If Chavez initiates talks, Obama would likely agree, Gibbs says

President Obama doesn’t have a one-on-one meeting scheduled with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but if Chavez were to initiate a conversation, Obama would likely go along with it, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Obama on Friday travels to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas, a meeting of leaders from North and South America

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Can the West cultivate ideas from Cuba’s ‘Special Period’?

Since the revolution in 1959 Cuba has been many things to many people, but the collapse of the Soviet Union meant few have seen the island state as a vision of the future. As worries about “peak oil” grow in developed nations, the communist republic is proving to be an increasingly popular example of how to cope when the spigots run dry, for the simple reason: they’ve already been there. With the loss of supplies from oil-rich Russia in 1991, and a U.S.

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Brazil’s Lula: A Bridge for Obama to Latin America’s Left?

The problem facing President Barack Obama in Latin America is that under the peevishness and negligence of his predecessor, the continent saw a stunning expansion of the anti-U.S. left. The solution to that problem may be Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who on Saturday becomes the first Latin American leader to visit the Obama White House — an invitation that all but anoints him as President Obama’s liaison to the region

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700 police fired in Dominican president’s war against corruption

Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez fired 700 police officers Sunday and forced the retirement of 31 military and police generals, two days after he promised in a state-of-the-nation speech to cleanse the government of corruption. Some analysts said the changes appear to be an attempt by Raul Castro to replace long-time Fidel Castro loyalists with his own supporters

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Raul Castro shakes up Cuban Cabinet

In a major shake-up the likes of which Cubans have not seen for decades, President Raul Castro on Monday reorganized his Cabinet, replacing long-time aides to his brother Fidel, who resigned from office a year ago, citing poor health. Some analysts said the changes appear to be an attempt by Raul Castro to replace long-time Fidel Castro loyalists with his own supporters

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Venezuelan leader orders troops to take over rice plants

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered troops to immediately take over rice-processing plants in his country, accusing some businesses of ignoring prices set by the government. “What are some of the sectors of the agricultural industry doing They buy rice from producers, and they don’t want to produce regulated rice,” Chavez said in a televised address Saturday. “Well, I’ve ordered the intervention, starting right now, of all those sectors of the agricultural industry.” Chavez did not say how long the takeover will last, but warned that some companies could be nationalized if they tried to interrupt supplies

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Remains of more bodies, fetus found in New Mexico desert

Three more bodies and a fetus have been discovered west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where six bodies were unearthed earlier this month, police said Tuesday. The new discoveries bring to nine the number of bodies that investigators have discovered, including the remains of a pregnant woman who was found Monday. She appeared to be in her first trimester, police spokesman John Walsh said.

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Venezuelans to vote on term limits for elected officials

Venezuelans will decide Sunday whether to change the constitution to allow President Hugo Chavez and other elected officials to run for office indefinitely. The National Assembly approved the referendum last month. Venezuelans narrowly rejected a similar measure in December 2007.

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