Marco Rubio admits wrong dates in Cuban parents 'exile'

Senator Marco Rubio has been seen mentioned as a potential 2012 vice-presidential candidate

A Florida Republican often touted as a possible 2012 vice-presidential candidate has admitted his Cuban parents did not come to the US as exiles from Fidel Castro's rule.

Senator Marco Rubio acknowledges "getting a few dates wrong" about when they left the Caribbean island.

But the 40-year-old says any suggestion he had spun his background story for political advantage was "outrageous".

He maintains communism in Cuba was a defining event in his parents' lives.

The Washington Post reported on Friday, after examining official records and naturalisation documents, that Mr Rubio's parents had obtained US residence more than two years before Castro took power in 1959.

An entry on his official Senate website saying he is the son of "Cuban born parents who came to America following Fidel Castro's takeover" has now been amended.

The Tea Party favourite has also said in the past that his parents left Cuba before its revolution.

The first-term senator conceded on Friday that his parents had not come to the US after Castro took power.

Miami-born Mr Rubio wrote in a column for Politico.com: "If The Washington Post wants to criticize me for getting a few dates wrong, I accept that."

But he added that the report had made "outrageous allegations".

"To call into question the central and defining event of my parents' young lives - the fact that a brutal communist dictator took control of their homeland and they were never able to return - is something I will not tolerate," he wrote.

In his article, Mr Rubio said the discrepancy in dates would not tarnish his appeal with voters.

"They voted for me because, as the son of immigrants, I know how special America really is."

Pakistan wins UN Security Council seat alongside India

Pakistan may resist Western attempts to sanction Syria and Iran

Pakistan has won a seat alongside its regional rival India on the UN Security Council.

It was contesting elections for five positions with two-year terms.

Morocco, Guatemala and Togo have also been elected as new temporary members of the council. The Eastern European seat is still being contested.

Pakistan's win means both South Asian nuclear states will serve, but diplomats do not think regional rivalry will play out in a big way there.

The positions of Pakistan and India are similar on many international issues.

The elections replace five of the 10 temporary members of the council every year.

Usually regional groupings endorse the seats in advance, but this year there was an unusually high number of contestants, making the outcome unpredictable.

Guatemala ran unopposed and Morocco won easily, but Togo's victory took three rounds and the fifth seat is still contested.

Pakistan's ambassador, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, said he expected to work well with his Indian counterpar - he received a congratulatory call from the Indian envoy while talking to journalists.

Diplomats say the greater impact may be on wider council dynamics - they suspect Pakistan may join emerging powers in resisting Western attempts to sanction countries such as Syria and Iran.

If so, it would continue positions held by Brazil, whose term is ending.

Togo's victory ensures a black African presence on the council, something that was in doubt because its run-off was against the Arab state of Mauritania.

Eurozone ministers approve 8bn euro Greek bailout aid

The French and German finance ministers greeted each other but their countries remain divided

Eurozone finance ministers have approved the next tranche of Greek bailout loans, potentially saving the country from a disastrous default.

The 8bn-euro ($11bn; £7bn) loan must still be signed off by the International Monetary Fund.

Once this is done, Athens should get the funds in mid-November, officials said on Friday.

Ministers, who have begun several days of talks, also said they were working on a second rescue package for Greece.

The new plan for the debt-ridden country would include fresh aid money and contributions from the private sector.

However, no further details on the new package were disclosed.

The finance ministers are meeting in Brussels for negotiations aimed at resolving the eurozone's debt crisis and bolstering the region's banking sector.

On Saturday, ministers from all 27 EU countries will join the talks. EU leaders will also gather on Sunday, and have announced plans for an extra meeting on Wednesday.

But there have been widespread reports of deep divisions between France and Germany.

In particular, the two need to agree on how to increase the firepower of the eurozone's bailout fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), from its current 440bn euros ($595bn; £383bn).

France has proposed turning the EFSF into a bank so that it could borrow from the European Central Bank (ECB), but Germany has refused to sanction such a move, arguing it would compromise the ECB's impartiality.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble reiterated this position as he arrived at the Brussels meeting.

"We have all taken note that it is clear, first, that we will stick to the agreed guarantees and that we will stick to the situation as it is in the treaty that the central bank is not available for state financing," he said.

The German government has also promised its taxpayers that its contribution will not go above 211bn euros so is looking for a way to increase the size of the fund without increasing the liabilities of German taxpayers.

Despite no apparent movement on the deadlock, markets were trading higher, with the leading indexes in London, Frankfurt and Berlin all up between 1.5% and 2.7%, while US markets also rose at the start.

