■ United States
Suspect faces deportation
An anti-communist Cuban exile whom Venezuela wants extradited in connection with the bombing of a Cuban airliner 29 years ago has applied for political asylum in the US, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The case presents US authorities with a dilemma of how to reconcile traditional sympathy for Cuban exiles -- US law allows most Cubans who arrive on US shores to stay -- with Washington's firm stance against terrorism suspects following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
■ Mexico
Five likely killed in pipe leak
Workers cleaning and repairing a pipeline in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz triggered a gas leak that left five people missing and feared dead and forced authorities to evacuate 6,000 residents from nearby homes, officials said. A maintenance team from a private company hired by government oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, was supposed to repair ducts along a pipeline containing propylene, an odorless and highly flammable gas, in the city of Nanchital in southern Veracruz state. Instead, workers triggered a leak along the incorrect duct around 4:30pm, releasing highly toxic ammonia, said Ranulfo Marquez, deputy secretary of civil protection for Veracruz state.
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