World in brief: Chavez protests Colombia claims

Caracas, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez recalled Venezuela’s ambassador to Colombia and froze diplomatic relations with the neighboring country Tuesday to protest Bogota’s suggestions that weapons found in a rebel arms cache may have come from Venezuela.

The move ratcheted up tensions between the two countries amid Chavez’s criticism of a pending deal to increase the U.S. military presence in Colombia, a key Washington ally in the region that has accused Chavez of helping leftist rebels. Chavez is a strong critic of U.S. influence in Latin America.

Chavez accused the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of acting irresponsibly in raising questions about the rebel arms, saying there is no evidence that Venezuela was the source of the Swedish-made anti-tank rocket launchers that Colombia says its military seized.

Plan to protect children unveiled

Dublin – Ireland unveiled a plan Tuesday to better protect children from abuse after investigators documented decades of chronic molestation and brutality in Catholic-run facilities for kids.

The 99-point plan from Children’s Minister Barry Andrews seeks to improve child-protection services and tighten enforcement. It also proposes building a memorial to thousands of children abused under Catholic care through the 1990s.

Andrews said all children’s shelters must be subject to independent inspection by next year, and 270 more social workers must be recruited because too many kids had nobody to assess the dangers in their lives.

Andrews’ plan is a direct response to a fact-finding probe into past abuse in Catholic schools, orphanages and reformatories that shocked the nation.

The investigators determined in a 2,600-page report published in May that orders of Catholic brothers and nuns abused tens of thousands of children in their care.