Colombia's largest leftist rebel group has released a videotaped message proposing talks with the government of incoming President Juan Manuel Santos to find a political settlement to the country's internal conflict.

The head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Alfonso Cano, issued the proposal Friday in a 36-minute videotape released Friday.  Cano said the group known as FARC continues to be determined to find political solutions to the conflict.

Cano also criticized a controversial U.S.-Colombian agreement that gives the United States access to seven Colombian bases for anti-drug operations.  Colombia is Washington's closest ally in Latin America and has received billions of dollars in mostly military aid during President Alvaro Uribe's tenure, which ends August 7.

There was no immediate response from President-elect Santos, who has pledged to continue Mr. Uribe's security policies.  The FARC has been at war with the Colombian government for 46 years, but Mr. Uribe's government has made progress in battling the guerrillas in recent years.

Colombia, the European Union and the United States have designated the FARC as a terrorist organization.

The FARC's proposal comes amid a diplomatic dispute between Colombia and Venezuela over allegations that Colombian rebels are hiding in the neighboring country.

On Thursday, Colombia and Venezuela went before a group of South American foreign ministers to air grievances stemming from Bogota's accusations. The meeting in Ecuador involved members of the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez severed ties with Colombia last week after Colombia went before the Organization of American States' permanent council in Washington to present photographs, maps, coordinates and videos it said show 1,500 guerrillas hiding inside Venezuela.

Venezuela said the items presented do not provide any solid evidence of a guerrilla presence there.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

The U.S. government has closed its consulate in the violence-hit Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez to evaluate security concerns.

The U.S. embassy in Mexico City issued a statement Thursday, advising U.S. citizens to avoid the area around the consulate until it reopens.  The embassy did not say what prompted the security review or how long the consulate would remain closed.  But, officials said appointments that have been canceled due to the closure would be rescheduled.

The decision comes more than four months after gunmen killed three people linked to the diplomatic post.  

Juarez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas, has been on the front line of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's war on drug cartels.  Mexico's border areas have been particularly violent as cartels battle each other for control of trafficking routes into the United States.

President Calderon has deployed thousands of soldiers nationwide to fight drug gangs since taking office in 2006.  About 25,000 people have been killed in spiraling drug-related violence since he began cracking down on the cartels.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

The Mexican government says a top member of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel has been killed.

Late Thursday, authorities confirmed reports in the Mexican media that Inacio "Nacho" Coronel, a senior member of the cartel, was killed in a military raid near the western city of Guadalajara.  

The U.S. State Department previously described Coronel as responsible for moving multi-ton quantities of cocaine via fishing vessels from Colombia to Mexico and to the southwestern U.S. states of Arizona and Texas.

In late 2003, a federal grand jury in Texas indicted Coronel, charging him with conspiracy to import a controlled substance and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  The State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.

Authorities say Coronel had close ties to the reputed head of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, who has been on the run since escaping from a Mexican prison in 2001.

Separately, Mexican news media report four journalists were abducted earlier this week by gunmen after covering a prison scandal in the northern state of Durango.  The journalists included two photographers and two reporters.      

Authorities say the kidnappers were demanding that the journalists' news organizations air videos in which informants alleged ties between the Zetas drug gang and corrupt officials.  

President Calderon has deployed thousands of soldiers nationwide to fight drug cartels since taking office in 2006.  Almost 25,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since he began cracking down on the cartels.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

US agricultural organizations, state farm bureaus and the US Chamber of Commerce have joined forces in support of a bill that would ease the current US embargo against Cuba, allowing food to be exported to the communist-ruled Caribbean island nation. The bill, which was approved by the House Agriculture committee earlier this month, is opposed by many Cuban-American groups who fear the opening would bolster communist rule.

For third-generation Texas rice farmer Ray Stoesser, Cuba is a promising market and he does not want politics to get in the way. "It is just time to make friends and feed them,: he said. "I think that America needs to use the products that they have, like food, and make friends with the world."

Stoesser says half of the rice produced in the US is exported to other countries, mainly Mexico, and that farmers could produce more if the market were to expand to Cuba. "Here in southeast Texas, just like south Louisiana, we enjoy a climate that is conducive to grow rice. It is hot and humid, [there is a] longer growing season," he explained. "We can produce one crop and harvest that, turn around and water the stubble and have a second crop."

Stoesser says the overall price of rice is determined by the export market. If that price is too low, he says, it will not adequately cover the expense of fuel, fertilizer, herbicides and equipment.

Rice is a staple food in Cuba and the country consumes more than 700,000 tons of rice a year. But Cuba is not capable of producing more than a fraction of that amount in its own fields.

In the year 2000, the United States did ease the agricultural export ban to Cuba, but a later tightening of policy, to require advance cash payments, choked off Cuban purchases of US grain.  Cuba still imports some food from the United States, but the country is short on cash for a number of reasons including the damage done by hurricanes and a drop in tourism revenue.

Dwight Roberts is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Houston-based US Rice Producers Association. He says allowing US rice exports to Cuba would benefit both nations. "They import about 600,000 tons per year, some years a little more. Most of that is coming from Vietnam. The highest year that the US shipped rice, over these last 10 years, was in 2004; the US shipped 160,000 tons of rice, valued at about $65 million," he said.

