WASHINGTON, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - A strong earthquake measuring 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale struck just offshore northern Chile Saturday, three days after a major 7.7 earthquake hit the same region, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake struck offshore at 2:54 pm (1754 GMT), 65 kilometers (40 miles) north-northwest of Antofagasta, at a relatively shallow depth of seven kilometers (11 miles), the USGS said in a statement.

There were no initial reports of damage or injuries.

TOKYO, Oct 13, 2007 (AFP) - Two Japanese mining firms will invest up to 1.7 billion dollars in jointly developing copper production bases in Peru and Chile to secure supplies amid growing demand worldwide, a report said Saturday.

Nippon Mining and Metals Co. and Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. plan to build the facilities by 2011 to produce up to 250,000 tonnes of copper ore a year, the leading business newspaper Nikkei reported.

The project will be undertaken by Pan Pacific Copper Co., a joint copper smelting venture set up by the two firms last year.

PARIS, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) - The French energy group Suez and Codelco of Chile, the world's leading copper producer, are to build a methane gas terminal in Chile at a cost of 500 million dollars (356 million euros), Suez said Tuesday.

The project is designed to ensure the supply of energy to northern Chile, according to the French company's international branch, Suez Energy International.

Suez Energy International and Codelco have formed a jointly owned company, GNL Mejillones, in which each party will control 50 percent, to build the plant in Mejillones, northern Chile.

SANTIAGO, Oct 6, 2007 (AFP) - The widow and five children of former dictator Augusto Pinochet were released from detention Saturday -- two days after they were arrested on charges of embezzling millions of dollars stashed in US accounts.

Lucia Hiriart, 87, and her five children were set free after an appeals court confirmed an earlier judicial order granting a temporary release on 588-dollar bail for the former first lady and for her daughters. The sons were not ordered to pay.

SANTIAGO, Oct 6, 2007 (AFP) - A Chilean appeals court on Saturday confirmed an order granting a release on bail to the widow and five children of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, two days after they were jailed on charges of embezzling millions of dollars.

Pinochet, whose 1973-1990 rule was marked by the torture and deaths of some 3,000 people, died in December at the age of 91 after suffering a heart attack.

On Friday Judge Carlos Cerda granted Lucia Hiriart, 87, her five children and a gaggle of other detainees a supervised release.

SANTIAGO, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - A Chilean judge on Friday ordered a temporary release from jail of the widow and five children of former dictator Augusto Pinochet -- one day after they were arrested on charges of embezzling millions of dollars stashed in US accounts.

Judge Carlos Cerda granted Lucia Hiriart, 87, her five children and a gaggle of other detainees a supervised release from jail.

SANTIAGO, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - A Chilean judge on Friday released the widow and five children of former dictator Augusto Pinochet a day after they were arrested on charges of embezzling millions of dollars stashed in US accounts.

Judge Carlos Cerda granted Lucia Hiriart, 87, her five children and a gaggle of other detainees a supervised release from jail.

The measure includes 22 of the 23 people linked to the case who were arrested on Thursday.

SANTIAGO, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - Chilean authorities on Thursday arrested the five children of former dictator Augusto Pinochet and ordered the detention of his widow for their role in the alleged embezzlement of millions of dollars stashed in US accounts.

'There are well-founded assumptions ... that these people participated in this crime,' said Judge Carlos Cerda.

Reacting to the announcement, President Michelle Bachelet stressed that Chile 'is a country where no one is above the law.'

SANTIAGO, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the United States is looking for ways to speed the delivery of arms to Iraqi security forces, acknowledging that the current system is too slow.

His comments followed criticism by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani who said Iraq was buying 100 million dollars in light military equipment for its police from China because US arms producers could not meet Iraqi demands quickly enough.

SANTIAGO, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - A Chilean judge on Thursday ordered the arrest of the widow and five children of former dictator Augusto Pinochet in connection with the alleged embezzlement of millions of dollars stashed in US accounts.

'There are well-founded assumptions ... that these people participated in this crime,' said Judge Carlos Cerda.

Three of the children -- Augusto, Marco Antonio and Lucia Pinochet -- were being held at a police station in Santiago, police sources said.

SANTIAGO, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - A Chilean judge on Thursday ordered the arrest of the widow and five children of former dictator Augusto Pinochet in relation to millions of dollars in state funds allegedly stashed in US accounts.

Police sources said three of the children -- Augusto, Marco Antonio y Lucia Pinochet -- were detained on Thursday at a police station in Santiago.

Judge Carlos Cerda also ordered the arrest of 17 others, including former aides and lawyers of the late strongman.

