iraqi air defences three times since 1 April, said General Myers.

'Protest and solidarity'

In one incident, an allied air patrol in southern Iraq "was forced to respond" with a guided bomb strike on a surface-to-air missile system radar, he said.

Last year, Iraq frequently challenged allied air patrols by targeting them with radars or firing anti-aircraft artillery guns or surface-to-air missiles.

The latest move came as Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein renewed a call on fellow Arab oil exporting countries to start using oil as a weapon to help the Palestinians. 

He appealed to them to cut their oil exports in half and to stop selling to America completely to punish it for its perceived support for Israel.

Saudis step in

An export reduction would, he said, "ring the bells of protest and solidarity".

But his call for them to pick up the oil weapon appears to be falling on deaf ears, says our correspondent. 

It comes two weeks after Iraq decided to cut all its own oil exports allowed under the UN Oil for Food Programme for a month in response to Israel's military offensive in the West Bank. 

Oil prices rose as a result, but Saudi Arabia the world's biggest oil exporter has now promised to make up for any shortfall in supply. 

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets

French demonstrators have taken to the streets for a second day in protest at the shock election success of far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Mr Le Pen came second in the first round of the presidential vote on Sunday, beating off the left's favourite, Lionel Jospin, to reach the final run-off against the conservative incumbent, Jacques Chirac.

Demonstrations were reported in the northern town of Brest on Tuesday morning, after some 100,000 people staged angry rallies across the country on Monday.

Police in Paris fired tear gas at violent protesters overnight.

A student federation has called for a coordinated country-wide protest ahead of a major television interview with the Front National (FN) leader scheduled for Tuesday evening. 

Mr Le Pen has been in an exuberant mood, daring Mr Chirac to meet him face-to face in an election debate.

Mr Jospin's Socialists and the other main parties of the left have called on their supporters to back Mr Chirac on 5 May in a concerted effort to defeat the far-right challenger.

In the Bastille area of Paris some protesters smashed windows and hurled bottles at police on Monday evening after an anti-Le Pen rally attended by about 10,000 people. 

Elsewhere in France, placards reading "I am ashamed" were hoisted in cities from Lille in the north to Marseilles on the Mediterranean coast.

Banners denounced Mr Le Pen, who earned notoriety for his remarks on the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews and his opposition to immigration.

"We must say no to Le Pen in the streets, every day," said Jose Bove, the prominent anti-globalisation activist, at a march of 12,000 demonstrators in the western city of Tours. 

"Mussolini: 1922. Hitler: 1933. Le Pen: never" was the cry at a rally in the eastern city of Strasbourg. 

Challenge

Mr Chirac has called on voters to rally around him to preserve the unity of the republic and respect for human rights.

	Jean-Marie Le Pen  Born in 1928 in the Brittany town of La Trinite-sur-Mer Set up the National Front in 1972  In 1987 he described the Holocaust as a "detail of history" Wants 200,000 new prison places, the abolition of inheritance tax and a renegotiation of European treaties Click here for a full profile

But the FN leader has been relishing his chance to take on the incumbent president, pledging to end what he calls a "decadent and corrupt system". 

He challenged Mr Chirac to a television debate, quipping that the conservative candidate "believes he's a god of Olympia and doesn't want to debate with a mere mortal".

A spokesman for Mr Chirac's party said the format of any head-to-head must guarantee "the dignity and democratic nature" of discussion between the incumbent president and Mr Le Pen, wh has frequently raised the corruption allegations facing Mr Chirac. 

Outlining his policies, Mr Le Pen appeared to compare the European Union with the late USSR and predicted that France might disappear under the weight of immigration.

In presidential style, he also commended the defeated Socialist leader for announcing his retirement from politics. 

"I think we must praise the noble gesture of Mr Jospin, who drew the conclusions from his failure," he said. 

---

He told American cardinals there was no place in the Roman Catholic Church for priests who sexually abused children.

People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young

Pope John Paul II

"The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God," said the Pope in his address, the text of which was released by the Vatican.

He added that a "generalised lack of knowledge of the nature of the problem, and also at times the advice of clinical experts, led bishops to make decisions which subsequent events showed to be wrong".

Cardinal Law is under pressure to resign

The growing number of cases of sexual abuse of minors by American Catholic priests - both alleged cases and those which have led to criminal convictions - has spurred calls for drastic action. 

After the initial meeting, Bishop Wilton Gregory told a press conference that the cardinals had a clear task ahead of them: "We must assure our people that we will not place their children in harm's way."

