In a televised address, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez (pictured) announced the nationalisation of several iron and steel companies as part of plans for an "industrial complex" that would allow the firms to become a "platform of socialism".
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe (pictured) appeared to backtrack on controversial plans to run for a third term, describing a possible 2010 re-election bid as "inconvenient" and saying he did not want to seem "enamoured with power".
A Kentucky jury sentenced former US soldier Steven Green (pictured) to life in prison for the gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the murders of her mother, father and six-year-old sister after failing to agree on a death sentence.
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney (pictured) has lashed out at President Barack Obama's security policies, including a ban on harsh interrogation tactics. Cheney called a ban on "enhanced" interrogations "recklessness".
Three US citizens accused of trying to obtain explosives to blow up New York synagogues and a US military plane have appeared in court where they were described as fanatics "eager to bring death to Jews".
US President Barack Obama has restated his commitment to closing Guantanamo Bay despite a bipartisan backlash. Obama vowed to close the detention camp within his first year in office as part of efforts to repair America's image abroad.
US President Barack Obama has promised he will shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison, a global symbol of the excesses of “the war on terror”. But key stumbling blocks remain ahead of the closure of the site, scheduled for January 2010.
US President Barack Obama is to deliver a speech Thursday attempting to reinforce his stance on closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay after the US Senate has moved to deny the funds necessary.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (pictured) said Wednesday that he sees "important indications" the US financial system is recovering. Analysts cite easing interest rates and rising bank stocks as signs the credit crunch may be easing.
Four men have been arrested in New York on charges ranging from planning an attack on a Jewish synagogue to shooting down planes at a National Guard air base with surface-to-air guided missiles, the US district attorney said on Wednesday.