SANTIAGO, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) - Financial turmoil in the United States triggered by the housing crisis seemed to be reaching its end, the likely new head of the IMF said during a visit to Chile on Thursday.

Former French finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn is widely expected to be appointed head of the International Monetary Fund when the group's executive board meets on Friday.

TOKYO, Sept 23, 2007 (AFP) - Japan has remained tight-lipped about the extradition of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, a Japanese citizen whom Tokyo refused to hand over to Peru during his years of exile here.

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura indicated that Japan would not get involved in the fate of the former Peruvian strongman, who failed in his bid for a seat in the Japanese parliament in July.

LIMA, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Seven years after fleeing Peru, former president Alberto Fujimori was back in Lima Saturday to face trial on charges of corruption and responsibility in death squad massacres during his rule.

Fujimori, 69, was immediately flown by helicopter to a temporary detention facility at the Special Police Operations Directorate (DIREOS) after landing in Lima following his extradition from Chile.

LIMA, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Seven years after fleeing Peru, former president Alberto Fujimori arrived in Lima Saturday to face trial on charges of corruption and responsibility in death squad massacres during his rule.

Fujimori had resigned by fax from a Tokyo hotel in 2000 after a 10-year presidency that ended with a corruption scandal and was followed by the Peruvian government's bid to extradite him to face charges including human rights abuse.

LIMA, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Peru's ex-president Alberto Fujimori touched down in Lima Saturday after being extradited from Chile to face trial on charges of corruption and massacres by death squads during his rule.

The Peruvian police airplane carrying Fujimori arrived at a military airport south of the capital around 4:40 pm (2140 GMT), an AFP journalist at the scene said, seven years after the ex-leader fled the country amid a government corruption scandal.

LIMA, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori arrived in Tacna in southern Peru on Saturday after he was extradited from Chile to stand trial on charges of corruption and killings by death squads under his rule, according to state television.

The Peruvian police jet carrying Fujimori was making a stop in Tacna before heading to the capital Lima after Chile's Supreme Court on Friday ordered his extradition. It was Fujimori's first trip to his home country after seven years in exile.

SANTIAGO, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori was extradited from Chile on Saturday and bound for Lima to face trial on charges of corruption and massacres by death squads during his rule.

Television footage showed Fujimori boarding a Peruvian police jet under tight security at the Santiago airport to return to his home country after seven years in exile following his 1990-2000 rule.

SANTIAGO, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori flew out of Santiago on Saturday for Lima after Chile's Supreme Court ordered his extradition to stand trial in Peru on human rights and corruption charges.

Escorted by Chilean police, Fujimori boarded a Peruvian police jet at the Santiago airport bound for Lima, where he will be tried for charges stemming from his 1990-2000 tenure as president.

SANTIAGO, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori flew out of Santiago on Saturday for Lima after Chile's Supreme Court ordered his extradition to stand trial in Peru on human rights and corruption charges.

Escorted by Chilean police, Fujimori boarded a Peruvian police jet at the Santiago airport to be carried to Lima, where he will be tried for charges stemming from his 1990-2000 tenure as president.

SANTIAGO, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori was expected to be extradited from Chile to Peru on Saturday to face trial on charges of corruption and the killing of 25 people by death squads during his rule.

A Peruvian police airplane flew out of the border city of Tacna late Friday on its way to Santiago to pick up Fujimori hours after Chile's Supreme Court ordered his extradition.

It was expected to return to Peru with the former president by about midday on Saturday.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori awaited Friday to be extradited from Chile to Peru to face trial on charges of corruption and the killing of 25 people by death squads during his rule.

A Peruvian police airplane flew out of the border city of Tacna late Friday on its way to Santiago to pick up Fujimori hours after Chile's Supreme Court ordered his extradition.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, 69, lost a long legal battle Friday as Chile's Supreme Court ordered his extradition to Peru to face trial on corruption and human rights abuses.

The decision, which cannot be appealed, will send Fujimori back to his home country after seven years in exile to stand trial over alleged massacres and rampant graft during his 1990-2000 rule.

LIMA, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Chile's supreme court decided to extradite Alberto Fujimori Friday on seven charges of human rights violations and corruption when he was president of Peru between 1990 and 2000.

The following are the charges:

-- Fujimori is accused of responsibility in 1991 and 1992 death-squad killings in Lima that left 25 people dead

-- Fujimori is accused of having ordered, known about and allowed the kidnapping and torturing of people considered opponents of his government

LIMA, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori was ordered back to his home country Friday to face charges of corruption and human rights abuses, seven years after he fled the South American country. The following is a chronology of events leading to his extradition from Chile.

