Today's Stories: Five government soldiers killed in clash with Colombian rebels Cuba calls for more cooperation with China Chavez discusses referendum with TV magnate, Carter Five bodies found from burst dam in Brazil

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The battle launched by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, took place near the village of Frontino, 460 kilometers northwest of Bogota, the capital, the army's fourth brigade reported.

The wounded soldiers have been sent by helicopters to Medellin,Colombia's second-large city, for medical treatment.

It was not clear if any FARC rebels were killed or wounded in the clash.

Colombia's civil war between the government troops and the rebels has lasted 40 years. It is the longest armed conflict in the Southern America. At least 40,000 people are killed in the fights of the last 10 years.

Since 2000, the United States has spent some 2.5 billion US dollars, most of it for military aid and training, to help the Colombian government fight the rebels.

 

Cuba calls for more cooperation with China
Cuban leader Fidel Castro said here Sunday that it is very important for both Cuba and China to push forward the economic cooperation between the two countries.

Castro made the remarks while meeting with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong, who arrived here Saturday for a visit.

During the meeting, Castro praised the fast development of China's economy, saying that it could not make such a remarkable achievement without the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Zhou also expressed appreciation to Cuba for its firm support to the Chinese government on Taiwan and human rights issues..

With the joint efforts of both countries, the bilateral relations will get further developed, added Zhou
 

Chavez discusses referendum with TV magnate, Carter
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he had held talks on an upcoming referendum with former US President Jimmy Carter and a Venezuelan media magnate whom Chavez has accused of conspiring against him.

Carter organized the meeting Friday between Chavez and billionaire Gustavo Cisneros, whose TV channel Venevision often broadcasts views critical of the government.

The Carter Center issued a statement Saturday saying that the meeting resulted in "a mutual commitment to honor constitutional processes and to support further discussions between the government of Venezuela and the country's news media."

However, Chavez said that he had refused to negotiate with Cisneros and there had been no "agreements" between them.

Chavez said he does not "hate his enemies" and he is willing to meet anyone who wishes to see him. "I respect those who have harmed me," said Chavez, during his weekly television and radio show.

Chavez said they also discussed "the need for a national dialogue" after the Aug. 15 referendum. The referendum was sought by the opposition with an attempt to oust Chavez, who is confident that he would win the referendum.

Under the Venezuelan constitution, the recall takes effect if the anti-Chavez camp nets more votes than the 3.7 million the president received when he was reelected in 2000 for his six-year presidency.

Chavez, who was first elected in 1998, has accused Cisneros of having backed a short-lived coup in 2002 and of being involved with a plot to assassinate him.

Also on Friday, Venezuelan police searched Cisneros' Venevision building, where arms and ammunitions were founded in a previous raid. The Venevision denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
 

Five bodies found from burst dam in Brazil
Five people were believed to be dead from a dam break in northeastern Brazil as the authorities found another drowning victim close to a flooded town, police said Sunday.

The local authorities early Sunday found the body of a man five kilometers (three miles) upstream from the town of Alagoa Grande that was flooded after a dam ruptured.

The Camara Dam on the Mamanguate River burst Thursday night sending 17 million cubic meters of water from its reservoir into the river that overflowed and flooded the towns of Alagoa Grande and Mulungu.

Both towns lie in the impoverished state of Paraiba, about 2,150 kilometers (1,340 miles) northeast of Sao Paulo.

Before Sunday, rescue workers had recovered three bodies in Alagoa Grande and one in Mulungu. The authorities were still searching for dozens of missing people, but had no exact number.

It was reported that more than 3,500 people fled their homes and dozens of people were missing, while hundreds of homes were destroyed by the water and mud flows.

The state's Water Resources Department blamed a "construction flaw" for causing a 10-square-meter (108-square-foot) hole in the dam.

The rupture has been repaired, but the government is still investigating the cause of the construction flaw, a government official said.