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We’ll continue to help, Obama promises Haiti President René Préval
President Barack Obama welcomed Haitian President René Préval to the White House Wednesday, pledging that as it rebuilds, the earthquake-wracked country “will continue to have a steady and reliable partner in the United States of America.''
Disaster experts praise Chile quake response
President Michelle Bachelet leaves office on Thursday with a chunk of her country in ruins – and her popularity in the clouds.
Brazil’s Silva: A Rousseff win would KO machismo
Brazil's president said his hand-picked candidate to succeed him in October's election would help do away with machismo by becoming the first female president of Latin America's largest and most influential nation.
US-born capo, drug lord’s brother fight for cartel
Authorities say a U.S.-born hitman is fighting the brother of a deceased drug lord for control of the Beltran-Leyva cartel, marking what may be the first time an American has risen to the very top ranks of Mexican gangs.
Chile’s Bachelet reflects on term in TV interview
Chile's president denies any delay in sending soldiers out to help with the massive earthquake.
Venezuelan officials take control of 2 sugar mills
Venezuela's government seized control of two sugar mills Tuesday and threatened to expropriate them, accusing managers of hoarding a basic good and violating the labor rights of employees.
Guatemala closer to extraditing ex-president to US
Guatemala is a step closer to extraditing former President Alfonso Portillo to the United States to face money laundering charges.
Suspect: Charges in Argentine bomb case are ‘lies’
An Iranian accused of masterminding the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center that killed 85 people dismissed the allegations as "lies" on Tuesday and said he won't appear before an Argentine court.
Cuba replaces head of civil aviation
Cuba has replaced the official who oversees the country's airlines and airports, a general who fought alongside Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara as a teenager, according to a terse statement in official media.
AP Interview: Silva says Iran sanctions dangerous
Brazil's president warned Tuesday that U.S.-proposed sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program could lead to war in the Middle East.
Chile’s economy expected to recover quickly
Homes and apartment buildings here have collapsed. Looters have destroyed a dozen businesses.<p/> A major bridge is down to one lane, and a state shipbuilding company has shut down. A major private employer, a steel mill, has stopped operations to repair its damaged furnace.
Cuba takes tough stance on hunger striker Guillermo Fariñas
Cuba's Granma newspaper Monday indicated that dissident Guillermo Fariñas will be allowed to die if he continues on his hunger strike, saying it would be unethical to force-feed him and that the government “will not accept pressures or blackmails.''
Lawyers in Mexico church sex abuse case resign
A Mexican lawyer said Monday he has resigned from handling the case of a woman and her sons who claim the males were sexually abused as boys by the founder of a conservative Roman Catholic religious order.
Cuba blasts foreign press for dissident coverage
Cuba on Monday blasted foreign press coverage of a dissident hunger striker as part of a campaign to discredit the island's political system.
Chile’s earthquake-delayed school year begins
Chile's earthquake-delayed school year began Monday, but education officials said it may take until April 1 before all students are back in classrooms.
Ex-Honduran leader to pen book about 2009 coup
Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya plans to write a book describing his ouster last year.
Catholic church slams Mexico City’s leftist mayor
Mexico's Roman Catholic Church has published its harshest criticism to date of leftist Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, accusing his administration of botching issues ranging from crime to public transit.
Mexico City cuts cops’ calories
Mexico City's police department has introduced a new lower-calorie menu in cafeterias serving its 70,000-member force after finding out that almost three-quarters of officers are overweight.
For South Florida companies, business of rebuilding Haiti begins
Wearing dark glasses and a baseball hat, Adam Finnieston hovered outside a field hospital in the Haitian capital with a prosthetic leg tucked beneath his arm. As groups of doctors rushed by, he handed out business cards and chatted with visitors about how the technology developed by his Miami company could help Haiti's amputees.
Haitian leader focusing on nation’s biggest needs
Haitian President René Préval arrives in Washington Monday for meetings with Congress and President Barack Obama as the White House prepares to ask lawmakers for more than $1 billion in aid for the earthquake ravaged country.
