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Brazil's president has offered his backing for Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Speaking at a joint news conference in the capital Brasilia on Monday after holding talks with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his visiting Iranian counterpart, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil backed Iran's quest for "peaceful nuclear energy in full respect of international accords".
He urged Ahmadinejad to "continue contacts with interested countries for a just and balanced solution on the nuclear issue in Iran".
In his weekly radio address earlier, Lula said engaging Iran instead of isolating it was the way to push for peace and stability in the Middle East.
"It doesn't help isolating Iran," he said. "It's important that someone sits down with Iran, talks with Iran and tries to establish some balance so that the Middle East can return to a certain sense of normalcy."
Lula, who honed his negotiating skills as a union leader, says a new tactic is needed with the Iranians.
"I told President [Barack] Obama, I told President [Nicolas] Sarkozy, I told [German] Chancellor Angela Merkel that we will not get good things out of Iran if we corner them. You need to create space to talk," he said last month.
During his radio show, Lula also proposed a football game in March pitting Brazil's famed national team against a team comprising Israelis and Palestinians.
Security council 'failure'
Ahmadinejad, for his part, supported Brazil's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"It's important that someone sits down with Iran, talks with Iran and tries to establish some balance so that the Middle East can return to a certain sense of normalcy"
Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazilian president
Brazil is to take one of the 10 non-permanent seats - those without the power of veto - in 2010 and 2011.
"We support a reformed UN Security Council and for Brazil to have a permanent seat," Ahmadinejad said.
He said the council "has failed over the past 60 years because of the veto power of a small number of countries, a source of insecurity for several countries in the world".
The first visit by Ahmadinejad to Brazil provides Lula an opportunity to boost the international political clout of South America's largest nation, analysts said.
But Brazilian opposition politicians criticised it, citing concern over Iran's nuclear programme as its human rights record, as well as Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust.
Demonstrations against the visit were staged in Brasilia and other major cities across the country.
Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera's Latin America editor, said: "He [Lula] has faced criticism not only from the Republicans in Washington but also in Brazil itself.
In video
Lula defended the visit amid protests and criticisms at home and abroad
"They [critics] believe he has gone too far; that he's isolating Brazil by going to the side of countries that are considered by some to be, as we know, on the axis of evil."
Lula defended the visit, saying any progress on the nuclear standoff with Iran and on the stalled Middle East peace process required dialogue with all parties involved.
Ahmadinejad's trip follows visits in the past two weeks by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Shimon Peres, his Israeli counterpart, who called on Lula to use Brazil's influence to help curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Iran's nuclear programme, which it says is intended for civilian use, has drawn criticism from Western countries which suspect Tehran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb.
World powers have urged Iran to reconsider its rejection of a UN-drafted deal aimed at a peaceful resolution to its contested nuclear programme.
The deal would have seen Tehran shipping its low-grade enriched uranium to Russia and France where it could be processed to be used as fuel in Iran's medical-purpose reactor.
Instead, Iran wants a direct swap of low-enriched uranium for processed nuclear fuel, taking place on Iranian soil.
Ahmadinejad's visit comes as the military back home engages in large-scale war games centred on protecting Iran's nuclear facilities from attack.
The Iranian leader is set to visit allies in Bolivia and Venezuela next to shore up more South American support.
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US President Barack Obama has ordered a review of the way intelligence agencies handled information over an army major suspected of killing 13 people.
The measure comes after US intelligence authorities revealed they knew Maj Nidal Malik Hasan had been in contact with a cleric sympathetic to al-Qaeda.
Thirteen people died in the attack at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.
Maj Hasan, 39, was shot by police and remains in hospital. He has been charged with 13 counts of murder.
He has not spoken to investigators.
Maj Hasan was said to be unhappy about a possible deployment to Afghanistan.
HASAN TRIAL PROCESS
Nidal Malik Hasan in 2007 (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences)
Trial by court martial
Jury comprising military personnel
Verdict decided by secret ballot - two-thirds majority needed
Unanimous vote required for death penalty
Q&A: Maj Hasan's court martial
Profile: Major Nidal Malik Hasan
Shock and insecurity at Fort Hood
Fears for Muslims in US army
The shootings took place on 5 November at Fort Hood's crowded Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, where troops get medical check-ups before deploying abroad.
At least 29 people were hurt in the attack.
Maj Hasan has been under armed guard in a hospital since being wounded in the shooting.