'Collective action'

The finance ministers from the 17 countries that use the euro, known as the eurogroup, were hoping to thrash out differences on Friday ahead of the arrival of Europe's leaders on Saturday.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of the eurogroup and the prime minister of Luxembourg, said the delay to a deal portrayed a "disastrous" image of the eurozone to the rest of the world, adding that it was not necessarily just France and Germany that had differences of opinion.

A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he had held a video conference with US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier on Friday.

"They all agreed on the urgent need for the eurozone to agree a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the eurozone financial crisis and Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy outlined the approach that was under discussion.

"They agreed to continue to consult closely ahead of the G20 summit in Cannes [in November] on collective international action to support global economic growth."

A deal on the euro had been expected to be signed on Sunday, but France and Germany said they would not be able to reach an agreement by then and announced that leaders would meet again on Wednesday.

Sunday's summit had already been delayed from 17-18 October because more time was needed to finalise a plan.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said he expects a deal to be announced to recapitalise Europe's banks on Saturday.

Greek losses

A second hurdle in the way of any rescue plan is that negotiations have not yet begun properly with private sector lenders to Greece on a further reduction of what the Greek government will repay them.

Banks have already agreed to take a 21% loss, or "haircut", on their loans to Greece but there is growing pressure for them to accept higher losses.

President Sarkozy has called for talks with the private sector.

Previous disagreements between France and Germany about the bailout plans have centred on how much the private sector would have to contribute to any package.

Germany has been leading the push for the private sector to take steeper losses, but France and the ECB fear that this would destabilise the banking sector and worsen market turmoil.

Meanwhile, the head of Germany's second biggest bank has said that Greece should declare itself insolvent and restructure its debt in order to restore calm to the markets.

"It has to become clear that states have only two options," Commerzbank chief executive Martin Blessing told the daily Bild.

"Either they service their debt as agreed or they declare insolvency with all the tough consequences. It is not enough to just take writedowns on bank balance sheets."

Barack Obama: All US troops to leave Iraq in 2011

President Obama: "In the next two months our troops will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home"

All US troops will be pulled out of Iraq by the end of the year, President Barack Obama has announced.

He ordered a complete withdrawal from the country, nearly nine years after the invasion under President George W Bush.

About 39,000 US troops remain in Iraq, down from a peak of 165,000 in 2008.

The US and Iraq were in "full agreement" on how to move forward, Mr Obama said, adding: "The US leaves Iraq with our heads held high."

"That is how America's military efforts in Iraq will end."

According to the Department of Defense, there have been 4,408 American military deaths in Iraq since March 2003.

Mr Obama spoke at the White House following a video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

He pledged assistance and "a strong and enduring partnership" with Iraqi government.

The US declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq in 2010. The deadline for complete troop withdrawal by end of 2011 was set during former President George W Bush's term in office.

However, the issue of a full pullout had been the subject of an ongoing debate.

Iraqi leaders had wanted 5,000 US troops to remain in a training capacity. But those trainers would not have received immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law.

The Pentagon refused to accept that condition, with Defence Secretary Leon Panetta insisting that "we protect and provide the appropriate immunity for our soldiers".

The decision to pull out all US troops suggests no deal could be reached, despite Iraq's desire for continued access to US military expertise, correspondents say.

Earlier this month, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said: "If we do not have agreement on the immunity, there will be no agreement on the number."

Many Iraqis are sensitive about the issue, given the number of civilian shootings involving US troops since the US-led invasion. Private contractors have already lost their immunity.

Mr Obama said the withdrawal comes amid changes in American military priorities, including a troop drawdown in Afghanistan, and new political realities in the Middle East and Africa.

"The tide of war is receding," he said.

Libya urged to examine Muammar Gaddafi's death

Libyan leaders have said they want to make sure "everybody knows Gaddafi is dead"

Libya's authorities have come under pressure to give a full account of the death of ex-leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.

The US said they should do it in an "open and transparent manner". The UN called for a full investigation, after video footage showed Col Gaddafi captured alive - and then dead.

His burial has been delayed with officials divided about what to do with the body. A post-mortem is expected.

Nato says it will end its campaign in Libya by 31 October.

The alliance's Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that as the mission winds down, Nato "will make sure there are no attacks against civilians during the transition period".

Nato's seven-month campaign of air strikes was carried out under a UN mandate authorising the use of force to protect civilians in Libya.

Visits to freezer

Hundreds of Libyans have been queuing to get a glimpse of the body of Col Gaddafi in a meat storage room in Misrata.

The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in the city says some - mostly women - craned their necks to see the body of his son Mutassim, who was also killed on Thursday.

Officials, including acting Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, have also been to see the corpses.

