Brazil agrees on IAEA inspection of its nuclear facilities
Brazil has agreed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect some of its nuclear facilities and an accord will be signed this week, diplomats said Wednesday.

The tentative compromise would allow inspectors to see parts of the centrifuges in mid-October to vindicate Brazil's claim that ithas neither enriched uranium to weapons-grade levels nor diverted the nuclear material to other places.

The compromise will end months-old differences over Brazil's access to technology that can be used to build nuclear weapons, diplomats said.

Brazil has refused to allow IAEA inspectors to view its centrifuges at its plant in Resende, about 60 km northwest of Rio de Janeiro, saying that the plant's advanced technology could be stolen by other countries should outsiders be allowed into it.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday told Brazilian business leaders in Sao Paulo that Washington is not worried about Brazil's nuclear program, but urged Brazil to resolve its disputes with the IAEA as soon as possible.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim has said his country did not hide any nuclear activities to the UN nuclear agency and its enriched uranium will be used for peaceful purposes only.
 

9 killed in clashes between insurgents in Colombia
At least nine people were killed when two insurgent groups fought for the control of Choco in western Colombia, police said Wednesday.

A National Police spokesman said the clashes between the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) also led to the displacement of several families in the region.

The 20,000-strong FARC is the country's largest and oldest rebel organization and allegedly finances itself through drug trafficking and kidnappings.

AUC was created to attack anti-government leftist guerrillas. But the group and other rightist paramilitaries quickly began a war of their own.

Colombia has been locked in a four-decade civil war, the longest in Latin America, in which government forces, leftist guerrillas and far-right paramilitaries fight one another. The conflicts kill more than 3,500 people each year.
 

Venezuelan vice president ends Russian tour
Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel concluded an official visit to Russia on Wednesday after signing the final document on a first inter-governmental commission.

"This (commission) meeting, without doubt, is a great opportunity to evaluate the strengths of both countries and their coordination in the energy and mining sectors," Rangel said in a statement.

The two countries have made headway in negotiations of an energy cooperation agreement, which is expected to be signed when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits Russia in November, the Venpres news agency quoted Rangel as saying.

Russia and Venezuela are the world's second and fifth largest oil exporter respectively.

During the four-day visit, Venezuela also inked an accord with Russia on the purchase of 40 Russian attack helicopters to defend its border with Colombia. The first 10 gunships will be delivered in two months.