Many others were injured during the clashes in the town of Mahajanga, in the west of the country. 

However, Didier Ratsiraka, who has ruled the Indian Ocean island for all but three of the past 27 years is refusing to stand down. 

He accuses the judges who carried out the recount of being biased in favour of Mr Ravalomanana. 

Propaganda campaign

The BBC's Alastair Leithead, reporting from Mahajanga, says the violence between the highland Merina people and those from the coast is being deliberately incited by supporters of Mr Ratsiraka, to fuel a split on ethnic grounds. 

A campaign of ethnic propaganda is being conducted on the radio, television and with posters, and our correspondent says an early solution to the dispute appears unlikely. 

There are fears of a descent into armed conflict

Supporters of Mr Ratsiraka have imposed an economic blockade on the capital, leading to shortages of fuel and other essential commodities. 

Our correspondent says that historically, there has been a certain amount of tension between the Merina people and those from the coastal areas of Madagascar, but Mahajanga is seen as one of the more cosmopolitan parts of the country. 

Governors loyal to Mr Ratsiraka in four of the country's six provinces have threatened to secede from the capital if Mr Ravalomanana remains in power. 

Mediation

Diplomats from the Organisation of African Unity have suggested a referendum to decide who should rule, but neither side seems ready to compromise. 

Mr Ravalomanana is reported to have asked Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to act as a mediator, according to official reports from Tripoli. 

Ratsiraka is blamed for fomenting ethnic violence

It warned of a possible "armed conflict", said Jana. About 40 people have been killed in political clashes this year. 

Libya has frequently offered to use its good offices in disputes far beyond its borders and has been keen to develop relations with other African countries. 

Senegal had been due to host talks on Monday, but these were called off as the two sides traded accusations.

There were scenes of panic in Monrovia on Monday as the sound of artillery and mortars arrived from the village of Arthington, President Taylor's home town, just 25 kilometres north of the capital. 

Mr Taylor also said the country's second city, Gbarnga, was under government control despite reports that it had fallen. 

In a radio broadcast, he said troops had killed "close to 100" rebels from the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy movement (Lurd) in Gbarnga. 

Panic

Panic has gripped Monrovia since reports over the weekend that the rebels had captured Gbarnga, once Charles Taylor's stronghold, and the town of Klay, just 40km north of the capital. 

International aid workers could not confirm on Monday who was in control of Gbarnga, 80km from Monrovia. 

Charles Taylor is a former rebel leader himself

Children in the capital were taken out of schools and residents prepared to flee as soldiers bristling with rocket-launchers sped out in military vehicles towards the fighting. 

At one point, Defence Minister Daniel Chea himself ran out into the streets to order troops to turn off flashing lights on their vehicles, saying it was adding to the panic. 

"I saw people running so I had to leave as well," said a woman with two children who was trying to get to the Sinkor suburb. 

"You cannot see people running and begin to ask questions. You have to also leave as well." 

President Taylor appealed for calm, saying he would not let the city "be placed in a chaotic position". 

He reportedly toured Monrovia himself in a heavily guarded convoy. 

Lurd spokesman William Hanson said it could easily take the capital but was holding back to avoid civilian casualties. 

The rebels are believed to be made up of fighters and politicians from the losing side in Liberia's 1989-96 civil war with at least some support from neighbouring Guinea. 

They accuse Mr Taylor of destabilising western Africa. 

Army under pressure

In February, Mr Taylor declared a state of emergency in the diamond-rich country as the fighting created thousands of refugees. 

Ten men have to rely on one rifle to fight the rebels

Government soldier

The Liberian army is being hampered by a UN arms embargo imposed one year ago to counter Mr Taylor's support for Sierra Leone's rebel Revolutionary United Front. 

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously last week to renew the embargo. 

A Liberian solider told the BBC that "up to 10 men have to rely on one rifle to fight the rebels". 