Chileans reject post-quake looters, speculators
The police came with bullhorns to impoverished neighborhoods near the epicenter of Chile's devastating earthquake, warning looters to return what they stole or face police raids.
Northern Mexico cops protest after ambush kills 3
Police in northern Mexico protested Saturday hours after three of their colleagues were shot to death in an ambush and a fourth was wounded.
Smoke forces JetBlue flight back to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican officials say a JetBlue flight bound for Florida with 39 passengers on board was forced to return to San Juan after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.
Chile wineries update amount of losses
The earthquake caused substantial damage in Chile's wine region: Stainless steel fermentation tanks tipped over, wine bottles busted and wineries without power.
With third-term hopes dashed, President Alvaro Uribe’s mark will endure in Colombia
Despite the ruling from Colombia's Constitutional Court that put an end to two-time President Alvaro Uribe's aspirations of continuing his rule, his singular style may have changed Colombia politics and policies for good.
Chileans didn’t get warning of arriving tsunami
Eleven minutes after a monster earthquake struck off the coast of Chile last Saturday, an official tsunami warning was sent to the Chilean government.
Venezuela telecom agency rejects anti-Chavez TV
A company's bid to launch two cable channels expected to be critical of President Hugo Chavez was rejected Friday, Venezuela's state-run telecommunications agency announced.
Ambush kills 2 Mexican federal police, wounds 3
Heavily armed gunmen ambushed a convoy of federal police on a highway in one of Mexico's drug battleground states Friday night, killing two officers and wounding three, officials said.
Doctors warn of health threat from Chile wreckage
Huge piles of wreckage and tons of rotting fish and other debris blanketing the ground are turning the coastal towns shattered by Chile's earthquake and tsunami into nests of infection, doctors warned.
Mexican priest’s alleged son admits seeking money
A man who says he is the abused son of the founder of a conservative Roman Catholic religious order acknowledged Friday he asked the group for money to keep quiet.
Cuban hunger striker vows to go until he dies
A dissident journalist who has gone nine days without eating or drinking told The Associated Press on Friday that he is willing to give his life to call attention to the plight of Cuba's political prisoners.
Red Cross is latest victim of Mexican drug war
Red Cross clinics in some parts of Mexico are refusing to treat people wounded by gunshots after finding themselves caught in the drug war, with cartel hit men intercepting ambulances to seize patients and even killing a Red Cross worker this week.
Strong aftershock rattles Chile, forces hospital evacuation
The most powerful aftershock in six days sent terrified Chileans fleeing into quake-shattered streets and forced doctors to evacuate some patients from a major hospital on Friday as the nation struggled to comprehend the scope of the disaster that hit it.
Clinton pushes Honduras recognition
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is urging the countries of Latin America to recognize the new, post-coup government of Honduras and is pledging additional counternarcotics aid to the region.
For many in Haiti, there’s nowhere to call home
Brazilian peacekeepers operating oversized bulldozers and tractors cleared a barren lot of overgrown weeds and debris, prepping it for its newest residents.
Venezuelan court reinstates anti-Chavez mayor
Venezuela's highest court has reinstated an opposition mayor, just one week after it annulled his election and replaced him with a supporter of President Hugo Chavez.
Woman’s trek to find son inspires
A woman who hitchhiked 400 kilometers (250 miles) to find her 8-year-old son safe after Chile's earthquake and tsunami is urging her fellow citizens to persevere as the country struggles to recover.
Mexican official fired for painting teen’s bottom
A mayor in central Mexico says he has fired one of his town officials for spray-painting the buttocks of a teenage boy as punishment for graffiti tagging.
Baby wounded, mother killed in Mexican border city
Authorities in the northern Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez say assailants shot a woman to death and seriously wounded her 9-month-old daughter.
Many quake survivors pin hopes on new president
Chile's earthquake and tsunami smashed this pretty little tourist town into splinters, leaving little more than immense piles of wreckage and an awful stench. Rooting through the remains Thursday, Dichato's residents said they are pinning their hopes for renewal on the new president, a conservative billionaire who takes office next week.
Latin America’s 1st gay marriage law takes effect
Throngs of Mexico City gay and lesbian couples registered for marriage licenses Thursday, the day Latin America's first gay-marriage law took effect.
