Mexico crime reporter found dead

27 July 2011 Last updated at 10:25 GMT Yolanda Ordaz had worked as a reporter for 20 years The body of a Mexican journalist who worked for the Notiver newspaper has been found dumped outside the offices of another newspaper in Veracruz state.

Crime reporter Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz had been missing since Sunday night.

Officials said organised crime was suspected in the murder of Ms Ordaz, who was found with her throat cut.

Last month, columnist Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco, who wrote about politics and crime for Notiver, was killed in his house in the port city of Veracruz.

His wife and son were also killed in the attack.

Ms Ordaz had been reported missing at the weekend. Her body was found on Tuesday outside the offices of another newspaper in Boca del Rio, a city next to the port of Veracruz.

Authorities are looking at links between her murder and those of Mr Lopez Velasco and his family.

The attorney general of Veracruz state, Reynaldo Escobar, said that "everything pointed to" organised crime being behind the killing of Ms Ordaz.

However, he denied that she had been killed because of her work.

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists says that 15 reporters have been killed in Mexico since 2010. Four of these murders have been confirmed as relating to the journalists' work.

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Chavez in appeal to middle class

30 July 2011 Last updated at 01:50 GMT Chavez brought out a yellow shirt for his birthday The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, says he wants to open up his socialist political project to the middle classes and private sector.

Mr Chavez said his government had to convince Venezuela's middle classes they were needed.

Speaking by telephone on state television, he said he was entering a more reflective period of his life.

Mr Chavez recently underwent cancer treatment in Cuba, but plans to stand for re-election next year.

The Venezuelan leader made his comments a day after he celebrated his 57th birthday, when - appearing in yellow rather than his characteristic red shirt - he told a rally of cheering supporters that he was in no mood to leave office in the near future.

In Friday's telephone interview, Mr Chavez said the treatment to remove a tumour had led him to radically change his life towards a "more diverse, more reflective and multi-faceted" period.

He told his supporters to eliminate divisions and dogma, and end what he called the abuse of symbols such as the term "socialist".

"Why do we have to always have to wear a red shirt?" said Mr Chavez. "And the same goes for the word 'socialism'."

The president cited the example of a mayor in the governing party who inaugurated a "Socialist Avenue", which Mr Chavez described as "stupid".

"We need to reflect and introduce changes in our discourse and in our actions."

Cuban lessons

Mr Chavez, who came to power in 1999, said the private sector and the middle classes were "vital" to his political project.

He said it was a shame that attempts to be more inclusive of these groups in society had been criticised by some in official circles in Venezuela.

"Raul Castro is leading a process of self-criticism," said Mr Chavez, hinting that Venezuela could learn from the reforms being undertaken by the president of Cuba, who has made some concessions to the private sector since taking over from Fidel Castro in 2006.

Mr Chavez said his government needed to correct the perception that small businesses would be taken over by the state.

"We have to make sure no-one believes that," he said. "We have to convince them about our real project, that we need this sector and that we want to acknowledge their contribution."

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Big boots to fill

28 July 2011 Last updated at 00:06 GMT By Sarah Grainger BBC News, Caracas Hugo Chavez is the central and dominant figure in Venezuelan politics Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has made it clear that he intends to stand for re-election in presidential polls scheduled for 2012, despite having treatment for cancer.

Speaking on his return from chemotherapy in Cuba, he said doctors had found no malignant cells.

"I haven't for a single moment thought about retiring from the presidency," he said. "If there were reasons for me to do that, I would."

Mr Chavez, who is celebrating his 57th birthday on Thursday, first came to power in 1999.

With his charisma and skills as a public speaker, he centralised government, basking in the political limelight.

His style of government has become known as "chavismo" and his followers are dubbed "chavistas".

"The president's capacity for leadership is extraordinary," Reinaldo Iturriza, a member of Mr Chavez's United Socialist Party (PSUV), told the BBC. "Without doubt, finding another Chavez will be quite difficult."

Few other members of his cabinet and of the PSUV are recognisable faces either within Venezuela or on the international stage.

Nevertheless, if the president's illness were to leave him unable to continue as head of state or run for re-election, the PSUV would be faced with seeking a successor.

So who would be in the running?

Credited with introducing his younger brother Hugo to the world of politics, Adan Chavez is the current governor of the family's home state of Barinas.

Adan Chavez is a year older than his brother

A university professor, he has served as both the minister of education and Venezuela's ambassador to Cuba in recent years.

"He is considered a favourite of the Castro regime," says Roger Noriega, former assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs under US President George W Bush, and currently at the conservative US think tank, American Enterprise Institute.

His appointment would ensure the continuity of "chavismo" in name at least, and would mirror the handover of power in ally Cuba from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul in 2006.

When Hugo Chavez left for a first round of chemotherapy treatment in Cuba earlier this month, he signed over some powers to his vice-president Elias Jaua.

Hugo Chavez has handed over some powers to vice-president Elias Jaua since his illness

Constitutionally, the vice-president would be expected to step in and take over the reins should Chavez be unable to serve out his current term of office, due to end next year.

But analysts are sceptical that Mr Jaua has what it takes to lead the party and the country in the long-term.

"He's just a sheer placeholder," says Mr Noriega. "He's trusted by the Cubans but he doesn't have any charisma whatsoever."

Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro has been at the president's side through his cancer diagnosis and treatment, shuttling back and forth between Havana and Caracas when Mr Chavez was recuperating from surgery to remove a tumour.

Other leading lights within the party include Rafael Ramirez, the energy minister, who holds the key to the source of most of the government's money, and Celia Flores, vice-president of the PSUV.

But none has a profile even close to that of the man they would have to replace.

Former army officer Diosdado Cabello helped Hugo Chavez to stage a failed coup in 1992 that presaged Mr Chavez's eventual election to the presidency.

During the early years of President Chavez's government, he served as interior minister before being elected as the governor of Miranda state in 2004 elections.

But he lost that position four years later to an opposition candidate and his political star seemed to be on the wane.

Nevertheless, Mr Caballo is a powerful member of the political elite and among those who has the president's ear.

"There are seven or eight people surrounding the president and accompanying him at the moment," says Nicmer Evans, a political analyst at Venezuela's Central University.

"Jaua, Ramirez, Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, Celia Flores are his inner circle right now."

Hugo Chavez spent 17 years in the army

Hugo Chavez rose through the ranks of the army.

He often appears in military uniform, emphasising the control he has over the organisation.

Could the military play a key role in deciding who would take over from him?

"The army is one of the various players in any future selection of a candidate," says Miguel Tinker Salas, a professor of Latin American history at Pomona College in California.

"The PSUV will have to balance various forces."

President Chavez has always been quick to point out that he represents the grassroots members of the PSUV.

He has emphasised his poor upbringing in the hot and dusty plains of central Venezuela and his mixed ethnic background.

The party may find the charismatic figurehead they need to galvanise their traditional power base from among local leaders.

"There are a lot of social movement leaders from poorer neighbourhoods like the Barrio 23 de Enero in Caracas," says Tinker Salas.

"They don't have the national standing so they would have much more difficulty in trying to win support."

But perhaps the party would chose to groom one of them for a leading role.

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Honduras finds submarine cocaine

29 July 2011 Last updated at 23:26 GMT Naval forces from the US and Honduras have recovered 2.5 tonnes of cocaine from a semi-submersible craft intercepted off the Honduran coast.