There have been sporadic clashes between rebel groups operating from bases in Guinea and forces loyal to Mr Taylor for nearly two years - the latest episode in a cycle of war in the diamond-rich triangle of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. 

The meeting was part of a six-day visit to Cuba by Mr Carter, the most prominent American to visit the island since Fidel Castro took power in the 1959 revolution. 

The Cuban leader has assured Mr Carter he is free to meet any opponents he wishes to see. 

Mr Carter talked to the two dissidents - veteran activist Elizardo Sanchez and civil rights campaigner Oswaldo Paya - for over an hour. 

Fidel Castro welcomed Mr Carter to Havana's biotechnology centre

"The situation will change for the good, but I don't know when," Mr Sanchez said after the meeting. 

"Our priority is to improve the situation of civil, political and economic rights, which are all violated by the government." 

After the meeting, Mr Carter visited the Cuban genetic engineering and biotechnology laboratories accused last week by the Bush administration of developing biological weaponry. 

Mr Castro denounced the allegations as "Olympic-sized lies", insisting the facility only produces vaccines and medicines. 

He promised to give Mr Carter "free access" to the site. 

Historic visit

The former US president arrived in Cuba for his tour on Sunday and will stay until Friday. 

You can express yourself freely whether or not we agree with part of what you say or with everything you say

Fidel Castro, Cuban president

On Sunday night, the former president held talks over dinner with the Cuban leadership at Havana's Palace of the Revolution. 

Mr Carter has said he planned to raise the issues of "peace, human rights, democracy and the alleviation of suffering". 

Mr Castro has symbolically thrown open Cuba's doors to his guest after years of US claims that the Cuban regime is closed and repressive. 

The Cuban leader publicly assured Mr Carter that an unprecedented address to the nation he will make on Tuesday would be broadcast live on state media. 

"You can express yourself freely whether or not we agree with part of what you say or with everything you say," he said. 

Castro praised Carter for his "courage"

"You will have free access to every place you want to go and we will not feel at all offended by any contact you may wish to make even with those who do not share our struggles," he said. 

On Thursday, Mr Carter is scheduled to meet Cuba's highest-profile dissident, Valdimiro Roca, who was released last week after nearly five years in prison. 

Tense relations

Mr Carter opposes US sanctions on Cuba and sought a rapprochement between the two nations during his term in office from 1976 to 1981. 

As president, he oversaw the re-establishment of diplomatic ties, negotiated the release of thousands of political prisoners, and relaxed a ban on travel by US citizens to Cuba. 

Mr Castro praised Mr Carter for having "the courage to make efforts to change the course of [US-Cuban] relations" in remarks broadcast live on Cuban television. 

But tension between the two countries remains high. 

The Bush administration wants to tighten the economic embargo which has been in place since 1961 and recently added Cuba to the list of states it accuses of supporting terrorism.

Three out of five segments of the 70-metre high roof of the block, used for assembling and testing space vehicles including the Buran shuttle, gave way at around 0720 GMT. 

We don't know whether they're alive or not

Baikonur duty officer

A specialist team of 30 rescue workers is being flown from Moscow to help recover victims and they are expected to arrive in Baikonur shortly. 

Fear of collapse

However, Kairzhan Turezhanov, a spokesman for the Kazakh Emergency Situations Committee, said it was unlikely any would have survived the fall. 

"We don't know whether they're alive or not," said a Russian duty officer at Baikonur. 

The hangar has been cordoned off because of fears that the walls could collapse and local Kazakh rescuers were prevented from entering because of its instability, Mr Turezhanov said. 

The BBC's Nikolay Gorshkov says Moscow has been short of funds to maintain the complex, and parts of it have fallen into disrepair. 

The Russian Aviation and Space Agency has set up a special centre to investigate the causes of the incident. 

World's oldest

The Baikonur cosmodrome, Russia's main commercial launch site, was built in the 1950s and is the oldest working launch site in the world. 

The first man­made satellite to orbit the Earth was launched from here. 

