MORE STORIES

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  Venezuela vote a key test for Chavez

  President Hugo Chavez faces a critical test of his grip on power against an energized opposition in state and municipal elections Sunday, a year after suffering his first defeat at the polls.
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  Bush, others at summit vow to avoid protectionism

  Leaders from 21 nations that account for half the world's economy pledged Saturday to resist protectionist measures -- no matter how punishing the global downturn gets.
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  To save adopted girl, Calif. couple gives her up

  Jennifer and Todd Hemsley had to give up their child to save her.
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  Iran raises profile in Latin America

  The foremen bark out instructions in broken Spanish, saying "aqui" and "mas" as they direct crews to lay water pipes and smooth out cement. But on their lunch break, they switch into Farsi - the language of Iran.

• THE WASHNGTON POST

  Chile's lapse in notification leaves HIV-positive unaware

  A ballooning number of people in Chile were not told they had tested positive for HIV and therefore were denied potentially lifesaving treatment. Officials said this month that the public health system had failed to notify 512 people of their status and that private health centers had not contacted more than 1,000 others.

• THE NEW YORK TIMES

  Flux in Latin America affects Russia’s diplomacy

  When Russian President Dmitri Medvedev reaches Latin America next week, he will find it in flux — and in some cases less receptive to his overtures over recent months. Plunging oil prices and the global financial crisis, which have hammered Russia particularly hard, have raised questions about Russia’s reliability as an economic partner, while Barack Obama’s victory has raised hopes of a new era of improved relations with Washington.
  
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  VENEZUELA

  Chávez makes himself issue in Venezuela's local elections

  President Hugo Chávez, with his grip on Venezuela's political system at stake, has been campaigning for his allies running in Sunday's elections.
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  Colombian volcano sets off landslides

  Landslides triggered by a volcanic eruption injured nine people and destroyed more than 20 homes and five bridges in southwest Colombia, prompting a red alert for more activity.
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  LOS ANGELES TIMES

  CIA lied about Peru shoot-down, report says

  An internal investigation by the CIA found that agency officials engaged in a cover-up to hide agency negligence in the downing of a private airplane over Peru in 2001 as part of a mistaken attack on an aircraft suspected of carrying illegal narcotics.
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  VENEZUELA

  Chávez's populist grip shows signs of weakness

  Voters in Venezuela's Barinas state symbolize the support President Hugo Chávez has thrived on. But his following is no longer fanatical.
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  Many protest bullfighting in Peru

  Dapper in a gray suit and cap, Wencelao Espino Gonzales gazed at the pink walls of this capital city's historic Plaza de Acho -- the second oldest bullring in the world -- and explained his lifelong passion for bullfighting.
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  Venezuela's Hugo Chávez campaigns for Sunday's elections

  With his control of the political system at stake, the president has been campaigning furiously across the country
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  Colombia police tear-gas pyramid scheme clients

  Police tear-gassed protesters Thursday as a crackdown on illegal investment schemes exposed class divisions in Colombian society. Rather than see President Alvaro Uribe as their savior, many investors were taking the other side.
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  NICARAGUA

  Protests imperil Nicaragua's democracy

  Post-election violence in Nicaragua could continue after upcoming elections in Venezuela, experts said.

• Venezuela's Hugo Chávez has live soundtrack

  Sunday's elections in Venezuela will be a key test for President Hugo Chávez a year after voters defeated his effort to change the constitution, and the socialist leader isn't missing a beat as he campaigns for his allies.

• THE WASHINGTON POST

  In rampant crime, political danger for Hugo Chávez

  For the first time in years, Venezuela's political opposition is poised to break President Hugo Chávez's nearly complete hold on local and state offices. Crime is one reason why.
  

• CUBA

  Family reveals secret in Cuba hijacking

  The relatives of Edmundo Ponce de Leon say he was one of the hijackers of a Miami-Cuba flight in 1958 that crashed and killed 14 aboard.

• LOS ANGELES TIMES

  Ecuador keeps up oil cleanup fight against Chevron

  The oil giant Chevron says it already cleaned up its share of the mess in the Amazon region, but peasant farmers continue to suffer.
  

• TICO TIMES

  Salvadorans join in Nicaragua post-election chaos

  Nicaragua's capital was again terrorized by political violence Tuesday afternoon when hundreds of Sandinista loyalists – who were joined by leftist sympathizers from El Salvador – turned Managua into an urban battle zone by taking over the city, blocking traffic, shooting explosives and attacking the opposition – including members of the news media.

• MOSCOW TIMES

  Medvedev means business in Latin America

  Official visits by Russian and Latin American leaders have generated some colorful moments in the past, ranging from Vladimir Putin's impromptu display of his football skills in Brazil in 2004 to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez being made an honorary Cossack in Rostov-on-Don last year.

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