Clinton urges recognition of Honduras government
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the Obama administration will restore aid to Honduras that was suspended after a coup last year.
Brazil: Cost of Amazon dam jumps $2B
Officials say the cost of building a huge dam in Brazil's Amazon has jumped $2 billion because of new environmental protections.
CDC warns of malaria risk in Haiti
The first feared cases of malaria have come to Haiti, weeks before the start of its next rainy season in May, and health officials are concerned that the deadly disease could become widespread.
Media group urges Cuba to free jailed journalists
A media watchdog group called on Cuba to release jailed independent journalists – or at least improve their prison conditions – and said Thursday it would hold the government responsible for the health of an opposition reporter staging a hunger strike.
Haitian family survives 2 big quakes in 2 months
The Desarmes family left their native Haiti two weeks after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, joining the eldest son in Chile for what seemed a refuge from the fear and chaos of Port-au-Prince.
Clinton urges reform in Latin American nations
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is promoting democratic and social reforms in Latin America, where many nations have troubled political histories and uneven democratic performance.
Mayors’ release a setback in Mexican drug war
Antonio Gonzalez insists he has no idea why he was among 12 Mexican mayors arrested last year in an unprecedented roundup of elected officials accused of protecting drug traffickers.
Chile’s fishing, wine sectors hard-hit by earthquake
The tsunami that hit this coastal city sent 50-ton fishing boats crashing onto land and demolished its port — wiping out the $40 million in business that courses through the local economy from the annual anchovy and sardine catch.
Residents of ravaged Chile city struggle
A military curfew imposed an eerie calm on this earthquake-shaken city — until the report of an onrushing tsunami Wednesday afternoon sent people fleeing by car and on foot for the nearest hill.
Bacardi’s fight to retain Havana Club name resurfaces in Congress
A years-long battle over a famous Cuban brand — Havana Club rum — resurfaced on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as liquor giants Bacardi and Pernod Ricard tussled over an obscure — but potentially lucrative — provision in federal law.
Cuban dissident on hunger strike returns home from hospital
Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas, who has refused food and water for a week, was back home Wednesday after he lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital for intravenous liquids, his doctor said.
In 2 Chile towns, looters a `human earthquake’
Beyond the collapse of their dwellings and the personal tragedies, the people of some southern Chilean towns are nursing an additional wound.<p/> In Lota and Coronel, southwest of Concepción, the destruction wrought by the earthquake was not as damaging as the looting that followed.
Mexican woman: 2 kids with scandal-tainted priest
A Mexican woman charged Wednesday that the deceased, scandal-tainted founder of a conservative Roman Catholic religious order led a double life and fathered two children with her.
Chavez denies links with Spain’s ETA, FARC rebels
President Hugo Chavez lashed out at Spain's prime minister on Wednesday for asking Venezuela to respond to a Spanish court's accusation that his government collaborated with Basque separatists and Colombian rebels.
Havana food production fails to meet expectations
Production of fruits and vegetables in Cuba's capital and surrounding farmlands is 40 percent lower than expected so far this year, as the island's agricultural sector continues to founder despite a series of reforms.
US task force holds hearing on Puerto Rico status
Production of fruits and vegetables in Cuba's capital and surrounding farmlands is 40 percent lower than expected so far this year, as the island's agricultural sector continues to founder despite a series of reforms.
Guatemala arrests show drug corruption to the core
The arrests of Guatemala's drug czar and national police chief underscore how deeply the world's multibillion-dollar drug industry can corrupt small countries with weak institutions – a trend the Obama administration warned Wednesday threatens global security.
Chile: Aftershock sets off brief panic
A strong aftershock to Chile's deadly earthquake provoked a brief panic in the city of Concepcion, but no tsunami warning was issued and no injuries or damage have been reported.
Flooding makes Havana’s Malecon a giant puddle
Heavy winds sent waves from the Caribbean Sea crashing over Havana's storied seawall Wednesday, flooding streets in the Vedado area with foamy saltwater.