He is to be prosecuted in a military court.
If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
No-one has been executed under the US military justice system for almost 50 years, says the BBC's Matthew Price.
Backlash fears
Former military colleagues of Maj Hasan had voiced concern about his performance and attitude for a number of years, according to media reports.
An FBI-led task force monitoring the e-mail of Yemen-based cleric Anwar al-Awlaki said he had communicated with Maj Hasan - a US-born Muslim and army psychiatrist - on 10 to 20 occasions.
However, it was decided that further investigation was not needed, as the content of the messages did not advocate or threaten violence.
SHOOTINGS AT FORT HOOD
fort hood map
Timeline: Fort Hood shootings
Coping with stress in the US military
In pictures: Fort Hood shootings
"I directed an immediate inventory be conducted of all intelligence in US government files that existed prior to 6 November 2009, relevant to the tragic shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, especially anything having to do with the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, US Army," Mr Obama said in a statement.
"Additionally, I directed an immediate review be initiated to determine how any such intelligence was handled, shared, and acted upon within individual departments and agencies and what intelligence was shared with others.
"This inventory and review shall be conducted in a manner that does not interfere with the ongoing criminal investigations of the Fort Hood shooting."
Amid fears of a possible anti-Muslim backlash after the attack, President Obama has stressed the multinational diversity in the US armed forces.
"They are Americans of every race, faith, and station. They are Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers.
"They are descendants of immigrants and immigrants themselves. They reflect the diversity that makes this America," he said in the aftermath of the shooting.
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Ford has announced profits of almost $1bn (£611m) between July and September thanks to increased market share and a successful cost-cutting programme.
Pre-tax profit for the quarter came in at $997m, compared with a loss of $161m a year earlier. Revenue was $30.9bn, down $800m on a year ago.
The US carmaker said it was making "tremendous progress despite the slump in the global economy".
Ford's shares closed up 8.3% following the announcement.
The firm also said it expected to be "solidly profitable" during 2011.
'Challenging road'
Ford cut costs by $1bn during the quarter, bringing the total reduction for the year-to-date to $4.6bn.
This exceeds the target of $4bn that the carmaker set itself for the whole of 2009.
It said these reductions came from lower manufacturing costs due to improved productivity and staff cuts.
The carmaker also reported increased market share in the US and in Europe, and a 63% jump in sales in China.
"Our solid product line-up is leading the way in all markets," said Ford boss Alan Mulally.
"While we still face a challenging road ahead, our One Ford transformation plan is working and our underlying business plan continues to grow stronger."
Crisis measures
Unlike its rivals, General Motors and Chrysler, Ford has managed without a US government bail-out.
However, it has not escaped unscathed from the financial crisis and economic downturn.
The company has cut tens of thousands of jobs and closed factories to reduce costs.
It is also considering the sale of its Swedish brand Volvo to raise cash, after already selling off its luxury European brands Jaguar and Aston Martin.
Last week, Ford announced that a consortium led by China's Zhejiang Geely was its preferred bidder for Volvo.
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An Indian tribe in Brazil has found at least nine survivors after a plane came down deep in the Amazon jungle, the Brazilian air force says.
Two people - a crew member and a passenger - are as yet unaccounted for.
The plane made a forced landing on the Itui river on Thursday morning. Members of the Matis tribe found the craft the next morning and notified authorities.
The Cessna C-98 Caravan was carrying four crew and seven government medics involved in a vaccination campaign.
The survivors were airlifted to Cruzeiro do Sul in the Brazilian state of Acre, the health ministry said. They were said to be in good condition.
The latest reports from the air force said two people were missing. An earlier statement said one person was believed to have died.
Jungle find
Map
The plane issued a distress signal an hour after it left Cruzeiro do Sul at 0830 local time (1230 GMT) on Thursday.
The air force had dispatched eight planes - including one with thermal sensors - as part of the search effort, but had failed to locate the plane.
By mid-morning on Friday, members of the Matis tribe told the National Indian Foundation (Funai) that they had found the plane "in the middle of the Amazon jungle".
They said it came down on the river between the Matis village of Aurelio and Rio Novo in the Muruga tribal area.
The area is home to a handful of Indian tribes who have little contact with the outside world.
The Cessna was en route to Tabatinga, in the state of Amazonas, when it went missing. The cause of the crash is not known.
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