Honduran General Rene Osorio said there were more than five tonnes of cocaine on the vessel, and authorities would need two days to retrieve all of it.

The vessel is submerged because the crew tried to sink it after they were intercepted two weeks ago.

Honduras is on a key route used by cartels trafficking drugs to the US.

Coast guard officials intercepted the submarine-like craft off the Caribbean coast of Honduras near the province of Gracias a Dios.

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Former Colombia aide faces arrest

31 July 2011 Last updated at 01:40 GMT Uribe employed Moreno as his chief of staff for eight years A senior aide of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is facing criminal prosecution.

A judge has ordered the arrest of Mr Uribe's former chief of staff, Bernardo Moreno, for allegedly spying on judges, journalists and politicians.

It is the second such order this week. Andres Felipe Arias, a former agriculture minister, has been charged with corruption. He denies the allegations.

Alvaro Uribe left office last year.

Mr Moreno served as Mr Uribe's chief of staff for both of his presidential terms, from 2002-2010.

He now faces trial for criminal conspiracy, abuse of public office and other charges.

Mr Moreno would be jailed for at least three years, if convicted. He denies all the charges.

Mr Arias, 38, is suspected of diverting farm subsidies intended for peasant farmers to rich landowners.

He will be held at a jail in the capital Bogota while his case proceeds.

The Colombian Attorney General's office has already disqualified him from public office for 16 years because of what it deemed were irregularities in the subsidy scheme.

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Peru's Ollanta Humala is sworn in

28 July 2011 Last updated at 20:10 GMT Ollanta Humala takes over a richer Peru but deep problems remain Former army officer Ollanta Humala has been sworn in as Peru's new president, vowing to eradicate poverty and social exclusion.

His inauguration was being attended by regional leaders, although not by outgoing President Alan Garcia.

Mr Humala defeated right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori in June's second round.

Once a fiery nationalist, Mr Humala says his approach is now of the moderate left, modelled on Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Mr Garcia left the presidential palace, handing over the sash for his successor.

Breaking with tradition, he did not travel to Congress to attend the inauguration.

Mr Garcia had previously indicated he would not be present in order to avoid a repeat of 1990 when he was loudly booed when handing over to President Alberto Fujimori.

Then Peru was mired in hyperinflation and beset by a bloody leftist insurgency.

Mr Humala, 49, inherits a more prosperous Peru but faces a range of challenges.

In his first address as president, he vowed to keep existing free-market economic and trade policies intact, to provide a minimum pension for all Peruvians over 65 and to raise the minimum wage.

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In a ceremony attended by a dozen Latin American heads of state, Mr Humala paraphrased Nelson Mandela saying there could be no true democracy without real equality.

But he will face a baptism of fire as he tries to calm scores of conflicts over natural resources while trying to meet the demands of the extractive industries which are driving Peru's heady growth rate.

He has already vaulted one hurdle in appointing an investment-friendly and liberal cabinet.

He has called Brazil's former leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, an inspiration and perhaps in a nod to him, has appointed Susana Baca, a renowned black Peruvian singer as culture minister.

She will be the country's first black minister in almost 200 years of history.

"We want the term 'social exclusion' to disappear from our language and lives forever," Mr Humala said.

"Economic growth and social inclusion will march together."

Mr Humala campaigned on a pledge to increase the state's role in the economy and redistribute wealth to Peru's poor majority.

Strong performance

Economists Luis Miguel Castilla and Julio Velarde will be the new finance minister and central bank head respectively.

Sociologist Rafael Roncagliolo is to be foreign minister, while Afro-Peruvian music star and Grammy award-winner Susana Baca will be minister of culture.

Mr Humala indicated that he would seek to impose a windfall tax on the key mining sector to help raise revenue for social spending.

But with his party lacking a majority in Congress, he will need the support of other blocs to pass bills, including the mining tax.

Peru has been one of the top economic performers in Latin America in recent years, averaging annual growth of 7% during Mr Garcia's second term and with inflation held at under 3% a year.

Tensions over the use of Peru's natural resources have increased

But there has also been an increase in social tension and conflicts, especially over the exploitation of natural resources.

Protests, at times violent, have erupted over mining, logging and oil and gas extraction.

Another key issue facing Mr Humala is increased illegal drug production and trafficking.

Peru sees the US as a "strategic partner" in tackling this, Mr Humala has said.

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Air France crash crew 'lacked training'

29 July 2011 Last updated at 20:48 GMT F-GZCP, the Air France jet which crashed, is seen here in an undated image The pilots of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009 lacked adequate training, French investigators have found.

France's BEA authority said pilots had failed to discuss repeated stall warnings and did not have the training to deal with the hazard. Air France rejected the accusation.

BEA called for mandatory training in high-altitude stalling for all pilots.

All 228 people on board the Airbus 330 from Brazil to France were killed.

'No passenger alert'

BEA head Jean-Paul Troadec said that "the situation was salvageable" during the flight's final minutes.

Investigators said an account of those minutes, captured on flight recorders, concluded that the crew had failed to "formally identify the loss of altitude" despite an alarm ringing for nearly a minute.

"The first event which triggered it all is the disconnection of the automatic pilot following the loss of the speed indicators, very probably after they were frozen by ice crystals," said Mr Troadec.

"At this time the pilot should have initiated a procedure known as 'Unreliable IAS (indicated air speed)', a procedure which consists of taking an angle of five degrees, but the angle they took was far superior.

"That is why the plane flew upwards, the plane took a rapid vertical flight of 7,000 feet/minute... The angle they took was too much," Mr Troadec said.

The BEA report said the co-pilots in charge of the plane when the emergency began "had received no high-altitude training for unreliable IAS (indicated air speed) procedure and manual air craft handling".

The report also said that the pilots failed to alert passengers to the crisis as they struggled to regain control.

The authority issued 10 new safety recommendations, including mandatory training for all pilots in France to ensure they could handle a high-altitude stall.

A statement from Air France rejected the BEA's findings, saying that "nothing at this stage can allow the crew's technical competence to be blamed" for the crash.

"The crew on duty showed professionalism and stayed committed until the end to operating the flight. Air France salutes their courage and determination in these extreme conditions," it said.

Flight recorders were found this year

"The altitude-loss alarm was activated and deactivated several times, contradicting the real status of the aircraft, which contributed strongly to the crew's difficulty in analysing the situation," Air France said.

Airbus said it welcomed the report and would give full support to the process, so that the industry could "benefit from any lessons to be learnt from this event".

Air France and Airbus are being investigated for alleged manslaughter in connection with the crash.

"The BEA establishes the facts and makes recommendations based on those facts," AFP quoted Environment and Transport Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet as saying on RTL radio.

"As to who is responsible, that is up to the courts," she added.

Flight AF 447 went down on 1 June 2009 after running into an intense high-altitude thunderstorm, four hours into a flight from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Paris.

The wreckage of the plane was discovered after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor.

