COLOMBIA: At least 12 people were killed yesterday and 20 injured when a bomb exploded near Colombia's presidential palace, as hardline, independent Mr Alvaro Uribe was sworn in as the country's president.
The crude device, made from a gas cylinder, detonated three blocks from the presidential palace in downtown Bogota. Four policemen were injured a few minutes earlier when three smaller devices exploded even closer to the palace.
One of the devices detonated within the palace grounds, a spokesman for Mr Uribe said.
The explosions happened despite elaborate security measures in place for Mr Uribe's inauguration, while 20,000 troops were on the streets, air force jets patrolled the skies and the city's international airport was closed for the afternoon.
Mr Uribe won a landslide victory in May elections to succeed Mr Andres Pastrana, with his zero tolerance stance towards the country's rebel groups. Mr Uribe, a 50-year-old lawyer, has pledged to crack down on Marxist rebels.
"I swear to God and pledge to the people that I will faithfully abide by the constitution of Colombia," Mr Uribe told a joint session of Congress in downtown Bogota, before receiving the red, yellow and blue presidential sash for his four-year term.
The right-wing former provincial governor says he will raise military spending, fight corruption and boost social programs to reduce poverty feeding a 38-year-old conflict that has claimed the lives of thousands of people every year.
Mr Uribe's critics, including human rights organisations, worry about his plans to form a million-strong network of civilian informers. - (Reuters, AFP)