La Paz, April 20 (Xinhua-RHC) -- The weather phenomenon known as La Niña, which is usually blamed for causing excessive rain or severe drought, has left more than 259,000 Bolivians homeless.

Lima, April 20 (ANDINA-RHC) -- Peru has attracted interest from foreign investors attending the World Economic Forum on Latin America, which took place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Madrid, April 20 (RHC)-- The number of registered job seekers in Spain hit a new high in March, adding to its headaches as it attempts to reduce the public deficit with a tough 2012 budget.  The number of workers registered as without work climbed by 0.82 per cent from the previous month to reach 4.75 million, the highest figure since the current statistical series began in 1996, according to the Labor Ministry.

Cairo, April 20 (RHC)-- Thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square on Friday, demanding that Egypt's ruling military council hand over power to civilians.

Madrid, April 20 (RHC)-- Students in Spain will pay more for their tuition at public universities beginning next year, according to reports from Madrid, as part of drastic cuts in education.  Currently, the university pays about 1000 Euros per year for education in schools of higher learning.

Washington, April 20 (RHC)-- Today marks the two-year anniversary of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers and sent nearly five million barrels of oil gushing into the water in the worst maritime oil spill in U.S. history.

Manila, April 20 (RHC)-- Nearly 7,000 U.S. and Filipino troops are involved in a joint military exercise that includes combat drills near disputed South China Sea waters.  The exercise comes as the United States expands its presence in the region.

Washington, April 20 (RHC)-- Two Chinese Muslim prisoners have been freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo after nearly ten years behind bars without charge.  The prisoners were among a group of ethnic Uyghurs ordered immediately released in 2008 after a judge ruled they were not "enemy combatants."

Khartoum, April 20, (RHC), -- Sudanese forces have taken control of the main town in the Heglig oil region, as the South has announced that its troops will withdraw from the disputed area.

Washington, April 20, (PRESSTV), -- Two years after a major oil spill off the US coast of Gulf of Mexico, experts say the disaster may be far from over as dead fish continue to wash up on shore.

Damascus, April 20, (RHC), -- A powerful bomb explosion in the Syrian region of Quneitra has taken the lives of at least ten security troops, local media reported on Friday.

Caracas, April 19 (RHC) -- President Hugo Chavez called on Venezuelans to remain united under the leadership of the “Batalla de Carabobo” Campaign Command, in preparation for the general elections on October 7.

Caracas, April 19 (RHC) Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega expressed their support to Argentinean President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for her country’s decision to nationalize 51 percent of the Spanish oil company Repsol YPF. President Chávez had a telephone conversation with President Fernández to personally express his support, as well as publicly supporting the decision in an official release on Monday.

Madrid, April 19 (RHC)-- The leader of Spain's United Left (IU), Cayo Lara, has called for a referendum to decide whether to continue with the monarchy or establish a Republican government.

Washington, April 19 (RHC)-- Top U.S. government and military officials have been forced to apologize to Afghanistan for conduct unbecoming of U.S. soldiers.  U.S. President Barack Obama says American soldiers shown in photos apparently abusing Afghan corpses in 2010 should be held accountable.  White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters in Washington that "the conduct depicted in those photos is reprehensible."  Carney also expressed disappointment that the images were printed.