CARACAS - Combating malnutrition and making food more affordable are pillars of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ socialist program.  Food prices have soared, however, amid shortages of basic staples, forcing supermarkets to ration goods.
Economists blame price controls and expropriations for plummeting food production, which has led Venezuela to import vast quantities of grains and meat.  The […]

MEXICO CITY - Nuevo Leon Governor Rodrigo Medina has called on Mexican President Felipe Calderón to send additional military troops to his state.
The murder of a mayor by presumed drug traffickers is just the latest in the wave of carnage in northern Mexico.
Three days after Mayor Edelmiro Cavazos was kidnapped from his home in Santiago, […]

WASHINGTON - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, have restored diplomatic relations that were severed last month by Caracas in a dispute over Venezuela’s alleged support of leftist rebels in Colombia.
The two leaders made the announcement late Tuesday after talks.  They met at a colonial-era estate in Santa Marta, a […]

WASHINGTON - Cuba’s leader Raul Castro says his government will scale back its involvement in the nation’s economy and allow more Cubans to operate their own businesses and hire workers.
Mr. Castro said Sunday the aim is to create jobs for nearly 1 million workers currently employed by the government who will be laid off.  Ninety-five […]

WASHINGTON - Venezuela’s president says he has deployed troops to the border with Colombia, as tensions rise between the two South American countries.
Hugo Chavez said Friday he believed the outgoing government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe could be planning to attack Venezuela.
The move follows Colombia’s accusations last week that Venezuela is harboring leftist Colombian rebels.
Mr. […]

WASHINGTON - The United States says it has no intention of initiating military action against Venezuela in response to threats by the country’s president that he would cut off oil supplies if the U.S. backed an attack against Venezuela by Colombia.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Virginia Staab said Monday the United States enjoys a mutually beneficial […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department is questioning Venezuela’s need to buy billions of dollars in weapons from Russia, voicing concern the arms may end up elsewhere in Latin America.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley Monday said that while Russia and Venezuela have the right to pursue relations, the United States is hard-pressed to see what […]

WASHINGTON - Russia has agreed to help Venezuela draw up plans to build a nuclear power plant.
Atomic energy was one of many areas of cooperation discussed as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made his first trip to the South American country.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Friday the goal of the power plant is to develop […]

PORT AU PRINCE - Former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have visited Haiti as part of their effort to raise aid and investment to help Haitians recover from January’s earthquake.
The two former leaders made their first joint visit Monday to Haiti, where they met with President René Preval at the badly damaged […]

HOUSTON - In the border city of Juarez, Mexico, authorities continue to investigate the murder of three people with connections to the US consulate that occurred on the streets of that city in broad daylight Saturday. Many observers on both sides of the border, however, question the Mexican government’s ability to solve such cases as […]

SANTIAGO - A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday killing at least 78 people, toppling buildings, and triggering a tsunami warning around the Pacific “rim of fire.”  Cell phone communication has been knocked out across much of the country and communication has been difficult in the area where the earthquake struck. 
A powerful earthquake […]

WASHINGTON - Haitian government officials say an estimated 400,000 residents displaced by last week’s earthquake will be moved to new villages to be set up outside the devastated capital, Port-au-Prince.
Officials said Thursday they will provide transportation for the residents and hope to begin moving them as soon as possible. The 7.0 magnitude quake left an […]

WASHINGTON - A strong earthquake has once again struck Haiti, shaking buildings and causing panic, eight days after a 7.0 magnitude quake left much of the nation in ruins.
The U.S. Geological survey said latest quake had a magnitude of 6.1 and was centered 59 kilometers from the devastated capital Port-au-Prince.  There were no immediate reports […]

WASHINGTON - Desperate Haitians have spent a third night in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, waiting for promised aid that is slowly trickling in following Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was expected to drop anchor off the Haiti coast Friday where it will serve as a floating airport for helicopters carrying […]

MIAMI - A massive earthquake has struck near the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, causing damage across the impoverished region. It is the largest quake to hit the area in some 200 years.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey say the earthquake struck about 10 kilometers from Port-au-Prince,  Tuesday afternoon.  The initial quake registered at magnitude 7 on […]

MIAMI - President Barack Obama has been under pressure to recast the nation’s relations with Cuba and ease decades of restrictions on the Communist government. Already the president has ended travel limits on Cuban-Americans and called for new talks between the nations, but Havana says Washington is not going far enough.
As many people make plans […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday urged Latin American countries to “think twice” about establishing links with Iran, which she said is the world’s leading promoter and exporter of terrorism. Clinton also expressed concern about democratically-elected leaders in Latin America who later move to undermine democratic institutions. 
Clinton’s remarks at a State […]

TEGUCIGALPA - Porfirio Lobo has won the presidential election in Honduras, with about 56 percent of ballots cast.  Election officials say voter turnout was high, in spite of a call by ousted President Manuel Zelaya to boycott the poll.
Wealthy rancher Porfirio Lobo declared victory after election results showed a broad lead for the candidate from […]

WASHINGTON - Thousands of pro- and anti-government protesters took to the streets of Nicaragua’s capital over the possible re-election of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
At least 40,000 anti-government demonstrators rallied Saturday in one area of Managua, marching against what they called Mr. Ortega’s attempt to set up a dictatorship.
The rally marked the anniversary of last year’s […]

HAVANA - Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama over a U.S. agreement with Colombia that allows American troops access to Colombian military bases.

In a column published in Cuba’s state-run Granma newspaper, Mr. Castro says allowing the United States to use Colombia’s military bases threatens not only neighboring Venezuela, but […]

HAVANA - Former Cuban president Fidel Castro says relaxed travel restrictions between the United States and Cuba have helped spread the H1N1 swine flu virus.
In an opinion piece published Saturday in Cuba’s state-run newspapers, Mr. Castro says the first cases of the H1N1 viruses were brought to the island nation by visitors from other nations.  […]

BRAZIL - Many residents of some of Rio de Janeiro’s worst slums are fleeing their homes to escape a drug war that has left part of the Brazilian city in ruins, and killed a dozen people.
Smoke rose from the smoldering wreckage of a police helicopter shot down by drug gangs Saturday, while eight buses burned […]

GENEVA - United Nations agencies say Guatemala is facing the worst drought in 30 years. They report some 2.5 million people in 21 provinces are affected and in need of urgent food assistance.
The effects of the weather phenomenon known as El Nino have extended the dry spell in Guatemala, triggering a food crisis in the […]

OTTAWA - Canadian public opinion polls indicate a majority of Canadians favor pulling their troops out of Afghanistan when their current mission as part of NATO is scheduled to end in December 2011.  However, a growing number, says defense analyst Steven Staples of the Rideau Institute in Ottawa, say the troops should come home right […]