World News: Tests spark fears cholera has spread to Haiti capital

Health chiefs are examining at least 120 suspected cases of cholera in Haiti's capital, the most significant warning sign yet that the epidemic has spread from outlying areas to threaten as many as three million people.

Samples from patients in Port-au-Prince were being tested in a laboratory to confirm the presence of vibrio cholera bacteria, which has already killed at least 544 people in Haiti, said health ministry executive director Gabriel Timothee.

If confirmed, the bacteria could imperil an estimated 2.5 to three million inhabitants, nearly half of whom have been living in tents or under tarpaulins in easily flooded encampments since their houses were destroyed in the January 12 earthquake.

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"We are working on the cases. We don't have confirmation yet," Mr Timothee said.

He said many of the hospitalised patients were believed to have recently arrived from parts of Haiti such as the Artibonite Valley, where the epidemic was first registered and had done its most ferocious damage.

More than 6400 of the known 8138 cases to date have been in the agricultural region, clustered around the Artibonite River.

Ex-military ruler dies aged 85

Former Argentine military ruler Emilio Eduardo Massera has died at the age of 85 after a long illness.

The former admiral was one of the three-man military junta that ruled between 1976 and 1983. He was put under house arrest after being convicted of the murder of civilians in the "Dirty War".

Iraqis in Paris for treatment

A GROUP of Iraqi Christians who were wounded in an attack on a church in Baghdad have arrived in Paris for medical treatment.

The 34 Christians and one Muslim security guard were the worst injured in the October 31 attack, in which more than 50 people were killed.

Cuba economy on the agenda

Cuba's leaders will use a long-delayed Communist Party Congress next April to chart a new economic future for the island, president Raul Castro said.

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The congress, which last took place in 1997, is traditionally used to announce major policy changes. It is supposed to be held every five years, but has been delayed as Cuba grappled with an economic crisis.

There has been intense speculation that Fidel Castro's future might also be discussed at the congress.

President wants to be king

Gambia's president is angling to become king of the West African nation.

Tribal chieftains are touring the country to rally support for Yahya Jammeh's coronation.

Jammeh, who once claimed to have developed a cure for Aids that involved bananas, is serving his third elected term.

Rebel clashes enter third day in Burma

Burma: Fighting between ethnic rebels and government troops continued for a third day today as activists warned that the violence which sparked a refugee exodus from Burma could escalate in the aftermath of contentious elections.

United States: An inquiry ordered by Barack Obama into the BP oil spill has given support to many of the company's own findings, challenging claims BP sacrificed safety to save money.