Pinochet discharged from Santiago hospital
The former military ruler of Chile Augusto Pinochet was discharged on Friday from the Military Hospital of Santiago, where he was hospitalized two days ago for are spiratory problem.

The 88-year-old retired general left the hospital under strict security, witnesses said.

The doctors considered it all right for Pinochet, who had a fever because of an obstructive bronchitis, to spend the weekend at his residence.

On Thursday, the Court of Appeals of Santiago rejected an appeal from the lawyers for the former de facto ruler, which challenged the authority of judge Juan Guzman.

The Military Hospital doctors had indicated the ex-general would stay hospitalized at least until Friday as his glycemia was not stabilized.

The ex-general's health condition has been constantly used by his lawyers to prevent him from facing justice or even to appear in hearings.

Augusto Pinochet is charged with being linked to cases of mass human rights violations during his military regime (1973-1990) as well as a possible corruption case related to his secret bank accounts in Riggs Bank of the United States.

Cuban, Ukrainian ministers to meet on economic, technical cooperation
The health ministers of Cuba and Ukraine will meet here next week to discuss bilateral cooperation in public health, tourism and trade, local press said Friday.

Cuban Public Health Minister Jose Balaguer and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andry Pidaev, will also discuss cooperation in the treatment of children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident at the 8th Session of the Inter-Governmental Commission for the Economic-Commercial and Scientific-Technological Collaboration.

The event is scheduled for September 22-24.

In addition to bilateral trade, the two sides are also expected to analyze the viability of different projects in agriculture, transport, steel-making and other sectors.

They will also discuss ways to promote Cuba as a travel destination among Ukrainian tourists.

Negotiations will also be held on the export of Cuban bio-pharmaceutical products to the Ukrainian market and their production in Ukraine based on technologies developed by Cuban scientists.

7 dead in Venezuela border attack
Six Venezuelan soldiers and an oil engineer have been killed when an armed group attacked a military patrol and state oil company employees near the border with Colombia, Venezuela's defense minister has said.

Gen. Jorge Garcia Carneiro did not identify the attackers but Venezuela's armed forces have clashed in the past with Colombian left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries entering from the neighboring country.

Friday's attack was one of the most serious incidents reported recently on the volatile border between the two Andean countries.

Another soldier and a civilian engineer were injured in the clash, which took place near the border village of La Victoria, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Guasdualito in the southwest state of Apure.

Venezuela rushed troops and armed helicopters to the area to try to capture the attackers, whom Garcia called "terrorists."

"We are doing everything possible to ensure that these events do not go unpunished," the defense minister told state television late Friday.

Military officials said the group of Venezuelan soldiers and employees of the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA, were ambushed as they were inspecting the Guafita oil field.

They said the civilian engineer killed was 23-year-old Ana Laura Carrasco.

Relations between Venezuela and Colombia have been strained in the past by border incidents.

Colombia's government and military have in the past accused left-wing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of sympathizing with, and even collaborating with, Colombian Marxist guerrillas fighting a four-decade war.

Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and won a referendum on his rule last month, has angrily denied the charges.

He has criticized the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for not doing enough to maintain security on the border, which stretches from the Caribbean coast in the north to the jungles of the Amazon in the south.

Venezuelan officials have also accused Colombia's military of having links with Colombian right-wing paramilitaries they say often foray across the border to raid and kidnap civilians in oil-rich Venezuela.

Garcia said he would travel to the border region Saturday to join the hunt for the attackers.