Baikonur is the world's oldest launch site

More recently, Baikonur has been used to launch commercial satellites and rockets bound for the International Space Station. 

Kazakhstan took possession of the cosmodrome after the disintegration of the USSR. But it lacked the funds and expertise to maintain the site, which was looted by local people who sold sophisticated equipment for scrap metal, our correspondent says. 

Russia has been leasing Baikonur from Kazakhstan since 1993, though the two former Soviet countries have on several occasions been at odds over rent payments and accidents during launches. 

News of the agreement, which was confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, came after talks in Moscow between US Under Secretary of State John Bolton and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov. 

It [the treaty] will make the world more peaceful and put behind us the Cold War once and for all

George W Bush

Mr Bush said the agreement would be signed in Moscow towards the end of May when he meets Mr Putin for a summit. 

The two leaders hope to cut the number of nuclear warheads on each side from their current levels of between 6,000 and 7,000 to between 1,700 and 2,200 over the next 10 years. 

"This treaty will liquidate the legacy of the Cold War," said Mr Bush. 

"It will make the world more peaceful and put behind us the Cold War once and for all." 

Putin: "We are satisfied with our joint work"

Mr Putin said for his part that the two sides were "satisfied" with their work 

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer added that some weapons would be put into storage while others would be dismantled. 

The US leader said he was looking forward to signing the treaty, saying it had come after "a lot of months of hard work". 

"We will begin the new era of US-Russian relations and that's important," he added. 

Mr Bush and Mr Putin are due to meet from 23-26 May in both Moscow and Russia's second city, St Petersburg. 

Sticking points

The BBC's Pentagon correspondent, Nick Childs, adds that the Bush administration has been trying to avoid a full treaty, with all the ratification hurdles that would require, as the Russians would like. 

The new agreement is unlikely to be as elaborate as those of the Cold War. 

Among the sticking points has been Washington's desire to store most of the surplus warheads, in case they are needed later. 

Russia, by contrast, has wanted them destroyed. 

Another obstacle to agreement has been America's anti-missile programme, which Washington says is only aimed at "rogue nations" with missile capabilities. 

Moscow sees the programme as a direct threat to the two states' strategic arms parity. 

Up to 100 others were injured when 13 coaches of a 24-coach train jumped the tracks. 

Some plates which were removed from the track have been shown to the local police

Nitish Kumar, railway minister

Investigators said there was evidence the track had been tampered with. 

"Some plates which were removed from the track have been shown to the local police," Railways Minister Nitish Kumar said. 

Northern Railways spokesman Devender Singh said: "Preliminary investigations point to the possibility of sabotage," adding that mechanical failure had been ruled out as a cause of the crash. 

Rescue effort

The Shramjeevi Express was carrying 1,800 passengers when it derailed on a bridge. 

Most of the passengers were asleep at the time of the accident. 

Rescue workers pulled trapped survivors from the wreckage, while at least three victims had to undergo amputations, officials said. 

Medical teams rushed to the scene from the state capital of Lucknow, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the crash site. 

Work to clear the line was continuing on Monday, as two cranes lifted the derailed carriages off the track. 

The Indian Railways, which daily runs 11,000 trains on the world's second largest network, has nearly 300 accidents a year. 

Two-thirds of those accidents are blamed on staff negligence.

Up to 100 others were injured when 13 coaches of a 24-coach train jumped the tracks. 

Some plates which were removed from the track have been shown to the local police

Nitish Kumar, railway minister

Investigators said there was evidence the track had been tampered with. 

"Some plates which were removed from the track have been shown to the local police," Railways Minister Nitish Kumar said. 

Northern Railways spokesman Devender Singh said: "Preliminary investigations point to the possibility of sabotage," adding that mechanical failure had been ruled out as a cause of the crash. 

Rescue effort

The Shramjeevi Express was carrying 1,800 passengers when it derailed on a bridge. 

Most of the passengers were asleep at the time of the accident. 