- Nov. 19, 2000: Fujimori flees to Japan, sends a fax to the Peruvian Congress presenting his resignation as president.

- Dec. 12, 2000: The Japanese government announces Fujimori holds Japanese nationality and as such cannot be extradited.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, who lost a battle against extradition from Chile Friday, would be sent back to Peru by land and air in 'a few hours,' a senior police official said.

Police official Rene Castellon told a press conference they only needed the papers from the foreign ministry to proceed with Fujimori's extradition 'and that is probably going to happen in a few hours.'

LIMA, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Peru said Friday that ex-president Alberto Fujimori would be treated correctly and receive a fair trial after Chile's high court ordered his extradition to Peru to face charges of rights abuses and corruption.

'The next step is to bring him to Lima and to offer guarantees of a fair trial,' Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde told CPN radio.

He said that the Chilean Supreme Court, which ordered Fujimori's extradition Friday, had carried out its work with 'responsibility, seriousness and independence.'

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori will be extradited to Peru to face charges for corruption and human rights abuses during his 1990-2000 rule, Chile's Supreme Court announced Friday.

'We have awarded the extradition,' announced judge Alberto Chaigneau, adding that the court's decision was based on the weight of two charges of alleged human rights violations and six of corruption.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - The decision by Chile's Supreme Court to extradite former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori back to his home country to face trial for human rights abuses is unprecedented, Human Rights Watch said Friday.

'This is the first time that a court has ordered the extradition of a former head of state to be tried for gross human rights violations in his home country,' the US-based organization said in a statement after the court released its decision Friday.

LIMA, Peru, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Alberto Fujimori, who defied the odds to rise from obscurity to become Peru's president before fleeing the country amid tales of military executions and corruption, finally ran out of options Friday.

Chile's Supreme Court ordered the 69-year-old should be extradited to Peru to face charges including murder and corruption dating from his 1990-2000 presidency.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori will accept Chile's high court decision to have him extradited to Peru to face charges on human rights abuses and corruption, his lawyer said Friday.

'We will respect the decision of Chilean justice,' said defense lawyer Gabriel Zaliasnik after the Chilean Supreme Court delivered a final ruling approving Fujimori's extradition to Peru to stand trial.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori will be extradited to Peru after Chile's Supreme Court made a final, unappealable ruling on Lima's petition, a judicial source said Friday.

Fujimori has been fighting for two years to block his extradition from Chile to face charges in Peru over human rights abuses while he was the country's president from 1990 to 2000.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Chile's Supreme Court was set to announce Friday whether former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori will be extradited to Peru to stand trial over human rights crimes during his 1990-2000 rule.

A ruling in Peru's favor would send Fujimori, 69, back to his home country to face a series of charges seven years after he fled to Japan and resigned amid a corruption scandal.

The court's judgment, which cannot be appealed, was expected early Friday, said court spokesman Cristian Fuenzalida.

SANTIAGO, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - Chile's Supreme Court was set to announce Friday whether former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori will be extradited to Peru to stand trial for human rights crimes under his watch as president from 1990-2000.

The court's judgment, which cannot be appealed, was expected early Friday, said court spokesman Cristian Fuenzalida.

SANTIAGO, Sept 20, 2007 (AFP) - Chile's Supreme Court will announce a final decision on whether to extradite Alberto Fujimori to Peru early Friday, court spokesman Cristian Fuenzalida said Thursday.

The court's judgment, which cannot be appealed, will determine whether Fujimori be sent to Peru to stand trial over alleged human rights crimes while he was president from 1990-2000.

SANTIAGO, Sept 11, 2007 (AFP) - Chile's high court ruling on Peru's request to extradite ex-leader Alberto Fujimori on human rights abuse charges, has been delayed and will not come this week, a court spokesman said Tuesday.

Supreme Court sources earlier said the ruling would be announced this week but on Tuesday said the announcement would come after a government holiday, no sooner than September 20.

High court judges have been reviewing the case after a single judge ruled in July in Fujimori's favor against the extradition.

SANTIAGO, Sept 11, 2007 (AFP) - Chile on Tuesday marked the 34th anniversary of the military coup led by the late general Augusto Pinochet with closed ceremonies aimed at avoiding acts of violence from previous years.

On September 11, 1973 Pinochet led a violent coup that toppled then-socialist president Salvador Allende, who died in the fighting. Over the next 16 years some 3,000 people were killed and another 28,000 were tortured by the military regime, according to official figures.