Oil Minister Ali Tarhouni told Reuters news agency Col Gaddafi would not be released for immediate burial.

"I told them to keep it in the freezer for a few days... to make sure that everybody knows he is dead," he said.

It is unclear whether the ex-leader will be buried in Misrata, in his hometown of Sirte, where he and his son were captured, or elsewhere.

Officials from the National Transitional Council (NTC) have said they will conduct a secret burial and there is some speculation that they might even try to bury him at sea, as happened with al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, to prevent any grave being turned into a shrine.

Autopsy

Meanwhile, questions are mounting as to exactly what happened in Col Gaddafi's last moments following his capture.

Mr Jibril said Col Gaddafi had been shot in the head in an exchange of fire between Gaddafi loyalists and NTC fighters in Sirte.

Video footage suggests he was dragged through the streets.

An NTC fighter told the BBC on Thursday that he found the former Libyan leader hiding in a drainage pipe and he had begged him not to shoot.

Misrata's chief forensic doctor, Othman al-Zintani, told al-Arabiya TV that full autopsies would be carried out on the bodies of Col Gaddafi and his son.

Senior NTC member Mohammed Sayeh told the BBC he doubted that the colonel had been deliberately killed, but added: "Even if he was killed intentionally, I think he deserves this."

In Washington, state department spokesman Mark Toner said the NTC "has already been working to determine the precise cause and circumstances of Gaddafi's death, and we obviously urge them to do so in an open and transparent manner as we move forward".

But Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the "way his death happened poses an entire number of questions".

Mr Lavrov called for a full investigation, echoing a similar call by UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay.

Her spokesman Rupert Colville told the BBC that the killing could have been illegal.

"There are two videos out there, one showing him alive and one showing him dead and there are four or five different versions of what happened in between those two cell phone videos. That obviously raises very, very major concerns," he said.

However, correspondents say few Libyans are worried about the manner of their former dictator's humiliating end. Celebrations continued late into the night across Libya.

The NTC is expected to formally announce the liberation of the country during the weekend.

Col Gaddafi, who came to power in a coup in 1969, was toppled in August. He was making his last stand in Sirte alongside two of his sons, Mutassim and Saif al-Islam, according to reports.

There are conflicting reports as to the whereabouts of Saif al-Islam, and Col Gaddafi's security chief - who are both at large.

It is believed Colonel Gaddafi and his entourage had been trying to flee Sirte

Gaddafi was 'killed in crossfire'

Amateur video of Col Gaddafi shortly before he was killed

Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi was killed in crossfire in an assault on his birthplace of Sirte, officials say.

Acting Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said he had been shot in the head in an exchange between Gaddafi loyalists and National Transitional Council fighters.

He confirmed that Col Gaddafi had been taken alive, but had died before reaching hospital.

Nato's governing body, meeting in the coming hours, is expected to declare an end to its Libyan bombing campaign.

Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that with the death of Col Gaddafi "that moment has now moved much closer".

"After 42 years, Col Gaddafi's rule of fear has finally come to an end," he said. "I call on all Libyans to put aside their differences and work together to build a brighter future."

Golden gun

Mr Jibril, number two in the National Transitional Council (NTC), held a news conference in Tripoli to confirm the colonel's death.

"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," he said.

Video footage suggests Col Gaddafi was dragged through the streets.

It is unclear from the footage, broadcast by al-Jazeera TV, whether he was alive or dead at the time.

Mr Jibril, number two in the National Transitional Council (NTC), held a news conference in Tripoli to confirm the colonel's death.

Later, he told journalists that a "forensic report" had concluded that the colonel had died from bullet wounds after he had been captured and driven away.

"When the car was moving it was caught in crossfire between the revolutionaries and Gaddafi forces in which he was hit by a bullet in the head," said Mr Jibril, quoting from the report.

"The forensic doctor could not tell if it came from the revolutionaries or from Gaddafi's forces."

Earlier, some NTC fighters gave a different account of the colonel's death, saying he had been shot by his captors when he tried to escape.

One NTC fighter told the BBC that he found Col Gaddafi hiding in a hole, and the former leader had begged him not to shoot.

The fighter showed reporters a golden pistol he said he had taken from Col Gaddafi.

Arabic TV channels showed images of troops surrounding two large drainage pipes where the reporters said Col Gaddafi was found.

US President Barack Obama said it was a "momentous day" for Libya, now that tyranny had fallen.

He said the country had a "long and winding road towards full democracy", but the US and other countries would stand behind Tripoli.

Col Gaddafi was toppled from power in August after 42 years in charge of the country.

He was making his last stand in Sirte alongside two of his sons, Mutassim and Saif al-Islam, according to reports.

