BBC news with Fiona Mcdonald
The presidents of Ecuador and Venezuela have shaken hands with President Alvaro Uribe of Columbia at a summit meeting in the Dominican Republic, as a part of an agreement to try to end the worst diplomatic crisis in the Andean region for many years. The crisis had been sparked by a Columbian raid into Ecuadorian territory in pursuit of left-wing Columbian rebels of the FARC movement. Jeremy McDonald reports.
President Uribe's huge gamble appears to have paid off. Last week he authorized an airstrike in neighboring Ecuador to kill a top FARC leader Raul Reyes. He knew it would lead to a diplomatic incident with Ecuador, perhaps not realizing that Venezuela and Nicaragua will also break off diplomatic relation. However, during an emotional scene of the real summit in Santo Domingo, the president of Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua shook hands with President Uribe, and pledged to reestablish diplomatic relation, so as to find a peaceful solution to the international crisis.()
As news of the apparent breakthrough in the diplomatic crisis emerged, the Columbian authority said another leading member of the FARC rebel group had been killed. The man Ivan Rios was a member of the group secretariat. The Columbian Defense Ministry says he was killed by his own men.
As more gloomy economic news emerged in the United States, President Bush has insisted that the country is not in recession. Speaking after he signed the economic stimulus package to give tax rebates to many American families and businesses. Mr. Bush said he was concerned about the economy, but was taking decisive action to help. “I know this is a difficult time for our economy. But we recognized the problem early and provided the economy with a booster shot. We will begin to see the impact over the coming months, so long as we pursue pro-growth, low-tax policies that put faith in the American people. Our economy will prosper.”(www.hXen.com)
A member of Barack Obama's campaign team in the United States has resigned after calling his rival Hillary Clinton a monster who would stoop to anything. Samantha Power who advised Senator Obama on foreign policy issues apologized to Mrs. Clinton. In a televised interview she said the remark had been inexcusable.” I think that I just had a very weak moment in seeing some of the tactics in the world, getting employed. I was just afraid really that the campaign would not stay at the level it had been on and let out, you know, a wave of frustration. Believing I was just talking to myself, not believing that I was going to be on record that would cause her any harm.”
Italy's highest appeal court has ruled that married women are entitled to lie about committing adultery even in judicial investigations to protect their honor. It accepted the appeal of a woman who had been convicted of giving false testimony to police about lending her mobile phone to her lover.
World news from the BBC.
The Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has accused the Basque separatist group ETA of trying to interfere in the country's national election on Sunday by shooting dead a former Socialist party councilor. In a televised address Mr. Zapatero blamed ETA for shooting Isaias Carrasco, as he left his home in the Basque town of Mondragon. Jonny Dymond reports from Madrid.
Isaias Carrasco was shot in front of his wife and child. He died on the way to hospital. He was 42. No group has admitted the killing. But the fact that Mr. Carrasco was a former councilor and the style of the shooting reportedly to the back of his neck points the involvement of the Basque separatist group ETA. Madrid was to host the final rallies of general election campaign this evening. But within minutes of the announcement of the killing, the government and the opposition said the campaigning had ended. Once again, Spain heads towards a poll overshadowed by violence.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said his country will not tolerate Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, launching cross-boarder attacks against neighboring Turkey. Mr. Talabani said he’d instructed the Iraqi Kurdish authorities to hold the activities of PKK fighters in the region. His comments followed talks in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul.
Belarus says it has asked the United States ambassador to leave the country and that is recalling its own ambassador from Washington. The Foreign Ministry in Belarus accused the U.S of tightening sanctions against its state-run petrochemicals company and breaking agreements aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries.
The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has accepted a teaching post at Yale University in the United States to lecture on issues of religious faith and globalization. Yale said Mr. Blair was well qualified to explore how religious values could be channelled towards reconciling people. Mr. Blair, who was a special envoy to the Middle East, is a devout Christian.
BBC news.