1. 0135 GMT: The crew informs the controller of the flight's location

2. 0159-0206 GMT: The co-pilot warns of turbulence ahead before the captain leaves the cockpit for a rest break

3. 0208 GMT: The plane turns left, diverting from the planned route. Turbulence increases

4. 0210 GMT: The auto-pilot and auto-thrust mechanisms disengage. The plane rolls to the right. The co-pilot attempts to raise the nose. The stall warning sounds twice and the plane's speed drops. The co-pilot calls the captain

5. 0210 GMT: The stall warning sounds again. The plane climbs to 38,000ft

6. 0211-0213 GMT: The captain re-enters the cockpit. The plane is flying at 35,000 ft but is descending 10,000 ft per minute. The co-pilot says "I don't have any more indications", pulls the nose down and the stall warning sounds again

After location 6. 02:14 GMT: Recordings stop

Source: BEA. Note: Last known position = last known position before the plane's "black boxes" were retrieved

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Plane crashes at Guyana airport

30 July 2011 Last updated at 23:27 GMT Zulficar Mohamed of Guyana's Civil Aviation Authority describes the accident

A plane has crashed and broken in two on landing at Guyana's main airport in the capital, Georgetown, causing injuries but no deaths.

The Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight BW-523 from New York had 163 people aboard.

The plane apparently overshot the runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport during wet weather.

"It's an absolute miracle that took place today," said Caribbean Airlines chairman George Nicholas.

A few passengers sustained bruises, with one suffering a broken leg.

The plane halted near a 200-ft (61-m) ravine that could have resulted in dozens of deaths, Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo said.

Local resident Ava Hammond sent the BBC pictures of the wrecked plane

"We are very, very grateful that more people were not injured," Mr Jagdeo added, quoted by AP news agency.

There were 157 passengers and six crew aboard the plane when the accident occurred at 0132 local time, according to a statement from Caribbean Airlines.

The plane had made a stop in Trinidad en route from New York.

Rescuers struggled in the dark to free passengers from the wreckage.

A woman quoted by Guyana's Kaieteur News service described hearing a loud sound when it landed in Guyana, and said everyone began screaming.

"It was terror," she said. "I was praying to Jesus."

Her husband opened the emergency door and passengers began escaping, she added.

Another passenger, 42-year-old Adis Cambridge, said: "I realised that everything was on top of me, people and bags. I was the second to last person to get off that plane in the dark.

President Bharrat Jagdeo (left) spoke to reporters at the airport

"I hit my head on the roof. It was so scary."

She and other passengers described jumping first onto the wing and then down onto a track below to escape.

Geeta Ramsingh, 41, of Philadelphia, quoted by AP, said passengers applauded as the plane landed, but applause quickly "turned to screams".

"The plane sped up as if attempting to take off again. It is then that I smelled gas in the cabin and people started to shout and holler," she said.

"I am in pain, but very thankful to be alive."

Ms Ramsingh said a taxi driver reached the crash site before rescuers and asked for $20 to drive her back to the terminal.

"I had to pay, but in times of emergencies, you don't charge people for a ride," she said.

'Airport chaos'

Kristopher Kimlin, who was not on the crashed plane but was trying to fly out of the airport, told BBC News there was "chaos" after the crash.

"The airport is simply not set up to deal with this kind of situation - they were overwhelmed," he said.

"There were queues of people around the entire terminal building and out of the door. There were maybe 1,000 people.

Caribbean Airlines, which is majority-owned by Trinidad and Tobago with Jamaica holding a minority stake, does not have a history of serious safety problems.

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Dolphin hunts with electric sense

26 July 2011 Last updated at 23:23 GMT By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News The depressions, or crypts, are the site for this newly-discovered sensory ability A South American dolphin is the first "true mammal" to sense prey by their electric fields, scientists suggest.

The researchers first showed that structures on the animal's head were probably sensory organs, then found it could detect electric fields in water.

Electroreception is well known in fish and amphibians, but until now the only mammal example was the platypus.

Writing in the Royal Society's journal Proceedings B, the scientists say other cetaceans may show the same ability.

The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) lives around the east coast of South America, and resembles the much more common bottlenose variety.

Like all of the toothed cetaceans, it hunts and locates using sound.

But the researchers have now shown that at close range, it can also sense electrical signals.

They are not as sensitive as sharks and rays, but can detect signals of the same size as those produced in water when fish move their muscles.

"It feeds in the bottom [of the sea] a lot, and it lives in water where there can be a lot of silt and mud suspended," said project leader Wolf Hanke from the University of Rostock, Germany.

"And echolocation doesn't work at very close range, so this is where electrolocation would come in."

Sensible science

Captive Guiana dolphins are rare; but they have been kept at the zoo in Muenster, also in Germany.

The zoo is among those that have been criticised by animal rights campaigners in recent years, who argue against keeping dolphins in captivity.

The researchers became curious about the function of small depressions in the dolphin's rostrum - the forward-projecting part of the head containing the jaws.

When one of the animals died, the rostrum was examined, with tissues being stained to show the structures inside these depressions.

The depressions - known as crypts - carry whiskers when the dolphins are growing in the womb, but the whiskers later drop off.

The dolphin was sometimes fitted with a plastic "shield" to block any electrical signals

But the crypts looked as though they were still involved in sensing something.

To see whether they were in fact electroreceptors, the researchers turned to the zoo's single remaining Sotalia.

They trained it to put its head on a "rest station", where electrodes delivered a tiny electrical signal into the water.

When a signal was present, the dolphin received a reward if it swam away; if not, it received a reward for staying put.

Later, a plastic shield was placed above the lines of crypts, blocking any electrical sensing. It remained still every time.

The experiments proved that the Guiana dolphin could sense the electrical signals, and that the crypts were indeed the organs responsible.

The researchers plan next to investigate whether other cetaceans possess the same capacity.

"We believe that they might, as it seems very useful for the dolphins," said Dr Hanke.

"We might in the future make plans to travel to South America to study the dolphins in the wild."

The acid test would be to fit the animals with tags that carry a variety of instruments, and see how they use their novel electric sense to hunt.

The platypus, which also uses electroreception, is a monotreme, a sub-group of mammals that lay eggs.

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High steaks

25 July 2011 Last updated at 23:12 GMT By Vladimir Hernandez BBC News, Buenos Aires Data shows less cattle is now being raised in Argentina Argentina has made a name for itself around the world with its steaks.

But things are changing dramatically in this country.

Fish exports have overtaken the more traditional beef exports, which reflects the rapid decline of the farming sector in recent years.

The latest figures seen by the BBC show that during the first quarter of 2011 Argentina exported more than 145,000 tons of fish and seafood, double the amount of beef sent abroad during the same period of time.

And while fish exports are on the rise, beef is looking at the wrong side of the scale.

Farmers say that production levels are still falling fast, largely because of the government quotas on beef exports that have been in place since 2006.

"The government decided to cut down on exports in order to push for an increase in the internal offer of beef, in an attempt to reduce the price of the product for local customers," says Carlos Pujol, a beef trader in Buenos Aires.

"But the type of cuts that our industry exports is not the same type that is consumed inside Argentina.

"Therefore the stock levels have dropped as there is no incentive to produce something that won't get eaten."

Traditionally cuts like filet mignon are destined for exports, while others like skirt tend to be a popular choice within the country.

Falling heads

Official figures show that in 2005 there were more than 57 million cattle heads in Argentina. Last year this number had fallen to 48 million - a drop of more than 15%.

People in Argentina are eating less beef

To put things in perspective, neighbouring Uruguay, a major beef exporter, has a stock of about 11 million cattle heads, almost the equivalent of the amount lost in Argentina in the last half a decade.

