Nicaraguan president meets with new president-elect, seeks smooth hand over
Nicaragua's outgoing president, Enrique Bolaños, met Sunday with President-elect Daniel Ortega to work out details of this week's inauguration and assured the incoming leader he wants a smooth handover.

OAS demanded to retract remarks on Chavez's closure of TV station
The Venezuelan government on Saturday demanded that the Organization of American States (OAS) retract its remarks on President Hugo Chavez's decision not to renew the broadcast license of an opposition-linked TV station.

17 prisoners killed in Salvadoran jail riot
A riot at a prison in El Salvador has left at least 17 inmates dead on Saturday, according to reports reaching here from San Salvador.

Heavy rainfall leaves 27 dead in southeastern Brazil
Heavy rainfall in southeastern Brazil has left 27 people dead and 11,000 others homeless since Tuesday, according to figures released by local Civil Defense authorities on Friday.