Frei becomes Chilean president

The Christian Democrat leader, Eduardo Frei, took over from Patricio Aylwin as Chile's president yesterday in a ceremony that confirms its return to democracy after military rule, Reuter reports from Santiago. In a solemn ceremony, Mr Frei swore his oath of office, closing a circle of history 24 years after his father handed over power to make way for the Marxist leader Salvador Allende in 1970.