Argentine beef exports also show a steep decline. In 2005 Argentina sent 483,000 tons abroad, whilst in 2010 the figure was less than half, as the year closed with 191,000 tons of beef exported, the lowest in a decade.

The Argentine government insists its priority is to guarantee cheap beef for the population, with a strict grip on export allowances.

"It is a typical measure of left-wing governments. We are now producing a beef with lesser quality but cheaper for local consumers," says Mr Pujol.

Also the drop in prices has not necessarily meant an increase in consumption.

Quite the opposite, in fact: between 2009 and 2010 annual consumption fell from 68kg per person to 56.7kg.

This meant that for the first time in a century Argentina lost (to Uruguay) the top spot as the world's biggest meat-eating nation.

Fish records

But while there is less Argentine beef in foreign markets the country's fish is gaining ground.

In 2010 the fishing industry in Argentina had a record year for exports, with more than $1.33bn (?816m) worth of fish and seafood sold abroad.

For this year things are still looking promising, admits the president of the Council of Fishing Companies in Argentina, Oscar Fortunato.

The sector has exported more than $400m in the first quarter, which represents a jump of almost 40% from the same period of last year.

"The growth in the volume of exports of fish and seafood is happening while the beef exporting industry is going through difficult times. But both events are not related in any way," Mr Fortunato tells the BBC.

In recent years the Argentine fishing industry has been widening its targeted markets. It currently exports to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean and even neighbouring Brazil.

White fleshed fish is a typical product, but seafood represents an important part of the production because of its higher selling prices.

Argentineans eat little fish, so the industry relies almost completely on exports

"Although things might be going well for us we have a different level of risk," adds Mr Fortunato.

"We don't have an internal Argentine market where we can sell our products, almost 95% of the production is exported.

"If we would place 7% or 8% of our production for local consumption the market would be saturated," he adds.

This is because of a traditional and cultural characteristic of the Argentine diet.

"We don't normally eat fish. This is definitely still a beef-eating country," says Alberto, a fishmonger in Buenos Aires.

But the happy times for the Argentine fishing industry have dark clouds ahead.

Hand by hand with the increase in exports there is also a rise in production costs, especially in labour.

Workers pushed and obtained for better salaries, with a rise of at least 65%, which came into effect this year.

Mr Fortunato also explains that the industry is subject to the variations in international prices for fish and seafood.

"We feel limited because we don't have a local market where to place our products," he says.

But for now, things in Argentina are looking much brighter from the sea than from the traditional grasslands where the iconic steak is produced.

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Honeymoon murders pair are guilty

28 July 2011 Last updated at 13:56 GMT Mr Mullany was a student physiotherapist, and his wife, a doctor at Swansea's Morriston Hospital Two men have been found guilty of murdering Welsh honeymoon couple Ben and Catherine Mullany in Antigua.

The couple were shot on the Caribbean island on 27 July, 2008, exactly three years ago.

Kaniel Martin, 23, and Avie Howell, 20, both denied killing the couple from Pontardawe, Swansea Valley.

They will be sentenced on 26 September and the Director of Public Prosecutions in Antigua said he is considering asking for the death penalty.

Mr Mullany, a student physiotherapist and former policeman, and his wife, a doctor at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, died after they were shot in the back of the head.

Their parents broke down in tears as the jury delivered its verdict after 10 hours and 20 minutes of deliberation.

Afterwards in a statement, they said: "We will never be able to comprehend the senseless nature of their deaths, the total disregard shown for human life and that no remorse has ever been shown".

Antigua's High Court, in St John's, heard Mrs Mullany died almost instantly and Mr Mullany a week later after he was flown back to Swansea to be placed on a life-support machine.

Kaniel Martin and Avie Howell will be sentenced in September

'No joy'

The following month Martin and Howell were charged with their murders and that of 43-year-old shopkeeper Woneta Anderson.

The two men, who refused to face questioning in court, had protested their innocence throughout the two-month trial, in which more than 90 witnesses gave evidence.

The Mullanys were shot in their resort cottage on Antigua two weeks after they married.

They were buried in the grounds of St John Evangelist Church, Cilybebyll, near Pontardaw - the same church where they had married.

In their statement issued by South Wales Police, the couple's families said: "There is no joy at today's verdict, just a sense of relief that after three years of waiting there is justice for our children, and for Woneta Anderson and her family.

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These two individuals can never again inflict the same anguish and devastation to any other family as they have to ours."”

End Quote Statement Ben and Catherine Mullany's families 'Silent witness'

"These two individuals can never again inflict the same anguish and devastation to any other family as they have to ours."

During the trial the jury was reminded of the testimony of one of a number of expert witnesses who said a bandana with Howell's DNA was found at Mrs Anderson's shop.

Recordings found on Mr Mullany's stolen Nokia phone were replayed, in which one of the voices identified himself as "Sample Dan" - an alias used by Martin.

Det Supt Keith Niven, who led the Metropolitan Police's investigation team, said he believed Howell and Martin had set out to kill the couple.

"The level of violence inflicted upon their victims in order to steal such low value property was incomprehensible and leads me to believe that murder was their primary intention," he said.

Ben and Catherine Mullany had been on their honeymoon when they were shot dead three years ago.

He added: "Ben and Catherine must have been terrified when they were awoken and confronted in their room by two strangers pointing a gun at them.

"Throughout this investigation and throughout the trial the two defendants have shown no signs of remorse not even to Ben and Catherine's parents who have been present in court."

Although Martin admitted to lying to police at first about being near the hotel, his defence team said this was only "because he was scared," the jury was told.

Antigua's Director of Public Prosecutions, Anthony Armstrong, said he "reserved the right to request the death penalty at the sentencing hearing on the 26th September"

Mr Armstrong, the prosecutor in the trial, described the evidence as compelling.

He said: "A defendant wherever he steps, whatever he leaves, will serve as a silent witness against him.

Sgt Ian Bourne reads a statement on behalf of the Mullanys' families

"Physical evidence cannot be wrong. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it can diminish its value."

The prosecution received help from senior British detectives who were deployed to the Caribbean island following a plea from the country's prime minister who was concerned about the impact the couple's murder would have on tourism.

UK forensics expert Dr Christopher Moynehan, who also gave evidence at a trial into the murder of BBC TV presenter Jill Dando, told the court that tests found gunshot residue on clothing belonging to Howell and Martin.

'Natural ability'

After the trial, members of the Mullany family paid tribute to the couple.

They said Mrs Mullany was destined to work in the medical profession, having harboured dreams of becoming a doctor from an early age.

She had attended Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera and was described by former teachers as an excellent pupil.

After graduating in 2002 from the University of London, she worked at numerous departments at Singleton and Morriston hospitals in Swansea as part of her training to be a GP.

Hospital officials described her as having a "natural ability to care and being very compassionate" - especially while working at the paediatric unit in Singleton.

Among the young patients she cared for was the son of Swansea City footballer Ferrie Bodde, after the youngster suffered a severe asthma attack.

The Mullanys began their honeymoon in Antigua two days after their wedding.

The couple spent their first night as a married couple camping in an unknown location. They had deliberately kept the whereabouts a secret from their family and friends - and this was why they had chosen Somewhere Only We Know by Keane as their first dance at their wedding reception.