Since 2008 the United States has not sold a single grain of rice to Cuba.

Many Cuban Americans say money should not be a factor in regard to the embargo as long as the Cuban government represses freedom and aggressively opposes US policies.

Roberts says Cuba is not alone in that regard. "We trade with a lot of countries around the world who are not necessarily overly friendly to US politics," he says, "but we have always felt that food and agriculture should be outside of the political arena."

Roberts says US farmers in general support the bill before Congress that would open the way for the export of rice and other food commodities to Cuba.

"It re-defines the definition of a cash payment back to the previous terms of payment after the ship has been loaded; it allows for direct banking. Right now, under the [current] terms, we have to use a third country bank," Roberts stated.

The bill would also ease travel restrictions to Cuba, which, US farmers believe, would increase the demand for US food products, including beef and pork.

But the bill to open such trade still faces heavy opposition in Congress and probably will not be debated until after the legislative body's August break.

The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development says shelter and rubble removal are immediate priorities in the reconstruction efforts in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

USAID Director Rajiv Shah briefed House Foreign Relations Subcommittee lawmakers Thursday on progress and challenges that remain more than six months after the January 12 earthquake.

The impoverished country is still recovering from the temblor, which killed an estimated 230,000 people, left 1.5 million homeless, and caused $7 billion in damage.

Shah said between 300,000 and 400,000 units of shelter are needed.  He said aid workers are trying to provide about 135,000 transitional structures right now.

He says teams have assessed close to half of the 400,000 structures people left behind. He said more than half of those inspected homes are in need of repairs, while a fourth of those structures need to be rebuilt from scratch.

Shah says the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission is working with local construction firms and using local materials to try to accelerate the rebuilding.

The aid chief says one of the most significant challenges has been trying to coordinate across the broad range of donors, non-governmental organizations and investors, as well as the Haitian government.

Shah says the Haitian government recently identified more parcels of land for rubble removal, which should bolster transitional housing efforts.  

The International Organization for Migration last week said problems with land availability have hindered its ability to provide more shelter to quake survivors still living in tents.

Mexico has welcomed a U.S. judge's decision to block key parts of Arizona's controversial immigration law from taking effect.

Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa issued a statement Wednesday, describing the judge's decision as a step in the right direction. Mexico's government has said it is prepared to take measures aimed at protecting its citizens in Arizona.

Also Wednesday, dozens of people who had gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City cheered when the judge's ruling was announced.

Mexico has been critical of the legislation, which has become an irritant in U.S.-Mexico relations.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon brought up the issue in May when he met with President Barack Obama at the White House for talks that covered the immigration issue as well as drug violence along the shared border.

President Calderon's government previously has warned Mexicans they could face an adverse political environment if they travel to Arizona. However, Mr. Calderon said he and Mr. Obama will work together on immigration issues.

Mr. Obama said the United States must adopt a "comprehensive" approach to immigration that includes increasing security along U.S. borders, cracking down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants, and reforming the legal immigration system. He said fences and border patrols alone will not solve the problem, and that the U.S. should create a pathway for the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally to earn their citizenship.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

A United Nations panel has voted to remove Ecuador's Galapagos Islands from its list of endangered sites.

During a meeting in Brazil, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee voted 14-5, with one abstention, to take the islands off the list.  In its decision, the committee said Ecuador has made progress in protecting and preserving the site.  

Brazil had requested that the Galapagos be removed from the list.  The islands had been on the list since 2007 due to the increase of tourism, over-fishing and the introduction of invasive species.

The Galapagos Islands are famous for hosting many rare species of birds, animals and plants.  The islands have been called "a living museum and showcase of evolution."  They have been on the World Heritage Site since 1978.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Haitian-born musician and humanitarian Wyclef Jean is considering running for president of Haiti.

Jean's family released a statement Tuesday, saying that the Grammy Award-winning musician is "committed to his homeland," but he has not formally announced an intent to run for president of the earthquake-shattered nation.

In an interview with CNN, Jean, who grew up in the United States, said he has filled out the necessary paperwork in case he does decide to move forward with a candidacy.  Presidential candidates have until August 7 to register.  

Jean is the founder of the Yele Haiti Foundation, a charity for Haiti that has been active in rebuilding efforts following the devastating earthquake in January.

Current Haitian President René Preval is ineligible to run for a third term.  

Mr. Preval has set the country's presidential and legislative elections for November 28.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro says he plans to publish a book next month that focuses on the Cuban revolution that brought him to power more than 50 years ago.

In comments on a government website (Cubadebate.cu) Tuesday, the former Cuban president said the book would be titled The Strategic Victory.

The 25-chapter book includes stories from his childhood and chronicles how his band of 300 young rebels fought the army of dictator Fulgencio Batista and eventually prevailed, declaring victory on January 1, 1959.  Castro went on to rule Cuba for 47 years until his illness in 2006, when he ceded power to his younger brother Raul.

Fidel Castro spent most of the last four years in seclusion, but in recent weeks he has re-emerged on the public stage.

