COSTA RICA: Five year jail sentence for former President Calderon
A judge has sentenced Rafael Calderon, former president of Costa Rica, to five years in jail for corruption. Calderon is the first former head of state to be tried for corruption in the country.
USA: Keep politics out of Afghanistan decisions, Obama pleads
US President Barack Obama is struggling to overcome party politics as he debates whether to meet a plea for troop reinforcements in Afghanistan. Obama said a military strategy in the war-ravaged country had to be determined quickly.
AFGHANISTAN: Gates blames lack of troops for Taliban advantage
Defence Secretary Robert Gates (pictured) blamed the Taliban’s renewed momentum in Afghanistan on the failure to deploy more US troops, as the Obama administration faces a critical decision on its strategy in the war torn county.
USA: Ohio governor delays two executions
Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio on Monday delayed two executions while the state and the courts re-examine lethal injection procedures after executioners were unable to inject lethal drugs into a condemned man's veins last month.
HONDURAS: Interim leader revokes emergency decree
Honduras' de facto leader Roberto Micheletti (pictured) has lifted an emergency decree imposed after the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya. The decree had curbed civil liberties and forced the closure of two media outlets loyal to Zelaya.
2016 OLYMPICS: Rio wins bid to be host city
Rio de Janeiro was selected by the International Olympic Committee Friday to host the 2016 Olympic Games. They beat out Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago.
USA : Lawmakers oppose Guantanamo transfers to US
The US House of Representatives voted late Thursday to block the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the US to face prosecution, dealing a possible setback to President Barack Obama's plan to close Guantanamo by Jan. 2010.
ARGENTINA: Former President Menem charged with obstruction of bomb probe
An Argentine judge has charged former President Carlos Menem with obstruction of the investigation of a 1994 bombing that targeted Jewish charity groups and killed 85 people. Menem also faces separate arms-trafficking charges.
USA: New York Philharmonic postpones Cuba trip
The New York Philharmonic has put off plans to perform in Cuba between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2 due to US travel restrictions, which affected the travel plans of the company’s sponsors.
CUBA: US diplomat holds high-level talks in Havana
A senior US diplomat has held talks with high-ranking Cuban officials in the latest sign of tension easing between the two countries. The talks cap a visit by a US delegation to discuss the possible resumption of direct postal services.
CINEMA: 'The Crazy Life' of El Salvador gangs hits the big screen
"La Vida Loca" is the last work by Christian Poveda, a Franco-Spanish director murdered in El Salvador in September. Released in France this Wednesday, it depicts the daily life of the youth of Mara 18, one of San Salvador’s most violent gangs.
USA: Terror suspect charged over bomb plot pleads not guilty
Afghan-born Najibullah Zazi, 24, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiring to launch a bombing attack in the US by using “one or more weapons of mass destruction,” in a New-York court.
GUANTANAMO: Two detainees sent to Ireland, one to Yemen
The United States announced that it has transferred two detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Ireland, and one to Yemen. These are the latest releases as Obama administration pursues its plans to close the camp.
FRAUD: Madoff family to be sued over missing billions
Bernard Madoff claims he ran his multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme alone, but close family members face lawsuits this week as the probe widens, according to a government-appointed trustee.
ASA SUMMIT: Chavez and Gaddafi call for 'balanced world'
At the Africa-South America summit in Isla Margarita, the host, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the new union would help create a "balanced world", while Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi pushed for the creation of a "NATO of the South".
USA: Terror suspect arrives in New York to face bomb plot charges
Najibullah Zazi, subject of anti-terrorism investigations in the US, was flown to New York on Friday to face charges of organising bomb attacks. Meanwhile there were two other, separate, security arrests in the US this week.
G20: Leaders call for restructured world economic governance
As the G20 summit came to a close in Pittsburgh, leaders highlighted their new plans to give more weight in economic decision making to emerging and developing economies.
USA: Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg hospitalised
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of only two female judges currently serving on the US Supreme Court, was taken to hospital after feeling ill at the court on Thursday. The 76-year-old justice is battling pancreatic cancer.
GUANTANAMO: US set to send eight detained Uighurs to Palau
The White House has alerted Congress that it plans to transfer eight Uighurs from Guantanamo prison to the island nation of Palau. The Chinese Muslims are cleared of any wrongdoing but have been in legal limbo since 2005.