Reynaldo Bignone, the last military ruler of Argentina’s “Dirty War” era, is facing trial for crimes committed during his regime’s crackdown on leftwing activists and other opposition figures.
In this edition: a court in Argentina slaps life sentences on two former officers convicted of human rights abuses during the dictatorship; Uruguay gears for a run-off vote; and Barack Obama declares the swine flu pandemic a national emergency.
Retired Argentine general Jorge Olivera Rovere was sentenced Friday to life in prison for crimes committed during the 1979-1983 dictatorship, including the assassination of two Uruguayan lawmakers.
FIFA on Friday announced it would open a disciplinary investigation into coach Diego Maradona. After Argentina's qualification for the 2010 World Cup, El Pibe de Oro celebrated the victory by telling journalists to "suck it and keep sucking it".
Chile breezed into the World Cup finals courtesy of a 4-2 defeat of Colombia, while Maradona lived to fight another day after Argentina's last-gasp win over Peru. Over in the northern zone, the US and Mexico booked their tickets for South Africa.
In this edition: a portrait of president Lula, who helped Brazil become the first South American country chosen to host the Olympics; the bursting of the property bubble in Miami; and the death of legendary folk singer Mercedes Sosa.
Argentine folk singer and activist Mercedes Sosa has died at the age of 74. Sosa was one of the lead exponents of the "Nueva Cancion", a musical style that with lyrics that often combined romantic themes with social issues.
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.
Tango, the sensual dance born in the working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires and Montevideo that has become a global byword for Latin passion, is now part of humanity's "intangible cultural heritage", UNESCO has announced.
