In brief: Al-Qaida-inspired group claims attacks
BEIRUT – An al-Qaida-inspired group claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks across Syria, the latest evidence that extremists are exploiting the chaos to make inroads in another Middle Eastern country.
The Syrian regime has long blamed terrorists for the 16-month-old revolt, and the presence of al-Qaida groups creates new difficulties for Arab and Western countries trying to help force President Bashar Assad from power.
The opposition and the rebel Free Syrian Army deny having any links to terrorism and say they do not have the desire or the capabilities to carry out massive suicide bombings and other al-Qaida-style attacks.
On Tuesday, the SITE monitoring group, which tracks jihadist chatter on the Internet, said the Al-Nusra Front released statements on extremist websites in late June claiming the attacks were to avenge the killings of Syrians by the government.
Paraguay-Venezuela relations worsen
ASUNCION, Paraguay – Paraguay’s government withdrew its ambassador from Caracas on Wednesday and declared Venezuela’s envoy no longer welcome in Asuncion in a dispute over alleged Venezuelan meddling in the impeachment of former President Fernando Lugo.
The steps taken by Paraguay fell short of a full break in diplomatic relations. Venezuela’s ambassador had already left the country a week earlier.
Paraguay’s new president, Francisco Franco, and other politicians are furious over allegations that Venezuela, led by President Hugo Chavez, tried to persuade Paraguayan military leaders to rise up in support of the leftist Lugo during his impeachment and ouster. Instead, Lugo was hastily voted out of office by a hostile congress.
Alleged scandal forces recount in Mexico
MEXICO CITY – Mexico is recounting votes cast at more than half of its polling places during Sunday’s presidential election, the electoral body said Wednesday, as reports of vote-buying marred the apparent victory of the former ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.
Ballots from more than 54 percent of polling places will be recounted within 72 hours, the Federal Electoral Institute, or IFE, said.
That is up from the 9 percent of ballots recounted in the disputed 2006 election.
The recount began early Wednesday as part of the IFE’s procedure of validating results from the 300 electoral districts. By law, ballots are recounted when a polling place shows irregularities, such as more votes cast than there are registered voters, a complete sweep by a single candidate or party, or a 1 percentage point or smaller margin between first and second place.