US seeks American citizens in Chile quake zone
The U.S. Embassy in Chile says it is working to locate between 700 and 1,200 American citizens believed to be in that country's earthquake zone.
Cuban hunger striker briefly hospitalized
A dissident journalist who has refused food and water for a week was rushed to the intensive care unit of a hospital in central Cuba after losing consciousness, then returned home when doctors said they could do nothing for him if he refused to eat, a spokeswoman for his family said Wednesday.
Cuban dissident on hunger strike is rushed to hospital
Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas, who has been refusing food and water for a week, lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital Wednesday morning, one of his supporters reported.
Brazil president urges caution on Iran sanctions
Brazil's president says Iran should not be "pushed against a wall" by the international community for its controversial nuclear program.
Chileans protect, feed themselves after quake
One man swings a thick metal chain. Another grips an ax. An older gentleman favors a wooden pole. And a 20-year-old spoiling for a fight has prepared a garrote – a menacing wire tied between two handles – to confront any intruders.
Quake threatens important Chile fish, wine sectors
The tsunami that hit this coastal city sent 50-ton fishing boats crashing onto land and demolished its port – wiping out the $40 million in business that courses through the local economy from the annual anchovy and sardine catch.
Brazil cool to Clinton on new Iran sanctions
Brazil on Wednesday renewed opposition to fresh sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, dealing a blow to visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton even before she could make the case for new penalties.
In Chile, the sea may hold answers about the missing
Officially, 796 people have been confirmed dead.<p/> But hundreds more are presumed lost at sea. Others are trapped under rocks or in places too remote for them to be counted.
A new poll finds no clamor for change in U.S. Cuba policy
Forty percent of Americans say the Cuba embargo should remain in place while 36 percent want it ended, and nearly half say they wouldn't visit the island even if allowed, according to a BBC/Harris Poll released Tuesday.
Guatemalan drug czar, police chief arrested
Authorities arrested Guatemala's anti-drug czar and national police chief Tuesday in a case involving stolen cocaine and slain police, acting just two days before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives to discuss the drug war.
Chile’s coastal victims feel abandoned
Chilean television showed military vehicles moving down highways, firemen working on the rubble of what was a large building in Concepción, fires and looting in the big cities.
Earthquake a major blow to Chile’s wine industry
The earthquake caused substantial damage in Chile's wine region: Stainless steel fermentation tanks tipped over, wine bottles busted and wineries without power.
Trafficking probe nets 10 Mexican migration agents
Mexico's interior department says prosecutors have detained 10 Mexican immigration agents and three airline workers at Cancun's international airport on suspicion of trafficking Chinese migrants.
Power outage halts operations at Curacao refinery
Hundreds of workers at a Venezuela-run oil refinery in Curacao demonstrated Tuesday over another halt in operations caused by a power outage.
Lan Airlines to resume some flights out of Santiago
Lan Airlines flew a plane from Miami to Santiago Tuesday morning as it turns a corner in its recovery from Chile's weekend earthquake. <p/> Though the country's largest airline landed flights in the Arturo Martinez International airport in the days after the quake, a damaged terminal prevented them from screening passengers for departure.
Guatemala arrests national police chief, drug czar
Authorities arrested Guatemala's anti-drug czar and national police chief Tuesday in a case involving stolen cocaine and slain police, acting just two days before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives to discuss the drug war.
In coastal Chile, the sea has left little behind
The coast of the Maule Region — 155 miles south of Santiago and lined by small resort towns like El Peñón, La Pesca, Rancura, El Buzo, Iloca and Duao — is now a surrealist landscape.
Clinton brings phones, promises to quake-hit Chile
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a small dent in Chile's growing needs following a massive earthquake, handing over 25 satellite phones while promising more Tuesday in the country's capital.
Survivor in Chile: `I saw wave and began to run’
All tragedies have heroes and this story has two. They are cousins, with similar names; one is alive, the other was swallowed by the sea.
Post-quake chaos, looting wound Chile’s pride
Chile's president defended herself Tuesday against charges of government incompetence in a disaster that not only shattered lives and property but challenged the nation's very identity.
