■ Chile
Pinochet recovering fast
General Augusto Pinochet's recovery from a heart attack is progressing so well that doctors are considering removing him from the intensive care unit, the hospital treating him reported on Thursday. ``The patient has had a quiet day during which he has completed his rehabilitation program,'' the Santiago Military Hospital said in a communique. It said the 91-year-old former dictator is now taking all the necessary medication orally. The brief communique added that doctors are considering allowing Pinochet to leave the intensive care unit where has remained since early Sunday, when he was rushed to the hospital after suffering what doctors described as an acute heart attack.
■ United States
Town mulls guns for all
A tiny town in western Pennsylvania could ask all of its residents to own guns, if a proposal being considered on Wednesday wins approval from local officials. Under the proposed law, residents of the town of Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania, would be asked to own guns and know how to use them. Cherry Tree, some 70 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, has about 400 residents. Introduced last month by resident Henry Statkowski, the measure recommends that "all heads of households maintain a firearm along with ammunition."
■ Mexico
Cota offers olive branch
The leader of the largest leftist party offered to "leave behind" the country's bitter Dec. 1 post-electoral dispute in a bid to start talks with President Felipe Calderon's party on resolving unrest in Oaxaca. The comments on Thursday were an unusual sign of flexibility from Leonel Cota, leader of the Democratic Revolution Party, who has angrily refused to recognize Calderon's presidency. "We're saying let's leave Dec. 1 behind, what happened before Dec. 1, to resolve a problem that is the responsibility of all political forces," Cota said.
RSS