Venezuela assembly approves term-limit removal

Caracas, Venezuela

Venezuela's National Assembly, dominated by allies of President Hugo Chávez, gave unanimous initial approval Tuesday to constitutional changes that would allow him to run for re-election and possibly govern for decades.

Assembly President Cilia Flores said Chávez's proposed changes to the constitution, including lifting presidential term limits, were approved by all 167 lawmakers. Final approval is expected within three months, and voters will decide whether to approve the changes in a referendum.

Other proposed changes would create new types of property to be managed by cooperatives, give neighborhood-based "communal councils" administrative responsibilities usually reserved for elected officials and create "a popular militia" as part of the military. The workday would be reduced to six hours.

Government opponents said the changes would weaken democracy by permitting Chávez to become a lifelong leader.

West Africa

Dangerous virus found in fruit bat

Scientists have found the deadly Marburg virus in one type of African fruit bat, the first time it's been detected in an animal other than a monkey.

The bats were collected in the West Africa countries of Gabon and the Republic of Congo, but the test results support a theory that bats caused two recent Marburg cases in nearby Uganda, health officials said.

Marburg virus is a rare cousin of Ebola that can cause a rapid death in which patients may bleed from the eyes, ears and elsewhere.

Montebello, Quebec

Canada, Mexico, U.S. end summit

President Bush and his counterparts from Canada and Mexico wrapped up a two-day summit Tuesday pledging to improve the North American "neighborhood" by making international commerce more efficient, improving border security without impeding trade and helping each other in times of crisis.

"If you're a U.S. citizen, you want people that live close to you to be prosperous," Bush said at a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderón.

Amid talk of cooperation, the leaders acknowledged that some of their views differ. The United States, for instance, does not support Canada's claim to the resource-rich Northwest Passage. A U.S. study suggests as much as 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas could be there.

"We believe it's an international passageway," Bush said, adding he's optimistic the two countries will "manage the differences."

Also

The explosion that caused a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 to burst into flames at Okinawa Airport on Monday likely was caused by a problem with the fuel pipes around the pylon that connects the engine to the right wing, the Japanese Construction and Transport Ministry's Aircraft and Railway Investigation Commission said Tuesday.

Seattle Times news services