Russia says it's planning to create two specialist army brigades to be stationed in the Arctic, where large oil and gas reserves are thought to be lying under the ocean. The defence ministry announcement came a day after the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia would strongly defend its interests in the region.

"I

would like

to emphasise that Russia certainly intends to expand its presence in the Arctic. We're open for dialogue with our foreign partners, with all our neighbours in the Arctic region. But of course we shall protect our own geopolitical interests firmly and consistently."

The authorities in Cuba have released more details of their plans to allow people to buy and sell their cars and homes for the first time in 50 years.

The new laws will

open up

a private property market and enable Cubans to buy any car they can afford. Private property has been severely

restrict

ed since the communist revolution in 1959.

Officials in Colombia say one of the main witnesses in a court case investigating politicians' links to right-wing paramilitaries has been killed. Luis Eduardo Gomez, a journalist, was shot dead by gunmen in his home in Arboletes, in the northwest. He's the second witness in the case to be killed this week.

World News from the BBC

The new American Defence Secretary Leon Panetta says he'll make sure the United States military remains the "strongest" in the world, despite pressure on its budget. He made the