American officials

housands of AFGHANS protested about the actions of Christian bigots in Florida who had burned a Koran on March 20th. Seven foreign UN staff and guards were killed in Mazar-i-Sharif, while a dozen people died in clashes with police in Kandahar.



To no one's surprise, BARACK OBAMA announced that he is to seek re-election as president in 2012. In his opening message, he called for a big push on fund-raising, and some analysts reckon he might raise as much as $1 billion, shattering all records. Only one serious Republican candidate has so far entered the race for that party's nomination.



Guido Westerwelle resigned as leader of GERMANY'S Free Democratic Party, a junior coalition member, and as federal vice-chancellor, following the party's poor performances at recent state elections. Philipp Rosler, the 38-year-old health minister, of Vietnamese origin, will replace him in both roles, although Mr Westerwelle wants to stay as foreign minister, a position in which he has attracted much criticism.



Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, SPAIN'S unpopular prime minister, said that he would not stand for a third term at a general election due by early 2012. The ruling Socialist Party is expected to hold primaries to elect Mr Zapatero's successor as party leader after local elections on May 22nd.



Preliminary results released by the electoral authority showed Michel Martelly, a conservative and a popular singer, winning HAITI'S presidential election, with 67.6% of the vote. He will take office in May, charged with speeding up the country's reconstruction after last year's earthquake.



In MEXICO, protests against drug-related violence in many cities across the country were interrupted when police in Tamaulipas state found 59 bodies in eight graves, including one that had 43 corpses buried in it.



American officials said that they had reached an agreement under which COLOMBIA will strengthen its efforts to protect trade unionists, clearing the way for a free-trade agreement between the two countries to be sent to the UNITED STATES Congress.



After long insisting on going it alone, PORTUGAL announced that it would seek a bail-out from its euro-zone partners. The country follows Greece and Ireland in asking for help. The decision came after ten-year government-bond yields came within a whisker of 9% and rates on 12-month and six-month treasury bills sold in a EURO1.0 billion ($1.4 billion) auction jumped by more than one and a half percentage points compared with similar sales in March.
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