Recent rain storms in Uruguay have taken five lives, including a National Maritime Authority sailor and a rural labourer on Monday.

According to the National Emergency System officials, the sailor, 25, was killed when a trailor used as a temporary office tipped over in Colonia, 180 km west of Montevideo and the labourer, 22, was killed when his house collapsed in Flores, 100 km North of Montevideo.

Two public busses were overturned in Colonia while attempting to avoid a fallen tree in the road, injuring 11 people.

The most affected areas are Canelones, Colonia, Flores and Sonano where winds reached over 150km/hr on Monday. Trees and power lines are collapsed and roofs have been ripped off of buildings.

Last Thursday, a similar storm hit the region killing three people. One was struck by lightning and two were killed when a stone quarry collapsed.

Venezuela experienced one of its worst oil industry related disasters in history as a huge explosion tore through the Amuay refinery on Saturday, killing 39 and injuring at least 80. Amongst those killed were 18 members of the national guard who had entered the refinery after the explosion in an attempt to rescue survivors.

The blast was so strong it threw balls of fire into the air, and ripped windows out of nearby homes, leaving the streets strewn with rubble and debris. A day after the blast, flames reaching over 30m into the air could still be seen. The explosion appears to have been caused by a natural gas leak.

President Hugo Chávez declared three days of national mourning, but said Amuay, Venezuela’s biggest refinery, and one of the biggest in the world, would be up and running again within two days, and assured the country would meet its international fuel commitments.

Amuay is part of the Paraguaná refinery complex based in Punto Fijo in western Venezuela, which also includes the Cardón refinery. Together, they process about 900,000 barrels of crude a day and 200,000 barrels of petrol.

Fighting between demonstrators and national police in the Cusco region yesterday left two people dead. Protestors claim this morning that four people have been killed in total since Monday during protests against the mining company Xstrata Copper.

The violence escalated yesterday when protestors tried to take over a camp of mining company workers in South Eastern district of Espinar.

Around 1,500 police guarding the camp fought off demonstrators, leaving two protestors dead and 15 injured, while more than 30 police were injured. Many buildings were burnt down.

Rudecindo Manuelo Puma, 27, died on the way to hospital in Espinar after being shot by a bullet in his heart. The other victim has yet to be identified.

“I want to investigate four deaths,” Óscar Mollohuanca, the Mayor of Espinar who led the demonstration, told Peruvian radio station Radio Programas. He added that police while had shot point blank at protestors, “we only used stones to defend ourselves when we were attacked.”

Official government reports contradict the mayor’s accusations, stating the police only used weapons in self-defence. Interior Minister Wilver Calle claimed that only two people have died in fighting so far. The government also claimed that 70 police have been injured in total.

After eight days of clashes in anti-mining protests, the Peruvian government has called for a state of emergency in the district of Espinar, Cusco Province. Oscar Valdes, the Peruvian prime minister, announced the state of emergency on the grounds that “it is no longer a peaceful demonstration, but one with extremists.”

The state of emergency will provide police with special powers for 30 days to restore peace, but also suspends the civil liberties of the people of Espinar. This is the second state of emergency since President Ollanta Humala took office 10 months ago.

Protestors claim that the Swiss company, Xstrata Copper, who are the fourth largest copper producer in the world, are harming the environment and do not provide enough for the local economy.

Thirteen police officers were arrested yesterday after a shootout between military and a group of civilians killed 12 people earlier that morning.

The news outlet Milenio in Mexico City reported that the Ministry of National Defense released a statement, which said military troops doing ground patrols were attacked by an unknown number of people suspected of involvement in organised crime.

The release also stated that 10 attackers and two soldiers died in the clash, which took place in Bamoa station, in the municipality of Guasave, Sinaloa.

According to the north Mexico news outlet Vanguardia, the army seized 14 rifles, four handguns, a grenade launcher, four 40mm-caliber grenades, 95 magazines of various calibres, 1,600 cartridges of different calibers, uniforms and four vehicles (one semi-shielded).

The outlet also notes that the 13 arrested officers were taken to the Attorney General’s Office to give their statements. The office has not made an official statement as to whether the officers are still being detained.

About 50,000 people have died in Mexico from drug-related violence since President Felipe Caldarón began a cartel and trafficking crackdown in 2006. The northwestern state Sinaloa has been one of the most dangerous places in the country.

Nearly 25 thousands people have been affected by flooding in the northwestern province of Chaco, Paraguay. The senate yesterday called a state of emergency due to the growing number of victims.