Since their murders, the couple's families have set up a charity, the Mullany Fund, which hopes to widen participation in the field of medicine and physiotherapy by offering grants to students, many of whom are facing sharp rises in tuition fees.

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A star is formed

28 July 2011 Last updated at 13:40 GMT By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News Number 16 goes into position. Another 50 will follow in the next 18 months One of the grand astronomical projects of the 21st Century is open for business.

The Alma radio telescope facility high up in Chile's Atacama Desert has put its 16th antenna in place, giving it a configuration that allows it to do some very capable science.

Eventually, it will have 66 dishes.

This will give the observatory an unprecedented view of the cool Universe - all the gas and dust that goes into building stars and planets.

It will also enable astronomers to see events in the very early cosmos that are beyond the detection of current technologies.

"There's nothing really magical about the number 16, but the sensitivity gain on current instruments is so great it would be a shame not to start doing some serious science with Alma," said Dr John Richer, the UK Alma project scientist based at Cambridge University.

Alma (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) is a co-operative venture that includes the scientific and engineering inputs of Europe, East Asia, North America, and the host nation, Chile.

Alma's 12m-dishes and their associated receiver systems and electronics are manufactured around the world before being shipped for final integration in South America.

The finished antennas are driven up on to Atacama's Chajnantor plateau by special 28-wheeled trucks, in which the drivers must sit in oxygenated cabins to cope with the thin air found at Alma's 5,000m-high location.

A star is formed

Number 16 has the distinction of being the "first European antenna" to make it up the mountain.

The 15 already in position have made some observations but these were more technical in nature, explained Professor Brian Ellison, Alma's UK Project Manager based at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

"Those observations were early engineering checks to assess that the systems were working as expected," he said.

"Obviously, as you do more science, that tends to reveal more [flaws] that engineers can go back and work on."

The air on Atacama's Chajnantor plateau is thin and extremely dry - perfect for astronomy

The facility is designed to detect millimetre and submillimetre signals from the sky with multiple antennas.

By combining those signals in a process known as interferometry, Alma can mimic the capabilities of a single, giant antenna with a diameter equal to the distance between the dishes.

In the 16-antenna configuration this distance at its maximum separation is just 400m; when Alma is completed in 2013, the separation will be more than 15km.

This will give the observatory unrivalled sensitivity and resolution.

Key early targets will be the "birthing clouds" of new stars, and the discs of dusty debris that emerge around these newborns to produce planets.

The European Space Agency currently operates an orbiting telescope called Herschel that has returned remarkable pictures of these same star-forming regions, but Alma will be capable of subjecting them to forensic investigation.

"Herschel is making maps of big star-forming complexes," said Dr Richer.

"What Alma will do is zoom in on the interesting areas and make ultra-high-resolution images that show not just a blob where the galaxies or the molecules are, but resolves in very, very fine detail the structure of those objects, whether it's the gas discs forming around stars or the collisions between galaxies at [great distance]."

Alma will also go after events in the very early Universe, in particular the so-called "Epoch of Re-ionisation".

This was a period about 400-plus million years after the Big Bang that saw a fundamental change in the cosmic environment - when the intense ultraviolet light from the first stars turned the dominantly neutral hydrogen gas then pervading the Universe into the diffuse intergalactic plasma we detect between the stars today.

Rich science

The world's astronomers have scrambled to be part of the early science observations.

Almost 1,000 proposals have been submitted - far more than can be accommodated in the initial nine months of viewing time.

Dr Richer is not surprised by the rush to use Alma. He is in no doubt that it will become one of the premier facilities in the front line of science.

"It doesn't have quite the same profile as, say, the Large Hadron Collider and it doesn't have the same price tag," he told BBC News.

"Nonetheless, it is the most complex observatory ever constructed on the ground in terms of its engineering and scale.

"We're doing this because we believe it will have commensurate scientific returns. Over the next 20 years, Alma will deliver an incredible wealth of new discoveries."

Europe's participation is co-ordinated through the European Southern Observatory organisation, which runs a number of other astronomical facilities in Chile, including the nearby Very Large Telescope (VLT).

Europe's Herschel telescope is mapping the "cold cosmos". Alma will zoom into the most interesting places and objects Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

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King of Salsa

26 July 2011 Last updated at 15:53 GMT Joe Arroyo drew on his home city's African heritage for inspiration His full name was Alvaro Jose Arroyo Gonzalez but he was known in the music world as Joe Arroyo - and in his native Colombia as just Joe.

There may be some people in Latin America who haven't heard of him.

But even so, they've probably heard his biggest hit, Rebellion.

"It's the most important salsa tune the country has. In fact, it may well be Colombia's most important song," Mauricio Silva, who wrote a biography of Arroyo, told BBC Mundo.

"The music is fantastic and the whole country dances it and sings it."

But for Mr Silva, Rebellion has a deeper meaning.

"It's how Joe condenses the history of the black population of Latin America."

Joe Arroyo and his band brought together the African rhythms of Colombia's Caribbean coast.

He composed 107 songs, 40 of them top hits, but his work went beyond salsa.

Arroyo was born 1 November 1955 in the port of Cartagena.

He grew up speaking Creole that stemmed from the Bantu language spoken by African slaves in the 16th Century and who are the protagonists of Rebellion.

As a child, Arroyo was influenced by the rhythms of Cartagena - such as soca, calypso, salsa and merengue.

But he also drew on other styles embedded in the culture of of black Colombians - including terapia, champeta, and porro.

Brothel beginning

Later, Arroyo would seek to bring these rhythms together into his own unique sound: joseson or the sound of Joe.

"Joe is the embodiment of Africa in America," says Mr Silva.

Arroyo kept peforming despite bouts of ill health

Arroyo began singing aged eight in Cartagena's brothels.

"Then an archbishop heard about him, asked for Joe to come to him and put him in a choir," Mr Silva says.

Arroyo ran away from home at 13 and joined a band in Barranquilla called "The Protest".

In 1973, he became the main vocalist in the popular salsa band, Fruko y sus Tesos.

He formed his own band, La Verdad (The Truth), in 1981, developing his own sound and becoming one of the stars of salsa music, at home and abroad.

Arroyo's intense lifestyle and various brushes with death added to his aura.

Thyroid problems left him seriously ill in 1983 - the Colombian press pronounced his death "from a drug overdose".

He was again given up for dead when he suffered pneumonia and was in a diabetic coma while on tour in Barcelona.

Two years later, his daughter Tania died from heart problems.

The following day he took to the stage for a planned concert, and was inspired to write the song that bears her name.

"His songs were the map of his life, the women who betrayed him, the men whose women he slept with, his drug-taking," said Mr Silva.

Actor Jair Romero played Arroyo in a soap opera about his life called "Joe, The Legend".

"When you talk about Colombian music, your reference point is Joe Arroyo," says Romero.

"But he was a very simple man, the voice of the people, someone who expressed what the poor wanted to say."

For Romero, it is telling that despite his success, Arroyo stayed in Colombia and did not make his home in Miami, unlike other Latin American musicians.

Despite his numerous health problems, Arroyo never stopped performing.

"That's why there is and never will be anybody like Joe Arroyo," says Romero.