On Monday, Cuba commemorated the 57th anniversary of the July 26, 1953 assault on the Moncada military barracks in the eastern city of Santiago by Castro's fighters.  The attack failed, but Cubans consider it the beginning of the revolution that culminated with Batista's ouster.

The celebration was held in Santa Clara outside a memorial housing the remains of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the Argentine who helped lead the armed uprising that put Castro in power in 1959.  Castro did not appear in Santa Clara, remaining instead in Havana to lay a wreath at a memorial to Cuban independence leader Jose Marti at the city's Revolution Square.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

The United States says it has no intention of initiating military action against Venezuela in response to threats by the country's president that he would cut off oil supplies if the U.S. backed an attack against Venezuela by Colombia.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Virginia Staab said Monday the United States enjoys a mutually beneficial energy relationship with Venezuela and Washington would like it to continue.  

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told thousands of supporters Sunday that if the U.S. backed Colombia in "armed aggression" against Venezuela, his country would suspend oil shipments to the United States.  The U.S. is the top buyer of oil from the South American country.

Mr. Chavez also said Sunday that he is canceling a trip to Cuba due to the tensions with Colombia.

President Chavez announced last week he was breaking diplomatic ties with Colombia for what he said were false claims by Bogota that Venezuela is harboring Colombian rebels.  He ordered troops to be on "maximum alert" at the border.

Mr. Chavez acted after Colombia went before the Organization of American States' permanent council in Washington to present photographs, maps, coordinates and videos it said show 1,500 guerrillas hiding in Venezuela.

Colombia requested the OAS session after charging that leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, and the National Liberation Army, or ELN, had taken refuge in Venezuela.  Venezuela's OAS envoy, Roy Chaderton, said the items presented by Colombia's ambassador did not provide any solid evidence of a guerrilla presence in Venezuela.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Friday that Colombia's allegations are serious and deserve to be fully investigated.

In 2008, Venezuela and Ecuador broke diplomatic relations with Colombia after Colombian troops raided a FARC rebel camp in Ecuador, killing FARC commander Raul Reyes and at least 20 other people.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

Cuba has commemorated Revolution Day without remarks from President Raul Castro or an appearance by his brother, former President Fidel Castro.  

Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura gave the main speech Monday to tens of thousands of Cubans gathered in Santa Clara to mark the 57th anniversary of the attack that is considered the start of the country's communist revolution.  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was scheduled to attend, but canceled the trip, citing rising tensions between Venezuela and Colombia.  

The celebration in Cuba was held outside a memorial housing the remains of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the Argentine who helped lead the armed uprising that put Fidel Castro in power in 1959.  

The former president has only recently been seen in public since falling ill in 2006 and ceding power to his brother, Raul.  

Revolution Day celebrates the July 26, 1953 assault on the Moncada military barracks in the eastern city of Santiago by young rebels led by Fidel Castro.  

The attack failed, but Cubans consider it the beginning of the revolution that culminated with dictator Fulgencio Batista's ouster on New Year's Day 1959.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

The International Organization for Migration says efforts are underway across Haiti to prepare for a summer of tropical storms and hurricanes.  The IOM says this year's hurricane season poses a particular danger because 1.5 million earthquake survivors are living in flimsy tents and shelters in Haiti. 

International aid agencies say the challenges ahead are enormous.  They warn the coming bad weather may bring another humanitarian disaster down on the Haitian people.

The catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti six months ago killed an estimated 230,000 people, made more than one-and-a-half million people homeless, and destroyed much of the country's infrastructure.

Haiti is situated in the middle of what is called Hurricane Alley, a path that major tropical cyclones tend to take after they form in the mid-Atlantic.

Over the past five years, more than 5,000 people in Haiti were killed by hurricanes and storms.  

Jean-Philippe Chauzy, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, says aid agencies are putting in place strategies they hope will mitigate the impact of forthcoming hurricanes, especially in vulnerable, earthquake hit cities, such as Gonaives.

"For instance, roads have been paved to make sure that assistance can be delivered to displaced populations," he said. "We have been working with U.S. funding on creating terracing, to make sure that the land can be retained, does not basically get washed away by the rains.  We have been also working on reforestation programs."  

Chauzy says IOM and its partners are preparing for the worst by pre-positioning emergency shelter materials for 25,000 families.  He says they plan to increase shelter to cover the needs for 130,000 families or 650,000 people by September.

At the same time, he says a communications system is being put in place to issue warnings to Haitians to prepare for violent weather.  He says roadside billboards and posters will provide people with advice on safety measures during storms.  

"We also are creating awareness messaging systems," said the spokesman.  "For instance, camp managers in Gonaives and other parts of the country that are vulnerable to hurricanes will receive SMS text messages ahead of the hurricanes to make sure that camp residents can evacuate areas that are prone to flooding, that are prone to landslides

So far, Chauzy says more than 5,600 transitional shelters have been built and an additional 15,000 transitional shelters are in the pipeline.  He says they cannot yet be built because not enough land is available.

He says the land issue is a big problem and likely to remain so for a long time.  He says much of the land is blocked by debris from the earthquake.  He says there are also large parcels of land whose ownership is being contested in court.