Colombian Indians protest military accord with U.S.
Bogota, (EFE).- Some 5,000 people, most of them Indians, marched Wednesday in downtown Bogota to protest a pact that gives U.S. soldiers greater access to Colombian military bases. Members of grassroots organizations, Indians, students and unionists took part in the so-called "Patriotic March," walking from the National University of Colombia to downtown Bolivar Square in a peaceful protest against the official independence bicentennial celebrations the day before.

Dozens of turtles found dead on Guatemala`s southern coast
Guatemala City, (EFE).- Guatemala's National Council of Protected Areas, or CONAP, said Wednesday it found more than 30 dead sea turtles washed up on the country's southern coast. "This week alone, 30 dead turtles have been found mutilated and with signs of asphyxia on the beaches of Monterrico and Sipacate," CONAP said in a statement.

6 Mexican women convicted of homicide for having abortions
Mexico City, (EFE).- Six women are serving long prison terms in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato after being convicted of homicide for terminating their pregnancies, activists said Wednesday. The women, all poor and with little education, have served between three and eight years of the 25- to 30-year sentences handed down by state courts.

Dominican police, military officers cashiered for drug crimes
Santo Domingo, (EFE).- Six Dominican police and armed forces officers have been cashiered on charges of robbing drug dealers and selling the merchandise, the DNCD counternarcotics agency said Wednesday.

5 Bolivians and a Brazilian arrested in anti-drug operation
La Paz, (EFE).- Bolivia's anti-drug force on Wednesday arrested five Bolivians and a Brazilian in a town in the eastern province of Santa Cruz and seized from the group $730,000 allegedly obtained from drug sales.