Rescue workers pulled trapped survivors from the wreckage, while at least three victims had to undergo amputations, officials said. 

Medical teams rushed to the scene from the state capital of Lucknow, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the crash site. 

Work to clear the line was continuing on Monday, as two cranes lifted the derailed carriages off the track. 

The Indian Railways, which daily runs 11,000 trains on the world's second largest network, has nearly 300 accidents a year. 

Two-thirds of those accidents are blamed on staff negligence.

By Mark Doyle  BBC West Africa correspondent

United Nations troops in Sierra Leone have intervened to break up riots in the centre of the capital, Freetown, as opposing political parties clashed. 

Britain intervened in the war and helped retrain combatants

This is the first significant electoral violence in the campaign ahead of Tuesday's elections which are meant to mark the end of a decade-long war. 

The clashes came as campaigning ended for the landmark presidential poll. 

Peaceful campaign

UN troops in armoured personnel carriers fired into the air to break up crowds of hundreds of rival supporters. 

I saw several people with serious head wounds and at one point it looked like the crowds would get completely out of control. 

The peace that is reigning here need to be built upon and to be strengthened and fires can still be lit and they can burn

General Daniel Opande, UN commander

After the UN intervened, a semblance of order returned and this isolated incident should be seen in the context of a so far remarkably peaceful election campaign. 

Contest

After the intervention of British troops on the side of the government army two years ago, the former rebels began laying down their arms and agreed to participate in these elections. 

The incumbent President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah is contesting against eight other hopefuls in what promises to be a hard fought race. 

President Kabbah wants to claim the credit for ending the war

The elections follow a decade of war and the successful intervention of the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world to help end a brutal conflict marked by widespread atrocities against civilians. 

Colourful campaign

Campaigning has been colourful and enthusiastic in what could be the most democratic elections Sierra Leone has ever seen. 

The RUF leader is in jail

For one thing the conflict has only be officially over for a few months. 

The commander of the UN peacekeeping force, General Daniel Opande, says peace is still fragile. 

"Let's say the worst is, perhaps, behind us, but the peace that is reigning here need to be built upon and to be strengthened and fires can still be lit and they can burn," General Opande says. 

Much of the debate has been on the record of the war with Mr Kabbah saying he brought the UN in and so brought peace. 

The RUF disagree. 

Next week's historic election could be a success story for the international community and bring much needed relief to a people exhausted by war. 

As the campaigning finishes, a lot of fingers are crossed.

Army spokesman, Major Shaban Bantariza said the killings occurred in several villages in the Imotong mountains of southern Sudan while the rebels were fleeing from a Ugandan army offensive which began last month. 

The men and boys were all brutally killed publicly whereas young girls between the ages of five and 16 were defiled before their parents

Leon Buga, Catholic Priest

The LRA insurgents raped and abducted girls and women, and burnt down six villages, a statement from the church's diocese of Torit in southern Sudan said. 

Another 500 people were forced to flee the area to escape the violence. 

Appeal for help

The bishop of Torit diocese, Akio Johnson Mutek, has appealed to the international community "to come to the aid of these destitute people who are forced to desert their villages as they had just begun cultivating their crops," the statement said. 

"Bishop Akio fears that if the situation continues unabated many civil populations who are currently scattered in the bushes might become vulnerable to all kind of dangers and diseases," the statement added. 

In a separate statement on Friday, the Church said that LRA rebels had raided a further three villages in the area on Wednesday. 

The rebels are reported to have killed an unknown number of men in the villages - as well as stripping girls naked and forcing them to drink their own urine before raping and abducting them. 

Starving force

"The men and boys were all brutally killed publicly whereas young girls between the ages of five and 16 were defiled before their parents," the statement quoted a local priest, Leon Buga, as saying. 

The BBC's Ishbel Matheson says that the area where the violence occurred is very remote and it is difficult to get accurate information. 