Disaster alters incoming president’s agenda
The catastrophe that shook Chile occurred at a key moment in its history, as the country is celebrating 200 years of independence and days before the inauguration of the Coalition for Change government, an alliance of mostly conservative parties represented by businessman and former senator Sebastián Piñera.
Suit by spy’s ex-wife could stop flights to Cuba
All direct U.S. flights to Cuba may be halted if the ex-wife of a Cuban spy wins a lawsuit to garnish money that South Florida charter companies pay in fees to Cuba, lawyers in the case said Monday.
Mexico: Gov’t officials negligent in day-care fire
A Mexican Supreme Court commission says 16 local, state and federal officials failed to ensure the safety of a day care center where a fire killed 49 children last year.
Aid groups ready to help in Chile if needed
International aid agencies faced with back-to-back natural disasters in Haiti and Chile say they are well-equipped to manage both — if they are asked.
Cuba TV report denies gov’t let hunger striker die
Cuba devoted nearly a third of its official newscast Monday night to denying that state doctors purposely let a jailed dissident die from a hunger strike.
Guatemala fires minister for alleged corruption
Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom has fired his interior minister for alleged corruption and replaced him with a former journalist.
Last daughter of Mexican revolutionary Zapata dies
The last surviving child of Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata has died at 94.
Mexico arrests sex-traffic suspect wanted by FBI
Federal police in central Mexico have captured a man wanted by the FBI for allegedly trafficking women and minors for prostitution in the United States.
Mexican police say drug hit men killed journalist
Police say a long-missing journalist in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco was killed by a drug cartel's hit men who dissolved his body in acid.
In ruined Haiti schools, educators see opportunity
After seven weeks with seven kids huddled under a shelter of tarps and bed sheets on the median strip of a busy road, Lissithe Delomme says the Haitian government can't reopen schools fast enough.
Venezuela to request extradition of ex-president
Prosecutors urged a Venezuelan court on Monday to approve a request for the United States to extradite former President Carlos Andres Perez for violence committed during street protests in which hundreds of people died.
Uruguay inaugurates ex-rebel leader as president
A former guerrilla leader who won over voters with his homespun manner and moderate agenda has been inaugurated as Uruguay's new president.
Clinton offers to help resolve Falklands spat
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is offering to help Argentina and Britain resolve a festering dispute over a vast swath of the southern Atlantic Ocean where Britain has begun drilling for oil.
Clinton to meet with Uruguay’s incoming president
Troops from Uruguay are regularly among U.N. peacekeeping forces deployed around the world, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is hoping to persuade that country's new president to continue the support.
Chile troops, police attack post-quake looting
Security forces said Monday they arrested dozens of people for violating curfew after looters sacked virtually every market in this hard-hit city and Chile's earthquake toll surpassed 700. President Michelle Bachelet promised imminent deliveries of food, water and shelter for thousands living on the streets.
Author-historian Carlos Montemayor dies
(AP) — Mexican author and guerrilla movement scholar Carlos Montemayor died Sunday at 62 after a battle with cancer, said publisher Random House Mandadori.
Earthquake death toll doubles in Chile
As the death toll more than doubled and reports of looting reached the capital, President Michelle Bachelet dispatched the military to control unruly disaster zones and sought to help the survivors of this country's devastating earthquake.
Efforts to engage Cuba stall
The death of a Cuban political prisoner and the prolonged jailing of a U.S. citizen in Havana appear to have cast a dark cloud over U.S. and Spanish government efforts to engage Raúl Castro's government.
Chile minister says navy made mistake on tsunami
Chile's defense minister said Sunday that the navy made a mistake by not immediately issuing a tsunami warning after a mammoth earthquake, a step that could have helped coastal villagers flee to higher ground sooner.
Man, daughter fall 13 floors in Chile quake
When their 13th-floor apartment began to shake, Alberto Rozas pulled his 7-year-old daughter into the bathroom doorway and waited for it to stop.
Chileans in South Florida try to reach loved ones in their homeland
Once again, the earth shook thousands of miles away from South Florida and the reverberations were felt here.<p/> Chileans across Miami scrambled to reach friends and relatives Saturday, anxious for word that they were safe and to find out the latest news. The lucky ones, like Giovanna Amadori, received calls before they even [...]
