Rebels in Peru end hunger strike

The jailed Peruvian rebel leader, Abimael Guzman, has ended a hunger strike he launched a week ago callng for a civilian retrial and better living conditions.

Mr Guzman and other jailed rebels gave up their protest after a representative of the ombudsman's office, Wilfredo Pedraza, agreed to petition the prison authorities for improved conditions and more flexible regimes.

But in a reference to retrials, Mr Pedraza said he was unable to take up demands of a political nature.

Mr Guzman, the leader of the Maoist Shining Path rebels, is serving a life sentence in a high-security prison after being captured in 1992.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service