Washington, D.C.: Coast Guard warns of possible attack by sea

Ports and ships are operating under heightened security after the Coast Guard warned of a possible terrorist attack by either swimmers or divers.

Cmdr. Jim McPherson, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said Monday the warning was issued over the weekend after the agency received reports of a possible attack.

The new warning went to local Coast Guard units, who then notified port authorities, marine patrols and the maritime industry, he said.

McPherson would not elaborate on the nature of the warning nor the security measures.

McPherson asked anyone noticing suspicious maritime activity should call the Coast Guard at 1-800-424-8802.

Cuba: Castro calls for march to back amendment

President Fidel Castro on Monday called for a massive march across Cuba to back a constitutional amendment ratifying Cuba as a socialist state.

Castro said that in Havana alone at least 1 million people were expected to participate in the event Wednesday.

The announcement comes one month after activists delivered more than 11,000 signatures to Cuba’s National Assembly, demanding a referendum for broad changes in the island’s socialist system.

Seen as the biggest homegrown, nonviolent effort in more than four decades to push for reforms in Cuba’s one-party system, the proposed referendum would ask voters if they favor civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly and the right to own a business.

North Carolina: Sen. Jesse Helms moves to rehabilitation facility

Sen. Jesse Helms moved from a hospital to a rehabilitation facility Monday to continue his recovery from heart surgery, his chief of staff said.

Chief of staff Jimmy Broughton said the 80-year-old senator was moved to a center in northern Virginia, where he is expected to remain at least several weeks. He would not identify the facility.

Helms, R-N.C., had an operation April 25 to replace a worn-out pig valve implanted in his heart 10 years ago.

He announced last year that he would retire next January and return to North Carolina at the end of his fifth six-year term in the Senate.

Cuba: More detainees arrive in Guantanamo Bay

Under tight security, 25 men suspected of links to the fallen Taliban regime of Afghanistan or the al-Qaida terrorist network arrived Monday at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

Monday’s arrivals, along with 25 who arrived on Saturday, bring the total number of detainees being held on the remote outpost to 434, according to Marine Maj. James Bell, spokesman for the detention mission.

Officials would not say where the men were transported from or what their nationalities were.

Authorities are still interrogating the detainees in Guantanamo to determine if they have useful information in the war against terrorism, and whether they should be sent home or face military tribunals.

U.S. authorities have outlined the parameters for the tribunals but have not said when or where they would take place.