Nicaraguan minister stripped of nationality

The authorities in Nicaragua have stripped the defence minister, Antonio Alvarado, of his nationality, forcing him to resign.

Mr Alvarado said he was surprised by the move and indicated he would appeal.

In recent weeks, Mr Alvarado has been increasingly at odds with the president, Arnoldo Aleman, with whom he founded the governing Constitutional Liberal Party.

He recently announced his intention to stand in presidental elections due next year. During the 1980s, Mr Alvarado went into exile and became an American citizen, before returning to Nicaragua at the end of the civil war.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service