Growing alarm

I will talk my children out of being an altar boy or girl and that is the saddest thing Sandra, Canada

To read more of your comments, click here

• the church should draw up a policy for reporting abuse claims to the police 
• paedophile priests can stay in the ministry or if a "one strike and you're out" rule should be applied

Although sex abuse scandals have rocked dioceses in other nations, only the American cardinals have been called to the Vatican.

America's most senior cardinal, Boston's Archbishop Bernard Law, is under pressure after acknowledging that he transferred a priest to another parish despite knowing of sexual misconduct allegations against him.

One unnamed US cardinal told The Los Angeles Times that he and other prelates planned to urge the Vatican to ask Cardinal Law to resign.

Before the address by the Pope, the cardinals met him for informal talks. They will also hold formal talks with Vatican officials in charge of priests and bishops worldwide, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is in overall charge of doctrinal discipline in the church. 

Financial burden

More than 400 complaints have been lodged against priests in the Boston diocese alone. 

And accusations of child molestation have been made in at least 16 other US dioceses including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. 

The scandals are also a huge financial burden for the Church and there is talk that some archdioceses will be bankrupted as a result.

Although the US church is the hardest hit by sex abuse allegations, similar scandals have hit clergy in different countries in recent years, including Austria, Ireland, Poland, France and Mexico.

One of the dead was Marwan Zuloum, the local head of the al-Aqsa Martyrs brigade, a group that has claimed responsibility for a number of suicide attacks against Israelis.

Hours later, three bound Palestinians, apparently suspected informers for Israel, were found dead at the same spot where the car was hit. 

Palestinians are faced with a massive clean-up

The Israeli helicopter attack on Hebron on Monday night was the first of its kind since the Israeli army began pulling out of most major West Bank cities and towns last week.

The West Bank offensive started on 29 March after a spate of Palestinian suicide attacks killed and wounded scores of Israelis. 

The part of Hebron which is not already under Israeli occupation was spared any incursions which caused massive destruction in civilian areas.

There have also been new moves to resolve the stalemate in Ramallah, where Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remains holed up in his besieged compound.

European Union diplomats will be allowed to visit Mr Arafat in Ramallah this week, according to Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique.

Israel prevented Mr Pique and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana from meeting Mr Arafat during a trip to the region in March. 

Israeli pull-out

Israel has demanded that Mr Arafat hand over suspects in the assassination of an Israeli cabinet minister last October and the man accused of organising an arms shipment to the Palestinians in January. 

Peres: "We Jewish people cannot forget the past of Europe"

The Palestinians say they will not begin truce talks until Israeli forces have left all Palestinian-run areas in the West Bank. 

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday announced the end of the first wave of Operation Defensive Shield. 

Palestinians say hundreds of bodies remain trapped under houses that were hit by rockets and bulldozed by Israeli army vehicles in Jenin in the northern West Bank

Israel has said it will co-operate with a UN fact-finding mission to determine what happened there, insisting that it killed dozens of gunman but few civilians. 

Normally bustling streets and shops in Kathmandu were deserted by people reluctant to defy the rebels, and businesses, schools and offices stayed shut down across the country.

People who dared to go out were forced to walk or cycle as national transport had been halted.

There were reports in the south-western city of Nepalgunj that police had tried to force shops to open and break the strikes but there was no one on the streets.

If I open my shop today, they would take note of it and attack me some other day

RB Chhetri, Nepalese shop owner

The Nepalese Government had warned citizens on Tuesday that it was prepared to shoot on sight anyone enforcing the five-day strike.

Troops, carrying assault rifles and wearing camouflage uniforms, guarded the streets and occasionally checked people as they walked past.

State of emergency

Many Kathmandu shopkeepers said they would close down rather than risk the wrath of the Maoists.

Minister Khadga has said the government would not tolerate strikes

"If I open my shop today, they would take note of it and attack me some other day," said Ram Bahadur Chhetri, who sells greeting cards from a small shop. "How can I risk it?."

Maoist rebels, battling to replace the Himalayan kingdom's constitutional monarchy with a one-party communist state, launched a wave of intimidatory attacks ahead of the strike.

Police said there were two small bomb explosions in Kathmandu on Monday night, but no signs of trouble early on Tuesday.

The rebels also reportedly captured four ambulances which were returning to their home bases after taking patients from western Nepal to Kathmandu.

The drivers were, however, released without any harm being done to them.

The strike was originally scheduled for the beginning of this month but the rebels postponed it to prevent disruption to students' end-of-year exams.

In previous strikes, the rebels have attacked and set on fire buses that have been running.

The current strikes come as the United States military experts are in Nepal advising the government on how to fight the rebels.