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Police row over Mexican jail riot

27 July 2011 Last updated at 23:49 GMT The authorities are back in control of the prison Police in one of Mexico's most violent cities, Ciudad Juarez, have accused federal colleagues of firing at them during a deadly prison riot.

City police chief Julian Leyzaola told reporters his armoured vehicle had been shot at by up to 16 federal police officers as he approached the jail.

But the federal government accused him of breaking through a cordon.

Seventeen people died when one group of inmates reportedly attacked rivals from another drug gang inside the jail.

A spokesman for the city's authorities told the BBC the attackers had used weapons seized from prison guards to carry out the massacre on Monday night.

Further revelations on Wednesday suggested weakness, disorganisation and possible corruption at the jail close to the US border.

It took security forces several hours to regain control.

'Third clash'

"I saw a federal officer in front of my sport utility vehicle firing at me and in turning to a side, there was a group of between 10 and 15 federal officers firing at my vehicle," said Mr Leyzaola, who was uninjured.

In response, the federal public safety department issued a statement to say federal police had opened fire because Mr Leyzaola had refused to stop and identify himself.

"During an operation to prevent an escape of prisoners, he broke through the security cordon and, acting against security protocol, went through a checkpoint without stopping," the statement said.

"And for this reason his vehicle was fired upon to make it stop."

When the authorities finally regained control of the prison, they found 17 people dead, two inmates with gunshot wounds and 72 others with lesser injuries.

It is believed to be the third clash between federal and local police in the city since the start of the year.

Damning video This police detective was running for cover during the operation

Federal police added that two females, including a woman killed in the fighting, were found inside the prison.

Local TV footage seen by the Associated Press news agency suggests guards may have actually allowed the bloodbath to happen.

The footage reportedly shows hooded, armed inmates talking with guards, who then leave the area before inmates grab cell keys, open a door and apparently fire on those inside with a machine pistol and an assault rifle.

Julio Cesar Castaneda, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office, said it was investigating reports that even more women had entered the prison for a party held by members of one of the city's street gangs, and that most had left after the fight.

The office was also investigating reports that some prison employees may have attended the party.

Federal security spokesman Alejandro Poire called for changes at the city-run prison, saying security at state and local jails across Mexico should be "reviewed and strengthened".

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Corinthians withdraw Tevez offer

Tevez scored 20 league goals for Manchester City last season Carlos Tevez's move from Manchester City to Corinthians has fallen through because the Brazilian club pulled out.

City thought a ?40m deal had been agreed for the Argentine striker after he told the Premier League outfit he wanted to return to South America.

But Corinthians said there was not enough time to sign the the 27-year-old before the Brazilian transfer window closes at 0400 BST on Thursday.

Corinthians still want Tevez and hinted an agreement can be reached in January.

Continue reading the main story 12 December 2010 - Tevez says he is going to leave Man City 20 December 2010 - Withdraws transfer request and commits future to club16 May 2011 - Says he will only stay at club if solution found to "family issues" 8 June 2011 - Tevez says he will never return to "small and wet" Manchester4 July - Confirms he is going to leave Manchester City

It had appeared that the former West Ham forward had got his wish for a transfer but then in a statement, Corinthians said: "The board of Sporting Club Corinthians hereby officially announce the impossibility of hiring the Argentine striker Carlos Tevez.

"While acknowledging the efforts of Manchester City and all involved in the negotiation, more time is needed for the transfer to be achieved, given that the window to sign players from abroad closes on Wednesday, 20 July [Brazilian time].

"We are aware of the dream our fans had of having this player at Corinthians again and we look forward to him being with us in the near future."

That would indicate that Corinthians may look to revive the deal in the January transfer window, although that would not be the preferred option of Tevez or his current club.

Tevez, who had a spell at Corinthians from 2005 to 2006, originally asked City for a transfer in December and has since reiterated that desire to leave so he can be closer to his family in Argentina.

However, there are few clubs who can match the asking price of about ?40m.

Corinthians' move for Tevez - which emerged on Monday - was believed to be funded by a new television deal for Brazilian clubs.

But the Sao Paulo side's response to City's demand for a proper payment schedule on Tuesday was perhaps a sign the transfer would not have gone smoothly.

The breakdown of Tevez's transfer to Corinthians also leaves City manager Roberto Mancini's proposed move for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero in doubt.

Tevez, who is contracted to City until 2014, has been a key player for the club since arriving from neighbours Manchester United in 2009.

He helped Mancini's side to FA Cup success and Champions League qualification in the 2010/2011 campaign. He has scored 43 Premier League goals in his two seasons at City - the highest total of any player in the top division.

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Argentine ex-army officers jailed

14 July 2011 Last updated at 22:29 GMT Thousands were killed or tortured during Argentina's Dirty War Two ex-military officers have been sentenced to life for abuses at one of Argentina's most notorious prisons run by the country's former dictatorship.

Hector Gamen and Hugo Pascarelli were convicted by a Buenos Aires court of committing crimes against humanity.

Some 2,500 political prisoners passed through "El Vesubio" jail during the military junta's war on dissidents in the 1970s and 1980s.

Survivors say few of them came out alive.

The head of the prison died in June while standing trial.

An estimated 30,000 people were kidnapped, tortured and killed in Argentina in the seven years of military rule which became known as the Dirty War.

Some leading members of the military were tried after the return to civilian rule in 1983, but then given an amnesty.

More than 20 years on, the amnesties were ruled unconstitutional, clearing the way for trials to resume.

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Deadly prison breakout in Mexico

16 July 2011 Last updated at 02:09 GMT More than 400 inmates have escaped from jails in northern Mexico since January 2010 Seven prisoners have been killed and 59 others have escaped after a riot at a jail in northern Mexico near the US border, officials say.

Five guards are also missing and are believed to have aided the mass prison breakout in Nuevo Laredo town.

Mexican police say the majority of those on the run are drug traffickers and members of armed gangs.

The prison system is struggling to cope with an influx of offenders arrested in a campaign against drugs cartels.

Correspondents say prison breakouts are not uncommon in northern Mexico, where more than 400 inmates have escaped since January 2010.

Nuevo Laredo, in Tamaulipas state, lies just across the border from Laredo, Texas.

The largest jail break so far was last December when more than 140 prisoners escaped from the same prison.

According to a statement from the Tamaulipas state government, the riot began on Friday morning in Nuevo Laredo's Sanctions Enforcement Centre, which houses an estimated 1,200 prisoners.

After the breakout, soldiers surrounded the jail and calm was restored, the authorities said.

The northern border region is the scene of rising lawlessness as the cartels fight the security forces and each other for control of smuggling routes into the US.

The main battle in Tamaulipas is between the Zetas and the Gulf cartels, the AFP news agency reports.

Their capacity for violence and ability to pay huge bribes gives them considerable power to subvert the prison system and get their people out.

President Felipe Calderon came to power in 2006 promising a war on drugs.

More than 35,000 people have died in drug violence since he began his campaign, which has involved launching an army assault on drug gangs.

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Venezuelan prison stand-off ends

14 July 2011 Last updated at 06:52 GMT Troops controlled areas outside the El Rodeo prison in Venezuela for nearly a month Police in Venezuela have regained control of a prison east of the capital, Caracas, after a stand-off that lasted for 27 days.

More than 800 prisoners left the El Rodeo prison, after some 60 armed prisoners surrendered, officials said.

