World datelines

Peru: Protests over

LIMA — A top Indian leader on Thursday called for an end to protests that left dozens dead in Peru's Amazon after Congress revoked two decrees that indigenous groups said would spur oil and gas exploitation and other development on their ancestral lands.

At a news conference after lawmakers voted 82-14 to lift the disputed decrees, Daysi Zapata, vice president of the Amazon Indian confederation that led the protests, urged activists to lift blockades of jungle rivers and roads set up beginning in April at points across six jungle provinces.

"This is a historic day for indigenous people because it shows that our demands and our battles were just," Zapata told a news conference. She urged the government revoke a state of emergency declared in the region.

Mexico: Storm forms

MEXICO CITY — The first tropical depression of the Pacific hurricane season has formed off the coast of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the depression was centered about 360 miles south-southwest of tMazatlan on Thursday. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph. Forecasters say the depression could strengthen to a tropical storm before tonight or Saturday.

Algeria: Ambush

ALGIERS — Al-Qaida-linked militants ambushed a convoy of Algerian police escorting Chinese construction workers near a highway building site, killing at least 19 people and wounding several others, a local official and Algerian newspapers said Thursday.

The ambush occurred late Wednesday on the main road linking Algiers, the capital, to eastern Algeria, according to the En-Nahar and Es-Chourouk newspapers.

Militants triggered at least two roadside bombs to block a convoy of six police cars driving past El Mehir, 130 miles east of Algiers.

The gunmen then showered the police with bullets before stealing their weapons and uniforms. The newspapers said at least 21 police officers were killed.

Venezuela: Flu scare

CARACAS — A cruise ship that was turned away from two Caribbean ports due to a swine flu outbreak headed back to its home base of Aruba on Thursday after dropping off some of its passengers in Venezuela.

Three of some 400 crew members on the Ocean Dream have tested positive for swine flu and 11 others have flu symptoms, according to its Spanish operator, Pullmantur.