King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency in November after the rebels pulled out of peace talks and launched a wave of attacks.

Since then, the army has joined in operations against the rebels.
 
 

Both sides have suffered heavy casualties in a series of encounters that have left hundreds dead.

The arrest comes after Tunisia confirmed that the blast caused by a fuel tanker outside the Ghriba synagogue in the resort island of Djerba was deliberate.

There has been an arrest, but I think it is in the interests of the inquiry not to reveal any details

Otto Schily, German Interior Minister

Mr Schily said it was believed two people in Tunisia were involved in the incident, but added it was "in the interests of inquiry not to reveal any details".

Tunis had initially said the explosion was an accident, but on Monday an official statement said the driver of the fuel lorry was responsible. 

Nawar, a 24-year-old resident of the French city of Lyon, is believed to have died in the blast. 

'Al-Qaeda link'

According to the Tunisian statement Nawar acted "in complicity with one of his close relatives living in Tunisian".

Mr Schily said he learned some "extremely interesting details" during his meeting on Monday with Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Most of those affected were German tourists

German ministers have said there is evidence that al-Qaeda was behind the attack, but Mr Schily said it was too soon to link it Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network.

"For the time being, we can't say it was al-Qaeda," he said.

The London-based Arab newspaper, al-Quds al-Arabi, has published a letter purporting to be from al-Qaeda, saying it had attacked the synagogue.

The writer's name matches that of the truck's driver. 

By Daniel Schweimler  BBC Correspondent in Havana

The president of Cuba, Fidel Castro, has launched a blistering attack on his country's former ally, Mexico.

In a two-hour speech he accused the country's leadership of being hypocrites and liars, illustrating his tirade by playing a taped private telephone conversation between himself and his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox.

This surprise, at the last minute, creates many problems for me

President Fox to President Castro

Cuba's state-run newspaper, Granma, announced on Monday on its front page that President Castro was going to make a very important speech.

As the day wore on, speculation mounted about exactly what issue he would be addressing.

Then, at the appointed hour, in his customary military uniform, Fidel Castro live on national television and radio, gave vent to his rage against Cuba's former friend and major trading partner.

Much of Mr Castro's anger was directed at the Mexican foreign minister, Jorge Castaneda.

But Mr Fox also came under attack for his country's treatment of Mr Castro at last month's Monterrey summit.

Castro cautioned

After making a fiery speech condemning exploitation of developing countries, Mr Castro stormed out of the Monterrey conference and went home, saying he would explain later.

Castro said he would resign if the tape was not the words of Mr Fox

"This surprise, at the last minute, creates many problems for me," Mr Fox says on hearing of Mr Castro's intention to attend the summit.

The Mexican leader clearly urges Mr Castro to leave the meeting early and asks him "not to attack the United States or President Bush".

The Cubans say the Mexicans wanted to make sure Mr Castro would not bump into President Bush, who was due to arrive later that day. 

Mexican officials have since denied the accusation or that they were under pressure from the United States.

The Cuban leader said he felt obliged to play the tape. If they were not the words of the Mexican president, he said, he would resign.

Mexico was the only country in the region to maintain diplomatic relations with Cuba after President Castro came to power more than 40 years ago.

But relations have now reached a new low - and are only likely to get worse. 

The situation in Gujarat touches the lives of every Indian

Deputy Speaker PM Sayeed

The deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament ruled that the situation in Gujarat was a matter of "public interest" which merited a serious discussion.

The ruling comes as a victory for the opposition which has pushed for a debate and a vote on Gujarat, something which the government opposes.

Parliament has been deadlocked for over a week over Gujarat where religious riots have claimed nearly 800 lives.

Debate

Deputy Speaker PM Sayeed was forced to come to a decision after both sides failed to reach an agreement.

The governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also rules Gujarat, argued that the violence in the state was a local matter.

But the deputy speaker rejected the BJP's stand and said the extraordinary situation in the state could not be seen as a mere law and order problem.

"Since the situation in Gujarat touches the lives of every Indian, the debate in parliament over Gujarat will take place under parliamentary rule 184 which includes a formal vote," Mr Sayeed said.

Violence against Muslims

The Gujarat violence, in which most of the victims have been Muslim, has placed the government of Atal Behari Vajpayee under tremendous pressure with even some of its coalition partners criticising it.

The army was called in to check the violence

Some of the government's allies have hinted that they may vote in favour of the motion.

The government will not fall if it loses the motion but it would embarrass Mr Vajpayee and expose fissures within his alliance.

No date has been set as yet for the debate. 

Violence

The riots broke out after a Muslim mob attacked a train carrying Hindu activists, killing 60 of them.