Authorities said that four inmates were shot dead by National Guard troops as they tried to escape.

The stand-off began after troops stormed the prison to put an end to violent clashes between rival groups.

More than 25 people died in the mid-June clashes and in subsequent attempts to regain full control of the prison, in the town of Guatire.

Venezuelan troops eventually took over a part of the jail known as El Rodeo 1.

But hundreds of other prisoners remained holed up in the other wing, El Rodeo 2.

The authorities said about 60 inmates there were using guns to exert control over fellow prisoners.

Nearly a month after the first riots, the Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister, Tareck El Aissami, said some of the armed leaders had agreed to surrender.

He said the inmates had been given guarantees that their human rights would be respected.

"We've managed for all of them to come down to the yards," Mr El Aissami said. "We celebrate the triumph of peace, dialogue."

Relatives camped outside the prison, in the town of Guatire, throughout the crisis

A spokesperson for prisoners' relatives, Grisel Zorrilla, told the Associated Press news agency that the inmates showed signs of dehydration but were generally in good health.

Hundreds of families remained outside the prison waiting for the latest information on the health and the likely destination of their family members.

The government said that the 831 inmates evacuated from El Rodeo were being sent to two other jails, Yare 2 and Tocuyito.

Venezuelan prisons are notoriously overcrowded and there has been a series of riots since the beginning of the year.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights says nearly 500 people died in prison violence last year.

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Peru massacre suspect flown home

15 July 2011 Last updated at 11:25 GMT The US has extradited a Peruvian ex-army officer, Telmo Hurtado, over the killing 69 villagers during the war against Maoist guerrillas in the 1980s.

Hurtado is accused of commanding a patrol that killed the civilians, who included women and children.

He was included in an amnesty for officers in the 1990s, but lost his immunity from prosecution when Peru's Supreme Court later nullified the law.

He fled to the US, where he was arrested in 2007.

On Friday Hurtado is to appear before a Peruvian court that will decide where he will be held while prosecutors prepare the case, a lawyer for families of the victims told AFP news agency.

He is alleged to have taken part in the "Accomarca Massacre" in August 1985, when army units entered a village and killed dozens of residents.

Hurtado - who was known as the "butcher of the Andes - was originally convicted in 1993, but later included in a blanket amnesty for officers. The amnesty law was nullified in 2002.

Peru's army fought bitterly against Maoist guerrillas belonging to the Shining Path movement in the 1980s and 1990s.

The military has been accused of rights abuses, but few people have been charged.

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Menezes family urges wider probe

14 July 2011 Last updated at 21:15 GMT Jean Charles de Menezes was wrongly identified as an Islamic militant

The family of a Brazilian man shot dead by police in London in 2005 has called for the News Corp phone-hacking investigation to be widened.

In a letter to UK PM David Cameron, Jean Charles de Menezes' relatives say the actions of police who investigated Mr Menezes' death should be probed.

They say officers may have leaked confidential information to the media.

The phone number of a cousin of Mr Menezes was seized from an investigator hired by The News of the World.

Twenty-seven-year-old Mr Menezes was mistakenly shot dead on an underground train at Stockwell station six years ago.

He was wrongly identified as a suicide bomber days after the 7 July bombings which rocked the capital.

'Cover-up'

The family of Mr Menezes was officially informed on Wednesday that the mobile number of one of his cousins, Alex Pereira, was found in documents that belonged to private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

The police have now collected the details of other family members to check whether they had also been hacked.

Alex Pereira's number was on private investigator's list

A relative of Mr Menezes, Vivian Figueiredo, told the BBC that at some stages of the investigation it looked like private information on the case was being leaked to the media.

In the letter to Mr Cameron, the Menezes family says some members the London Metropolitan Police were too close to journalists from Rupert Murdorch's News Corp organisation.

A spokesperson for the Justice4Jean campaign group, Estelle du Boulay, said the Menezes family were shocked by the news that they may have been hacked at a time when they were most vulnerable and bereaved.

"They fear the police may be attempting to cover up their own wrongdoing once more relating to this case," said Ms Du Boulay.

The Menezes family has called on Mr Cameron to do everything within his power to ensure that the issue is thoroughly investigated.

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Iran 'to co-operate' over bombing

16 July 2011 Last updated at 23:28 GMT The attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in 1994 killed 85 people Iran says it is ready to co-operate with Argentina over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.

Argentina has blamed Iran for the attack, in which 85 people died.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied any involvement and said it would help Argentina with its investigation, which it said "was going down the wrong way".

Argentina said that it would publish a report into the attack within days.

Tehran said it was "ready for a constructive dialogue and to co-operate with the Argentine government to shed all possible light" on the case.

In a statement published by the state news agency IRNA, Iran's foreign ministry condemned the attack and sent its sympathies to the victims.

Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for five Iranians and one Lebanese in connection with the bombing.

One of those wanted is Iranian Defence Minister Gen Ahmad Vahidi.

At the time of the attack, Gen Vahidi was the commander of a special unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard known as the Quds Force.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has repeatedly demanded the extradition of Gen Vahidi and the other Iranian officials accused of involvement in the attack.

The car bomb at the Jewish Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA), which wounded more than 200, was one of two attacks targeting Argentina's 200,000-strong Jewish community in the 1990s.

The 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires also remains unsolved.

Argentine, US and Israeli officials have all said that Iran was behind the two bombings, a charge Tehran vehemently denies.

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Mexico finds huge marijuana farm

15 July 2011 Last updated at 07:08 GMT The Mexican authorities said the plants would have yielded marijuana with a street value of about $160m (?99m)

The Mexican army says it has discovered a huge field with mature marijuana in the northern state of Baja California.

Soldiers were patrolling the area, some 300km (190 miles) south of the US border, when they found the plantation.

The field near the town of San Quintin, measuring 1.2sq km (300 acres), was surrounded by a hedge of cacti. It is the largest marijuana plantation ever found in Mexico, officials say.

They say it would have yielded a harvest worth about $160m (?99m).

A Mexican army spokesman told the BBC it was unclear who owned the territory.

An estimated 60 people were working on the plantation, said the local army commander, Gen Alfonso Duarte.

"When they saw the military personnel, they fled," he told reporters.

The Mexican army has led the war on drug gangs launched by President Felipe Calderon in December 2006.

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Chavez goes to Cuba for treatment

17 July 2011 Last updated at 05:35 GMT Hugo Chavez announced he would temporarily delegate some of his powers Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is back in Cuba to undergo further treatment for cancer.

He said doctors had found no more malignant cells in his body after he had surgery to remove a tumour.

President Chavez said he was due to undergo chemotherapy on Sunday.

He delegated some of his powers to the vice-president and the finance minister but resisted calls from opposition politicians to hand over all presidential powers during his absence.

'Time to live'

Boarding his plane in Caracas, President Chavez said he was in fighting spirit.

"Tomorrow I begin chemotherapy treatment, and we're going to give it everything we've got," he said.

"It's not time to die, it's time to live," he added.

He did not clarify how long the treatment would take, or whether there would be more trips to Cuba in the future.

Earlier on Saturday, Venezuela's National Assembly had voted to allow Mr Chavez to return to Cuba to resume cancer treatment, including chemotherapy.

During a sometimes heated debate, opposition politicians had urged him to delegate the running of the country to his vice-president.

