Paraguayan soldier asks Panama for asylum

In Paraguay, a retired colonel wanted in connection with last month's failed coup has sought refuge in the Panamanian embassy in Asuncion and requested asylum.

Panama's ambassador, Raimundo Hurtado, said he was in contact with his government to determine the fate of the former officer, Felix Balmori.

The Paraguayan authorities have ordered Colonel Balmori's arrest as they continue their investigations into the uprising, which they have blamed on supporters of the fugitive former army chief, General Lino Oviedo. Another retired colonel, Victor Maldonado, has already given himself up after briefly seeking refuge in the Mexican embassy. The state of emergency declared in the wake of the unrest was lifted last week, but a correspondent for the BBC in Asuncion says about a hundred people are still in detention.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service