Mexican Minister of the Interior dies in mystery plane crash

Take a look at the following report into the mysterious death of the Mexican Interior Ministry, Juan Camilo Mourino, and other senior Mexican officials. Given Mourino's high profile role in the fight against the powerful Mexican drug cartels, there are rumours that this was no accident. Since 2006, the Mexican government has intensified its efforts against the cartels by deploying the army and through closer co-operation with the USA. A number of commentators have suggested that Mourino's death should be seen within this context, and that it constitutes a warning to the Mexican President, Felipe Calderón, that there will be a very high price to pay if his government continues with its crackdown on drug trafficking.

The other Latin American story in the news at the moment is the conflict in Nicaragua over disputed local election results. This has led to violent outbreaks between supporters of the governing Sandinistas and the opposition political parties in which a number of people have been killed.

Finally, it's also worth mentioning China's attempts to increase its influence in the region. A number of Latin American countries have signed trade and co-operation agreements with China recently including Chile, Venezuela and Costa Rica.