The LRA have kidnapped hundreds of children

Our correspondent says that some people believe the LRA carried out the attacks because they think that the local people support the Ugandan military offensive. 

But she says the 3,000 or so rebels that make up the LRA are starving and they rely on raiding and looting to survive. 

The rebel force is largely made up of children from Northern Uganda who have been abducted and brainwashed. 

They are led by Joseph Kony - a fanatic who claims to have magical powers. 

Fears for children

Uganda and Sudan signed an agreement in March allowing Ugandan troops to carry out search-and-destroy operations against the LRA rebels, who launch cross-border raids from rear bases in southern Sudan. 

But human rights groups have criticised Uganda saying that Operation Iron Fist, as the campaign to crush the rebels is called, is too heavy handed. 

The troops have been accused of being too heavy handed

It is feared that if it comes to a shootout in the remote mountains many innocent children will be killed alongside Joseph Kony. 

The Ugandan army says casualties are inevitable but from their point of view once a child has been abducted, been given military training, and is pointing a gun at you, it becomes a legitimate target. 

The clear-up finished in time for the services

Christians have been taking part in special services at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, the first since the siege of Palestinian gunmen by Israeli troops there ended two days ago. 

Chanting Greek Orthodox priests led their spiritual leader, Jerusalem Patriarch Irineos I, in a colourful procession to the church from the edge of Manger Square on Sunday morning. 

Today is something special because everything ended peacefully

Father Barnabas Greek Orthodox priest

Roman Catholics held their own service, which they have termed as one of praise, redemption and reconciliation. 

Latin Patriarch of the Holy Monseigner Land Michel Sabbah said there could be no peace until the Israelis ended their occupation of the Palestinian territories. 

"My message today is to the Israelis: you are pushing the Palestinians to the suicide. You are committing suicide against yourselves," he said. 

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant says there is genuine relief that the siege in Bethlehem, where more than 200 Palestinians were surrounded by Israeli troops in the Church of the Nativity, had been resolved peacefully. 

Preparations for Sunday's services began just after dawn, after the keepers of the holy site cleared away all the waste resulting from the five-week stand-off. 

Correspondents who entered the church after the siege found conditions there to be squalid, but there appeared to be no major damage. 

Footnote

The head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Bethlehem, Father Speridon, told AFP news agency that its service was a reconsecration mass because the church, revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, had been desecrated during the siege. 

	Denominations using the church Roman Catholic  Greek Orthodox  Armenian  Click here for more about the Church of the Nativity

But another priest told the BBC that the siege was a mere footnote in the church's history. 

"If we look in through history there have been worse things," Father Barnabas said, referring to the recent siege. 

"Today is something special because everything ended peacefully." 

Israel pulled out of Bethlehem on Friday after 13 Palestinian militants, who have been exiled from the West Bank under a deal to end the siege, arrived in Cyprus. 

The withdrawal in effect ended Israel's military offensive in the West Bank, which was launched on 29 March in response to a suicide bomb attack in which 28 Israelis died as they celebrated the Jewish Passover. 

Tanks are were sent to the border with the Gaza Strip

Israel has sent home army reservists called up after the cabinet authorised military action in retaliation for a Palestinian suicide bombing. 

Israeli tanks were sent to the border with the Gaza Strip over the past few days but, on Sunday, the government indicated that the proposed operation had been shelved. 

Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said the decision should not be interpreted as a surrender to "terrorism" and that Israel reserved the right to respond when it wanted. 

On another front, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is facing a key policy battle within his own party over the question of a Palestinian state. 

Members of the right-wing Likud party are threatening to propose a vote stating that the party would never accept Palestinian sovereignty at a meeting of the party's central committee on Sunday evening. 

We reserve the right to respond when we want and how we want - period

Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, defence minister

Mr Sharon has said he envisages a Palestinian state at the end of a long peacemaking process. But his main challenger for leadership of the Likud party, Binyamin Netanyahu, does not support such a move. 

