Menem has heart surgery

The Argentine President, Carlos Menem, was rushed to hospital yesterday and underwent emergency heart surgery, an official spokesman said, Reuter reports from Buenos Aires.

The spokesman said that, according to Mr Menem's doctor, the emergency surgery was to clear a blockage of the carotid artery that feeds blood to the head.

Mr Menem, 63, was on his way to the airport to board a flight for Chile to attend a Latin American summit when his motorcade suddenly sped to a nearby heart clinic.