In retaliatory violence, hundreds of Muslims were killed and their homes and businesses burned down, forcing thousands to seek shelter in relief camps.

Fresh violence broke out over the past weekend in which more than 20 people were killed.

The Indian Defence Minister, George Fernandes, visited the state and decided to keep army troops in place to check the violence.

President Didier Ratsiraka had promised to let fuel and other vital commodities through to Antananarivo under a deal signed in Senegal last week.

Ravalomanana has withdrawn his claim to the presidency

On Monday, the courts started recounting the votes after the official results had been nullified by the Supreme Court.

Mr Ravalomanana has retracted his declaration that he was president - also under the terms of the Dakar deal.

But governors loyal to Mr Ratsiraka say the people he named as his "ministers" must now also vacate government buildings before they will lift their blockade of the capital.

The BBC's Alastair Leithead says this is a serious blow to the Dakar agreement, which now appears to be falling apart.

Divided island

Mr Ravalomanana enjoys massive support in the capital, where he is mayor.

The governors are based in the eastern port city of Tamatave and bridges on the main road to Antananarivo have been destroyed, leading to shortages in the capital.

Ratsiraka is not ready to dismantle the blockades yet

If the recount of votes by the High Constitutional Court (HCC) does not give either candidate 50% of the vote, a referendum will be held within six months to decide Madagascar's next leader.

Madagascar has been split in two for several months, with two presidents, two governments, two capitals and splits in the armed forces.

Before the deal was signed, the row had become increasingly violent, with 35 people losing their lives.

About 200 marchers, some singing "Down with Mugabe", were dispersed by police officers using batons.

The NCA's Lovemore Madhuku has not been seen since his arrest

The NCA is a coalition of church groups, students and trade unions campaigning for a reduction in the powers of President Robert Mugabe.

The protests come as the opposition Movement for Democratic Change says that one of its activists was beheaded in front of her children.

Mass arrests

Brandina Tadyanemhandu, 53, was attacked by a group of 20 supporters of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, who also burnt down her home in the north-western town of Magunje, says the MDC.

Mrs Tadyanemhandu's son was killed last year, reportedly because he supported the opposition.

Similar marches were broken up by riot police in the cities of Bulawayo and Gweru, said the NCA.

The group's leader, law professor Lovemore Madhuku, was arrested on Monday afternoon and has not been seen since, said the group's spokesman.

Earlier this month, the NCA said that around 400 activists were arrested ahead of similar planned demonstrations.

Mr Mugabe's re-election last month was marred by accusations of vote-rigging and the MDC has asked the courts to annul the results.

The Commonwealth has said the poll was held in "a climate of fear" and suspended Zimbabwe for a year.

Just before the elections, a new security law was passed, which gave the police sweeping new powers to break up public gatherings.

The six do not include two of the most wanted men on the list - Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Ratko Mladic.

But they do include the former Yugoslav army chief, General Dragoljub Ojdanic, and the former Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister, Nikola Sainovic. Both are wanted by the international tribunal in The Hague in connection with atrocities in Kosovo.

The others are Milan Martic, Mile Mrksic and Vladimir Kovacevic, indicted for war crimes in Croatia, and Momcilo Gruban, a Bosnian Serb indicted for war crimes committed in Bosnia.

Theory and practice

In theory, the remaining 17 who have failed to make contact with the authorities should now be tracked down and extradited, but correspondents in Belgrade says the process may well be drawn out.

The extradition process, if the suspects are detained, will take up to nine days, with scope for at least two appeals. 

On wanted list: Serbian President Milan Milutinovic

Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said the suspects - about 20 people - would be handed over to The Hague within three weeks.

"We have to be realistic and not to provoke new crises and new injustices and new war crimes by trying to deal with history and with old crimes," Mr Djindjic said in London.

Mr Djinjic also said that Serbia's police force was insufficiently equipped to track down the most wanted suspects, Mr Karadzic and Mr Mladic, both of whom are in hiding.

"There are rumours Mladic was in Belgrade months ago, but we don't have any evidence and it is very difficult to act."

Earlier this year, two operations by Nato-led peacekeepers failed to catch Mr Karadzic in south-eastern Bosnia. 

The law enabling the authorities to send people accused of atrocities during the Balkan wars of the 1990s to The Hague was adopted by the Yugoslav parliament earlier this month, but the issue remains hugely controversial in Serbia, where many believe the international court is biased.

The United States has however been exerting heavy pressure on Belgrade. 

Washington effectively froze $40m of aid after the Yugoslav authorities failed to meet a 31 March deadline to act against war crimes suspects.