Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay, pron. IPA , Guarani: Tetä Paraguáype), is a landlocked country in South America. It lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, bordering Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. The name of the country means "water that goes to the water," derived from the Guaraní words pará ("ocean"), gua ("to/from"), and y ("water"). The expression in Guaraní often refers solely to Asunción, but in Spanish refers to the entire country.

History

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Europeans first arrived in the area in the early 16th century and the settlement of Asunción was founded on August 15, 1537, by the Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar. The city eventually became the centre of a Spanish colonial province, as well as a primary site of the Jesuit missions and settlements in South America in the 18th century. Paraguay declared its independence by overthrowing the local Spanish authorities on May 14, 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865–1870), Paraguay lost 140,000 square kilometres (54,000 sq mi) of territory (e.g. the Misiones region) and suffered a huge loss of its male population. Tradition holds that up to two thirds or more of the adult male population was killed, but some argue that upon analysis from historic records and census reports, this figure is greatly exaggerated.

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L.A. Times - Latin America

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Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Additional police guarded the U.S. Consulate in Monterrey on Monday as investigators analyzed a security video in search of assailants who shot at the building and threw a grenade that failed to explode.
Mexico grapples with drug addiction
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Long a corridor for narcotics headed for the U.S., Mexico is now contending with its own addiction problem, as U.S. border controls push traffickers to look elsewhere. When the dope thugs beat him with a pistol, Rodrigo Sonck decided enough was enough.
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Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
An exhibition at the Fowler Museum takes a look at the migration picture from both sides of the border. If you think that immigrant bashing is practically becoming an art form in America, you may want to stop by UCLA and inspect the literal evidence. The targets are hanging on display at the university's Fowler Museum, life-size piñatas of half-human, half-rabbit creatures that practically dare you to pick up a stick and take a hard whack at them.
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Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
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World Briefing
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
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8 people killed in Tijuana
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Three teenagers and the relative of a police officer are among those to die in violence officials blame on feuding drug traffickers. Overnight violence left eight people dead in this Mexican border city, officials said Tuesday.

UN News Centre - Americas

Haiti: UN mandate extended amid political, economic, humanitarian insecurity
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The Security Council today extended the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) through mid-October 2009, recognizing the impact that the civil disturbances in April and the current devastating hurricane season have had on the country's stability and security.
Blue helmets in Haiti assist in new school year after devastating storms
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
United Nations peacekeepers are helping Haitian families face the new school year by distributing school kits and furniture and cleaning up buildings as the impoverished Caribbean country struggles with the effects of four successive storms in as many weeks.
Haiti in desperate need of socio-economic development, stresses UN envoy
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The recovery and humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti - an impoverished country devastated recently by four successive storms in as many weeks - will not succeed unless the international community addresses the nation's social and economic crisis, a senior United Nations official stressed today.

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