Analysts say that if the vote is passed, it could tie Mr Sharon's hands in future peace efforts and weaken his position within the party. 

Gaza apprehensive

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian was reported to have shot dead his Israeli employer at a Jewish settlement in the southern Gaza Strip. 

The man was arrested, an army spokesman said. 

Residents in Gaza, home to one million Palestinians, have been bracing for an Israeli incursion since the suicide bombing in a suburban Tel Aviv pool hall killed 15 Israelis. 

Voices from the Conflict

I am a big believer in the Bible and in Jewish history... The Arabs are just occupying land that doesn't belong to them

Rifka Goldschmidt, Israeli settler in Gaza  Read her story

The Palestinian bomber - who was also killed - was initially thought to have come from the Gaza strip. 

The Israeli Government said it had reviewed its response because details of the military plans had been extensively leaked and Palestinian militants had been given too much time to prepare. 

But military affairs correspondents in Israel's main newspapers said the leaks were used as an excuse for Israel to refrain from an operation that did not have a consensus either among the people or among security establishment officials. 

They reported that some generals had opposed a Gaza operation, warning of heavy Israeli army and Palestinian casualties in the densely populated strip. 

Israel had been urged by the US and other foreign leaders not to pursue another military operation in Palestinian territories. 

Reports say the fear was that this could bury moves for fresh diplomacy, including a US initiative for a peace conference in the summer. 

Bethlehem revived

In Bethlehem, Christians resumed special services at the Church of the Nativity for the first time since the siege of the Palestinian gunmen by Israeli troops there ended two days ago. 

The deal allowed 13 Palestinian militants on Israel's most-wanted list to be exiled from the Palestinian territories. 

European Union foreign ministers are expected to decide the fate of the men who are currently in Cyprus. 

The Cypriot Government says it wants the men to leave by Wednesday. 

The men are expected to spend their exile in a European country either separately or together. 

Bonanno ran one of New York's big five Mafia families

Notorious Mafia gangster Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno has died in the US state of Arizona, aged 97. 

Bonanno reportedly detested his "Joe Bananas" nickname

He died of heart failure after retiring to the state following a variety of health problems, his lawyer told the Associated Press news agency. 

At the height of his career Bonanno ran one of New York's five largest crime families, and was a member of "The Commission", which acted as a de facto crime board of directors in New York and other major American cities. 

Born in Sicily in 1905, he entered the US illegally through Cuba and was arrested numerous times on various charges, including transporting guns for infamous mob boss Al Capone. 

'Banana war'

Perhaps the most famous moment during his career was the so-called "Banana War" from 1964-1969, which was sparked by his alleged attempts to assassinate fellow crime bosses Carlo Gambino and Thomas Lucchese. 

(The Mafia) refers to a process, a special set of relationships among men

Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno

He was then kidnapped - supposedly by a rival - shortly before he was due to testify before a grand jury and disappeared for six weeks, re-emerging only briefly before fleeing to Arizona for more than a year. 

He later surrendered to a federal judge, and some accused him of orchestrating the kidnapping to avoid having to testify. 

During his absence war broke out between his supporters and dissidents, leading to the deaths of at least 13 people. 

However in the late 1960s his power began to wane and he retired permanently to Arizona. 

Prison time

But US federal authorities managed in 1980 to successfully pin an obstruction of justice charge on him after he tried to prevent a grand jury from investigating his two sons, and he served eight months in prison in 1984. 

He served a further 14 months in prison for contempt of court after refusing to answer prosecutors' questions regarding the trial of reputed leaders of New York's organised crime families. 

He also co-wrote a book, "A Man of Honour, the Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno", in which he denied that the Mafia even existed. 

"(The Mafia) refers to a process, a special set of relationships among men," he wrote. 

"I stay away from the term because it creates more confusion than it is worth." 

He described himself in the book as a "venture capitalist" invited into companies because of his connections. 

Protesters wore black to mourn deaths a month ago