Guantanamo inmates make suicide attempts

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Four terror suspects being held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay tried to kill themselves in their cells, a military official said Thursday.

One man tried to slash his wrists with a plastic razor, and three others tried to hang themselves with "comfort items" at Camp Delta, the prison in eastern Cuba where 598 men are being held, said Army Lt. Col. Joe Hoey, a detention mission spokesman.

The suicide attempts occurred in July and August, but military spokesmen gave no details on exactly what they used or how seriously they were hurt. Comfort items include towels and sheets.

Kremlin: North Korean leader to visit Russia

MOSCOW -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il will visit Russia for the second straight summer, traveling to its Far East region later this month, the Kremlin announced Thursday. It did not say whether Kim would meet with President Vladimir Putin, but the Russian leader is expected to visit the same region in the next few weeks.

Putin's press service said Kim would arrive in the last 10 days of August and that the visit was at Russia's invitation. It gave no other details. Russian media have reported that Putin was expected to meet Kim in the Russian Far East in August.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov suggested Kim's chief motivation was economic.

Venezuelan court ruling angers Chavez supporters

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Angered by a Supreme Court decision exonerating four military officers accused of leading an April coup, backers of President Hugo Chavez protested in the streets Thursday and looked for ways to force the justices to resign.

Dozens of Chavez supporters protested near the presidential palace, though the gathering was smaller and calmer than the day before, when troops drove away protesters trying to storm the Supreme Court after it gave its ruling. Four people were injured in the protests Wednesday.

Lawmakers with Chavez's Fifth Republic Movement Party vowed Thursday to unearth evidence of bribery and other wrongdoing that they claimed compelled a once-loyal court to turn against the president.

U.S. asks to lift freeze on terror-related assets

UNITED NATIONS -- In a move aimed at making life easier for more than 200 people allegedly linked to Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, the United States has proposed partially lifting a freeze of their financial assets to allow them to pay for food, rent and other living expenses.

A draft resolution circulated to the 15-member U.N. Security Council Thursday would authorize the country where the individuals live to determine the amount of money that can be released.

The Security Council in January shifted sanctions from the government of Afghanistan to bin Laden, his al-Qaida terror network, and the remnants of the country's former Taliban rulers.

--From wire reports