Nato air strike

A body officials identified as that of Mutassim has been shown on Libyan TV.

A reporter for the Reuters news agency described how the body of Mutassim -- the former national security adviser -- had been laid out on blankets on the floor of a house in the city of Misrata, while local people jostled to take pictures of the corpse with their mobile phones.

Al-Jazeera TV broadcast footage it says showed Col Gaddafi's body

The body of Col Gaddafi was also taken to Misrata.

There are conflicting reports as to the whereabouts of Saif al-Islam.

Acting Justice Minister Mohammad al-Alagi told the AP news agency Saif al-Islam had been captured and taken to hospital with a leg wound.

But another NTC official said his whereabouts were unknown.

Nato, which has been running a bombing campaign in Libya for months, said it had carried out an air strike earlier on Thursday.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said French jets had fired warning shots to halt a convoy carrying Col Gaddafi as it tried to flee Sirte.

He said Libyan fighters had then descended and taken the colonel.

Proof of Col Gaddafi's fate came in grainy pieces of video, first circulated among fighters, and then broadcast by international news channels.

The first images showed a bloodied figure presumed to be Col Gaddafi.

Later, video emerged of the colonel being bundled on to the back of a pick-up truck after being captured alive.

None of the video footage has been independently verified.

'Full of challenges'

Libyans gathered in towns and cities across the country to celebrate the reports of the colonel's death.

The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse has visited the drain where Col Gaddafi was reportedly found by NTC forces

Groups of young men fired guns in the air, and drivers honked horns in celebration.

In the capital Tripoli, wild scenes of celebration continued into the night, with cars clogging the city centre.

Col Gaddafi's death came after weeks of fierce fighting for Sirte, one of the last remaining pockets of resistance.

A senior official, Mahmoud Shammam, told the BBC that fighting throughout Libya was over.

World leaders urged the NTC to carry through its promise to reform the country.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who had taken a leading role in Nato's intervention, said it was "a day to remember all of Col Gaddafi's victims".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called it a "historic" moment, but warned: "The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges."

Officials said the NTC intended to announce the "liberation of the country" in the coming days, allowing them to begin pushing through democratic reforms that will lead to elections.

Turkey steps up offensive in Iraq after Kurdish raids

Commandos and special paramilitary forces are taking part in the offensive, the military says

A major Turkish military offensive is continuing in northern Iraq, following a deadly attack by Kurdish rebels inside Turkey.

Ankara said 22 battalions, or about 10,000 soldiers, were taking part in the operation in northern Iraq and also south-eastern Turkey.

The troops - including commandos and paramilitary forces - are being backed by war planes and helicopters.

On Tuesday, Kurdish PKK rebels killed 24 soldiers near the Iraqi border.

The attacks in Hakkari province are thought to have inflicted the biggest loss on Turkish forces since 1993 and President Abdullah Gul has vowed to avenge them.

In recent months, violence between the army and Kurdish rebels from the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) has mounted.

PKK guerrillas are seeking greater autonomy in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated south-east.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict since 1984.

Nato support

In a statement on Thursday, the Turkish military said that 22 battalions were involved in the operation.

It said the ground troops were being reinforced by F-16 and F-4 jets and Cobra helicopter gunships.

The operation was focusing on five separate areas, the statement added, without giving details how many troops were deployed in Turkey and Iraq.

At a televised news conference, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "The military is determinedly carrying out this [operation], both from the air and the ground."

Unconfirmed reports say that 21 Kurdish militants have been killed since the Turkish operation was launched on Wednesday.

The Kurdish rebel raids - thought to be at least two simultaneous ambushes - took place in Cukurca and the district of Yuksekova.

Ankara said that 24 soldiers were killed and another 18 injured.

Turkey's army is a conscript one and many families will have sent sons to serve.

The Turkish parliament has recently renewed the law that gives Turkish forces carte blanche to pursue rebels over the border.

A spokesman for the PKK, Dostdar Hamo, on Wednesday confirmed that clashes had been taking place in two areas, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The US and Nato have issued statements in support of the Turkish government.

Greek MPs pass austerity measures

There were chaotic scenes as violence flared on the streets of Athens

The Greek parliament has given its final approval to the latest package of austerity measures.

All but one of the deputies from the ruling Pasok party voted in favour of the law.

The approval comes despite two days of violent protests against its provisions, which include cutting public sector wages and raising taxes.

One man has died as battles erupted at a large rally outside the Greek parliament in Athens.

The dead man was identified by Greek media as a middle-aged trade unionist.