Chile quake death toll hits 708 as rescue ramps up
Heroism and banditry mingled on Chile's shattered streets Sunday as rescuers braved aftershocks digging for survivors and the government sent soldiers to quell looting. The death toll climbed to 708 in one of the biggest earthquakes in centuries.
Unlike Haitians, Chileans were ready for earthquake
The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month — yet the death toll in the Caribbean nation is magnitudes higher.
Four days on, Cuban media confirm dissident’s death
(AP) — State media reported the death of a jailed, dissident hunger striker on Saturday, acknowledging four days after the fact a story that most Cubans had already heard through word of mouth.
At least 300 killed in massive Chile quake; Japan bracing for tsunami
help!'' nonstop at the top of her lungs as they hurried down the stairs from the fourth floor of their rickety apartment building.
Fujimori attends daughter’s wedding in Peru prison
Jailed former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has attended his daughter's wedding in a prison chapel.
In Hawaii at least, feared tsunami is a dud
(AP) — After a tense day of anticipation and preparation, this was the tsunami that wasn't. At least as far as Hawaii was concerned.<p/> The surge of water triggered by the Chilean earthquake washed ashore in Hawaii, California and islands in the South Pacific on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports orf [...]
Chile was ready for quake, Haiti wasn’t
The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month – yet the death toll in this Caribbean nation is magnitudes higher.
‘Like a horror movie’: At least 300 die in massive Chile quake
At least 300 people are dead after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile Saturday — and more people are missing after enormous waves reached land, the head of the country's emergency services said Saturday.
Mexico arrests 3rd Juarez massacre suspect
Mexico has arrested a third suspect in last month's massacre of 15 people in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Chile’s quake many times more powerful than Haiti’s
"This was a big one. A really big one,'' said Dr. Tim Dixon, geophysics professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami, speaking of the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck near Chile Saturday morning.
Cuban media acknowledges jailed dissident’s death
State media reported the death of a jailed, dissident hunger striker on Saturday, acknowledging four days after the fact a story that most Cubans had already heard through word of mouth.
Huge quake hits Chile
A devastating earthquake struck Chile early Saturday. People near the epicenter were tossed about as if shaken by a giant. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the country in 50 years. Officials said at least 122 people died.
Mexican army detonates small bomb found with note
Police in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca have found a small bomb left in a vacant lot with a note mentioning a possible explosion at a local school.
Uribe blocked from seeking 3rd term
(AP) — Colombia's Constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again. The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal.
Mexican anti-drug plane found, 3 occupants dead
Mexican marines have found the wreckage of a small military anti-drug patrol plane reported missing earlier this week in northern Mexico.
Colombian rebel nabbed in murder of ex-prez’s sis
A Colombian guerrilla convicted in absentia in the kidnapping and killing of former President Cesar Gaviria's younger sister was captured Friday in a house in southern Bogota, authorities said.
Puerto Rico declares epidemic of dengue fever
Health officials in Puerto Rico have declared an epidemic of dengue fever.
US House approves sharing spy files on Argentina
Argentina praised the U.S. House on Friday for passing a measure that would force American intelligence agencies to share their files on dictatorship-era human rights violations in this country.
Guatemala digs up graves in search for disappeared
Guatemalan authorities have begun digging up mass graves at a cemetery where hundreds of people who disappeared during the Central American country's civil war are believed buried.
Mexico recovers 2 stolen 18th century paintings
Mexican authorities have found two 18th century paintings stolen from a church two years ago.
Colombia high court debates Uribe re-election vote
Colombia's Constitutional Court has begun debating whether to allow a referendum that could clear the way for President Alvaro Uribe to seek a third consecutive term.
Cuban hunger striker buried as security agents watch
Amid shouts of “down with the dictatorship'' despite a heavy Cuban secret police presence, about 150 people attended Thursday's burial of Orlando Zapata, a political prisoner who starved himself to death to protest prison abuses.
Brazil leader rapped for stance on Cuba dissidents