For three weeks the region has been experiencing more than twice the average rainfall causing the Pilcomayo River to flood in the highly indigenous district. The towns of General Diaz and Lomo Del Plata are among the most effected places in the region.

Today, two people died in General Diaz as they could not reach the hospital due to the floods. Other deaths have been reported, yet details remain unconfirmed.

Outside the towns, the flooding has trapped around 5,000 families who are unable to receive food or medical care, reports Paraguayan daily ABC Colour.

The Chaco district is the most sparsely populated district in Paraguay, home to mainly indigenous tribes and poor families. As the majority of people outside the main cities live in isolated areas, the burst banks of the river are covering the main roads preventing access.

On Wednesday, the Paraguayan government started to use helicopters to airlift victims of the floods, as well as providing aid to other areas.

Two people burned to death yesterday near Mar del Plata when their car crashed into the central barrier and caught on fire.

The accident occurred at 7.30am on Route 2 in Mar Chiquita district, 80km north of Mar Del Plata.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, crashed into the barrier then after rolling several times, caught alight. The cause of the accident is still unknown.

Although fire-fighters arrived at the scene only a few minutes later, the driver and passenger had been inside the vehicle too long and were pronounced dead soon after. The victims’ bodies were burnt so badly, that the authorities have been unable to identify them.

Due to the high number of people travelling back to Buenos Aires after carnival weekend, the accident caused major traffic jams coming into the city.

Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the deaths of two protesters who were killed during clashes between security forces and the Ngäbe-Buglé people in Panama.

Protests began 30^th January against a bill’s amendment that could put hydroelectric projects on traditional Ngäbe-Buglé lands. As part of the protest, members of the indigenous group set up a roadblock on the Pan-American Highway.

The government and Ngäbe-Buglé reached an agreement 7^th February to start talks and stand down riot police and protests, but Amnesty wants to see an investigation into the deaths. It is also calling for the government to honour the UN Declaration on the Rights for Indigenous Peoples, which Panama adopted in 2007.

“The authorities must carry out a full, independent, impartial and prompt investigation into the protesters’ deaths and all those injured and bring those responsible to justice,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Amnesty International deputy director for the Americas. “Development projects and the exploitation of natural resources must not become sources of abuse of Indigenous Peoples.”

The International Federation of Human Rights is also condemning the police brutality, noting that their use of force was “disproportionate” to that used by protesters. The organisation is also calling for an investigation into the two deaths.

According to Amnesty International, Jerónimo Rodríguez Tugrí was shot and killed San Felix, Chiriquí province, on the 5^th February.

Media reported on 7^th February that 16-year-old Mauricio Méndez was found inside a car where there had been an explosion in David, Chiriquí province. Other sources claim that he died when he was struck in the face by a smoke grenade.

Amnesty International also says more than 40 others – including police officers – were wounded during the demonstrations.

There has been an earthquake in the western state of Guerrero in Mexico, hitting at 19:47 local time.

Two deaths have been reported and although the epicentre was 100 miles south of the capital, it shook from Mexico City to Acapulco.  In the capital, the high rise buildings swayed and general panic and chaos was caused with people rushing into the streets.

The earthquake was 58km deep, which makes it a shallow one.

Mexico suffers from earthquakes as it is situated on the fault line of the Pacific basin.

In September 1985, 9,500 people died in Mexico due to a large earthquake.

In Acapulco, Mexican police made a grotesque discovery on Tuesday morning. The heads of five people were found in front of Benito Juarez Elementary School, in the town of Guerrero.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the severed skulls were placed in bags and then in a wooden box. It is unclear whether this incident is related to extortion threats that caused approximately 140 elementary schools in the city to close temporarily earlier this month, after teachers and parents decided it wasn’t safe to start classes.

Along with the bodies was a note addressed to the governor of Guerrero, Angel Aguirre. The note read, “You can thank the Governor for this war continuing, we will continue to support the melon named Aguirre.”

According to authorities, the heads could be linked to five decapitated bodies that were discovered on Monday in the La Garita neighborhood on the outskirts of Acapulco.

Two of the bodies were on the floor and the other three were found in the same location inside of a van on fire. The heads all appear to be of men. Some of the bodies were too badly burned to immediately determine their gender.

Acapulco, located 300 km southwest of the capital of Mexico is one of the most affected by violence from drug trafficking. There have been more than 41,000 drug related deaths in Mexico since December 2006.