"The demonstrator died of a heart attack," Deputy Citizens Protection Minister Manolis Othonas told Reuters. "He was not hurt in the incidents."
The country is in the grip of a 48-hour general strike in protest at the cuts.

As protesters gathered for a second day the BBC's Gavin Hewitt said "you shouldn't underestimate the sense of rage and frustration

The government's bill is needed to secure EU and IMF bailout loans.

The member of the ruling socialist party who voted against it, Louka Katseli, has been expelled from the party by Prime Minister George Papandreou.

Civil servants, shopkeepers, dock workers, taxi drivers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, construction workers and others were all due to take part in the strike, which began on Wednesday.

An estimated 50,000 protesters gathered on Syntagma Square, in front of parliament, on Thursday.

The bill includes plans for further cuts to pensions and salaries and temporary lay-offs of 30,000 public sector workers.
With Greece unable to borrow on international bond markets to finance its debt, the EU and IMF have stepped in with two bailout packages.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos described the choice as between a "difficult situation and a catastrophe".

"We have to explain to all these indignant people who see their lives changing that what the country is experiencing is not the worst stage of the crisis," he said.

"It is an anguished and necessary effort to avoid the ultimate, deepest and harshest level of the crisis."

There are fears that if the Greek government defaults on its debts, it will set off a chain reaction that could engulf banks and other highly indebted eurozone nations.
But the government is struggling to convince lenders that it is cutting effectively enough. Greece says it needs the next 8bn euros ($11bn; £7bn) of the first bailout agreed to last year or it will soon be unable to pay its bills.

The details of the second rescue plan have yet to be finalised. Banks have agreed to take a 21% loss, or "haircut", on their loans to Greece but there is growing pressure for them to accept higher losses.

European leaders and global finance chiefs are trying to work out a broader plan to tackle the eurozone's debt crisis ahead of a weekend summit in Brussels.

But they have now had to concede that they will not reach agreement on Sunday and have called another summit for next week to approve a deal.

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez says he is free of cancer

President Chavez says he is well enough to seek re-election next year

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he is free of cancer after returning from health checks in Cuba following four cycles of chemotherapy.

He travelled to the island four months ago to have surgery for cancer there.

"Everything went perfectly. I got top marks, 20 out of 20," he told reporters.

Mr Chavez had previously described his treatment as successful. But secrecy about his illness fuelled speculation it may be worse than officially stated.

"I am free of illness," Chavez said in an address to Venezuelans after arriving in the town of La Fria in western Venezuela.

He later made a pilgrimage to a Catholic shrine, Santo Cristo de la Grita, as a gesture of thanksgiving.

"The new Chavez is back ... We will live!" he declared.

His return from Cuba was broadcast in a special transmission on Venezuelan television and radio stations.

The 57-year-old leader, who has been in power since 1999, says his illness will not stop him from standing for re-election next year, and winning.

Mr Chavez has transformed Venezuela with sweeping nationalisations.

His reforms have made him popular with many poor people, but critics say he wants to install Cuban-style communism in Venezuela.

Last month, he denied US media reports that he had been rushed to hospital with kidney failure linked to his cancer treatment.

He has so far given no details of his illness and doctors warn that patients must generally wait at least two years after treatment before they can be considered out of danger.

Eta statement: "Eta has decided on the definitive cessation of its armed activity"

The French and German leaders spoke on the phone on Thursday

EU leaders are to hold another summit by Wednesday, because they will not be able to agree a rescue plan for the euro on Sunday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a crisis strategy would be discussed on Sunday and adopted at the next meeting.

EU leaders need to agree a second bailout for Greece, how to recapitalise banks and a stronger bailout fund.

President Sarkozy also called for talks with the private sector.

The private sector talks would be "to find an agreement allowing to strengthen the sustainability" of Greek debt.

Previous disagreements between France and Germany about the bailout plans have centred on how much the private sector would have to contribute to any package.

A spokesman for Chancellor Merkel said the leaders agreed that a "comprehensive, ambitious" answer to the crisis was needed.

The spokesman also said that the advantage of the additional summit would be that it would give the German parliament time to approve any changes to the bailout fund.
Chancellor Merkel had been due to address the Bundestag on Friday, but that has now been postponed.

President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel have also said they plan to meet on Saturday in the hope of making progress, ahead of the heads of government meeting on Sunday in Brussels.

Sunday's summit had already been delayed from 17-18 October because more time was needed to finalise a plan.

The French and German leaders spoke on the phone on Thursday.

"We have made enormous progress but not enough to take final decisions on Friday," Chancellor Merkel's spokesman said.

"In certain areas, we have reached agreement, in others, we are on the right track."

European shares fell on Thursday amid concern about whether enough progress would be made at the weekend summit.