Mr Chavez dismissed the calls, saying he would "come back much better than I am right now".

But speaking during a televised cabinet meeting which followed, he announced he would - for the first time since he came to power 12 years ago - delegate some of his powers.

Vice-President Elias Jaua would oversee the expropriation of businesses and a number of budget-related duties while he was receiving treatment in Cuba, he announced.

He added that Finance Minister Jorge Giordani would also temporarily take on some additional duties.

The president said his decision had come as a result of "deep reflection" during his fight against cancer.

Continuing treatment

Since his return home on 4 July, the 56-year-old president has cut his workload on doctor's orders.

He has not given precise details of where the tumour was found, only that he was operated on in the pelvic region.

Some people will be surprised by the president opting to go back to Cuba instead of staying at home for treatment, says the BBC's Sarah Grainger in Caracas.

But the strong bond he has with Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro, who first noticed he was not looking well, and his ability to recover away from the public eye may make Cuba a more compelling place for treatment, adds our correspondent.

Despite his illness, Mr Chavez has kept up his public image; his Twitter account (in Spanish) has been active over the last two weeks, with several messages posted each day.

He has made several recent appearances on television - addressing troops, attending Mass and leading a Cabinet meeting - although his speeches have been shorter and he no longer makes them late into the night.

Officially, he still plans to run for re-election in late 2012.

During his 12 years in power, Mr Chavez has built up deep support among the poor by spending on social programmes. But there are growing problems, including high inflation, frequent electricity shortages and a lack of affordable housing.

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Two arrested over Cabral killing

12 July 2011 Last updated at 21:11 GMT Elgin Vargas Hernandez was one of two suspects held in Guatemala City Police in Guatemala have arrested two men over the killing of Argentine singer Facundo Cabral.

Cabral - one of Latin America's most respected folk singers - was being driven to the airport in Guatemala City when his car was ambushed on Saturday.

He was shot dead and the music promoter travelling with him, Henry Farinas, was seriously injured.

Police say the suspects were caught after being identified from hotel surveillance videos.

Prosecutor Claudia Paz y Paz said the two - named as Elgin Vargas Hernandez and Wilfred Stokes Arnold - had been following Mr Farinas and probably did not know who Cabral was.

They were arrested on separate raids in Guatemala City on Tuesday. Police are continuing to search for others believed to have been involved in the attack.

Organised crime

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said the evidence suggested Mr Farinas was the target of the attack.

Cabral's coffin was put is on display in Buenos Aires

"It's evident that the attack came from organised crime and that's what we are investigating," he told Mexican Radio.

Mr Farinas, a Nicaraguan national, remains in hospital. Prosecutors say he has no criminal record and the motive for the shooting remains unclear.

Earlier on Tuesday, the body of Facundo Cabral was flown back to his native Argentina, where he became famous in the early 1970s as a protest singer.

His widow and nephew were accompanied by Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman to receive his coffin.

He was due to be cremated on Wednesday.

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Maradona injured in car accident

Maradona scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina between 1977-94 Diego Maradona has suffered minor injuries in an accident on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

The Argentina legend and his partner Veronica Ojeda were taken to hospital after the car he was driving hit a bus.

Maradona, 50, reportedly hurt his knee and Ojeda her hip, but Dr Oscar Cicco, a director at Hospital de Ezeiza, said they were "in a perfect condition".

He added: "They've hardly suffered any injuries and came to the hospital by themselves as a precautionary measure."

Maradona's mother is currently in hospital and local media reported that he was on his way to visit her when the accident happened in the suburb of Ezeiza.

At present Maradona is waiting to take over as coach of Al Wasl in the United Arab Emirates, his first job since departing as Argentina boss following the 2010 World Cup.

Earlier this week, Maradona stepped in to demand more support for Argentina after the host nation received heavy criticism for their performances at the Copa America.

Sergio Batista's side drew 1-1 with Bolivia in their opening match on 1 July and were also held by Colombia five days later before beating Costa Rica 3-0 on Monday.

Maradona captained his country to World Cup glory in 1986 and coached them for two years.

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CSI challenge

13 July 2011 Last updated at 00:00 GMT By Julian Miglierini BBC News, Mexico City Mexico is trying to train more staff who are qualified to investigate crime scenes Walk past the modern facilities of Mexico City's forensic headquarters and it is hard to imagine that the building hosts one of the grimmest aspects of Mexico's war on drugs.

Inside are dozens of unidentified corpses - most believed to be the victims of the drug gang violence that has engulfed parts of this country.

They were found in clandestine graves in the north of the country - a macabre twist to the bloodletting that has seen some 40,000 people killed since late 2006.

Some mortuaries in the violence hot spots - mostly in the north near the US border - have been overwhelmed by the discovery of hundreds of corpses.

"We only have facilities to deal with 20 bodies," Dr Jose Gutierrez Silva, head of the forensic service in the city of Durango told the BBC.

"We had to hire two trucks that are specially fitted to hold corpses."

Tortured victims

To date, some 250 bodies have been found in several mass graves in the state of Durango.

Julian Miglierini visits Mexico City's Forensic Medical Service

It has been a similar story in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas, where more than 190 bodies were unearthed earlier this year near the town of San Fernando.

That is why many bodies have been brought to the capital.

At Mexico City's Forensic Medical Service (Semefo), work continues to try to give a name to the victims stored in temperature-controlled vaults behind two heavy metal doors.

The hope is that a positive identification means a body can be handed over to grieving relatives.

Mexican officials say the number of forensic staff employed at a national level is now 1,500 - up from 454 a decade ago.

Some states, like Durango, have opened new forensic laboratories over the last few months, while the while the main university, UNAM in Mexico City, is set to introduce a new degree course next year to train people in forensic science.

But the expansion of the forensic service will take time - while the victims keep turning up.

"We support states in the north of the country by receiving these bodies because they don't have facilities to keep them for long," says Dr Macario Susano Pompeyo, technical director of Semefo.

"And since they keep on finding bodies, that makes their work more difficult."

About 120 of the Tamaulipas bodies, some mutilated and bearing the signs of torture, were moved to Mexico City.

So far, less than a quarter of the corpses has been formally identified. None of the victims, Dr Pompeyo says, had any links with criminal groups.

"They were migrants making their way to cross the border with the US," he says.

That could explain why few families come looking for their loved ones.

"Many of them do not even know if their relative is missing or dead," says Dr Pompeyo.

Missing or murdered?

That is not the case of Maximo Bazaldua, who believes his brother-in-law Rafael, could be among the bodies at the Semefo facilities.

The last time he heard from him, in March 2010, Rafael was on a bus on his way to the US.

Limited storage means some unidentified victims have already had to be reburied

Over the phone, he told his family that the bus he was on had been stopped in Tamaulipas at a supposed checkpoint near San Fernando.

Mr Bazaldua's efforts to find his brother-in-law have so far been unsuccessful.

The search involves dealing with different departments, a lot of bureaucracy and costs money travelling to and from Tamaulipas.

"We're about to give up," he says.

Rafael seems set, for the foreseeable future at least, to remain on the list of some 6,000 people who have gone missing in Mexico since 2006, according to human rights groups.

As for the bodies in Semefo's vaults, their destiny contains a grim irony.

If in about a year, no relative has claimed them, they will be buried again in mass graves.

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