President Bush served up a spirited defense of his priorities in Latin America on Wednesday, dismissing recent reforms by Cuba's new leadership as ''empty gestures'' and pushing ambitious initiatives for Mexico and Colombia that face scrutiny by Democrats in Congress.
BOLIVIA | REFERENDUM
Election results released Monday showed a controversial statute that would grant autonomy to Bolivia's richest province had built an overwhelming lead in Sunday's violence-marred referendum and was on its way to victory.
BOLIVIA
This divided country faces a constitutional crisis Sunday when its richest and second most-populous province votes whether to declare itself autonomous from President Evo Morales' national government, a referendum the president has called illegal.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Actor Vin Diesel has stopped chasing bad guys long enough to endorse the president of the Dominican Republic for re-election.
PUERTO RICO
Chelsea Clinton stumped for her mother Wednesday in Puerto Rico, trying to woo students away from Sen. Barack Obama.
CAMPAIGN 2008 | DEMOCRATS
Students at Sacred Heart University took snapshots and sought autographs from Chelsea Clinton on Wednesday as Hillary Clinton's daughter pitched her as the Democratic candidate to support in Puerto Rico's June 1 primary.
HAITI
President René Préval on Sunday chose an international banking official to be the troubled country's next prime minister, a Haitian lawmaker said.
PARAGUAY
Former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo won a historic victory in Paraguay's presidential election Sunday, ending more than six decades of one-party rule with a mandate to help the nation's poor and indigenous.
An empowered Democratic Party has taken command of U.S. policy toward Latin America, stalling a free-trade agreement and taking aim at military aid programs for Colombia and Mexico.
PARAGUAY
Former Roman Catholic Bishop Fernando Lugo asked thousands of supporters at his final campaign rally Thursday to help him end 61 years of one-party rule in Paraguay and to build a new nation for the poor and indigenous.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday will propose rules change to block President Bush's effort to force a Congressional vote on a free trade pact with Colombia.
Hillary Clinton is more qualified than any other candidate to represent Puerto Ricans, said former President Bill Clinton, fighting for the popular vote Monday at a time when his wife is trailing Barack Obama in delegates.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Seems that not even oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago is being spared from the skyrocketing food prices hitting Caribbean grocery shelves.
PUERTO RICO
Former President Bill Clinton will visit Puerto Rico next month to make the case for his wife as the Caribbean island prepares for its Democratic primary, Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign said Monday.
MEXICO
The founder of Mexico's main leftist party said Friday the organization was ''irreversibly damaged'' by fraud-tainted internal leadership election and called for annulling the March 16 vote.
THE CARIBBEAN
Thursday, March 20, 2008, at 2:29 p.m., White House, Cabinet Room: PRESIDENT BUSH: Secretary [Condoleezza] Rice and I have had the pleasure of welcoming three of our neighbors -- neighborhood's strong leaders: the prime ministers of the Bahamas, Barbados and Belize.
VENEZUELA
A majority of Venezuelans say President Hugo Chávez played a key role in lowering tensions in South America after a cross-border Colombian military attack in Ecuador, according to a poll released Wednesday by the government.
PERU
Japan said it asked Peru on Monday to ensure a fair trial for Peru's disgraced ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who was being tried on murder and kidnapping charges in the South American country.
PUERTO RICO
A leader of the opposition-dominated legislature criticized Puerto Rico's governor of recommending an ''irresponsible'' budget based on election-year politics and not on the fiscal health of the U.S. commonwealth.
MEXICO
Moderates and hard-liners exchanged accusations of voting irregularities on Sunday as Mexico's main leftist party chose new leadership.
