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Cuba blames U.S. as it halts most sales in dollars

HAVANA - Cuban officials announced Monday that they were freezing most sales in dollars in response to new U.S. proposals aimed at toppling President Fidel Castro.

Food and personal hygiene products were exempted. And the government hinted that the stores may reopen with higher prices.

If maintained, the measure could have dramatic effects on life in Cuba, where many people depend upon goods purchased at dollar stores to supplement the scant, if subsidized items available at stores that sell in the local peso.

GROZNY, Russia - Ramzan Kadyrov, a widely feared militia commander and son of the assassinated president of Chechnya, emerged Monday as the likely successor, leading many Chechens to predict a new escalation of violence in a region ruined by a decade of war. As Akhmad Kadyrov was buried in his home village, Ramzan Kadyrov, 27, was named the top Chechen official in the regional government. This places him just below a Russian who was named acting president Sunday.

His father, a close ally of Russia, was killed by a bomb that exploded under his reviewing stand during a military holiday celebration here in the Chechen capital Sunday. Human rights groups and many Chechens accused Ramzan Kadyrov's militia of 1,500 to 3,000 fighters of kidnapping, torturing and killing civilians. He has denied the allegations.

PHILIPPINES: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was poised to win re-election in the Philippines after voters went to the polls Monday amid heavy security and sporadic violence. Exit polls showed Arroyo edging out her chief rival, movie star and political neophyte Fernando Poe Jr. Official results will not be announced for several weeks, but initial exit polls show Arroyo leading by 5 percentage points.

PALESTINIANS: The Palestinian Authority declared its intention Monday to hold its first municipal elections but said a general vote for the presidency and Parliament could not be held as long as Israel maintains a military grip on Palestinian cities and towns.