The Venezuelan National Assembly has passed an amnesty bill which could free dozens of jailed opposition leaders.
The opposition-controlled assembly passed the bill after a heated discussion late on Tuesday.
President Nicolas Maduro said he would block the bill, which he argued would benefit "criminals and terrorists".
The opposition won the parliamentary elections in December on a promise to work towards the release of dozens of what it considers political prisoners.
Among the more than 70 detainees who could be freed if the bill becomes law is Leopoldo Lopez, a prominent opposition leader who was sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison last year for inciting violence during mass protests.
The prosecutor in the case later fled Venezuela and told media abroad that Mr Lopez's conviction had been a political show trial.
But government officials maintain Mr Lopez is responsible for the violence which erupted during the 2014 protests in which 43 people on both sides of the political divide were killed.
'Free Venezuela'
Mr Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, welcomed the passing of the bill, saying it was "felt in all of Venezuela, like a fireworks rocket going off in Caracas, full of emotion, freedom and strength".
Argentina's President Mauricio Macri has won approval for a repayment deal which should put an end to the country's 15-year battle with holdout creditors.
The years-long debt crisis has restricted Argentina's access to international credit markets and made doing business in the country difficult.
Argentina defaulted on a $100bn (£71bn) loan in 2001.
The deal is with creditors in New York.
The repayment package was finally approved by the Senate after a 12-hour debate on Wednesday.
President Macri had warned lawmakers that a "no" vote would condemn Argentina to remain a "financial pariah" shunned by global credit markets. Argentina now only has until 14 April to pay the holdouts.
Debt crisis
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage captionDemonstrators hold signs reading "Down with the Vulture's Deal" outside the National Congress in Buenos Aires earlier this month
Argentina's neighbours are able to borrow with interest rates of about 5%. However, Argentina has been forced to pay at least double, leaving it short of much-needed financial help.
Wednesday's "yes" vote is a victory for President Macri, who struck the debt deal after his election win in November. The debt crisis was a central part of his presidential campaign.
Analysis; Daniel Gallas, South America business correspondent
Mauricio Macri did his "homework" as promised and got Congress to meet one of the conditions for Argentina to clear its name internationally and get back to issuing bond.
Now comes the expensive part: paying out its debt.
Macri has promised the country will start paying it on 14 April, despite some reports that Argentina might want to delay the beginning of payment.
The country is not issuing bonds yet, so it is in a weak financial position.
The government is in a hurry to raise $12bn, so it can stop printing money to pay off its internal debts and stop inflation from inflicting even more pain on the economy.
A Venezuelan opposition coalition has announced how it plans to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office.
The MUD coalition had been meeting for weeks to decide how to install a new government. It said it would pursue "all constitutional means" for change.
The MUD said this would include a recall referendum, a constitutional amendment and mass protests.
Venezuela is deeply divided between supporters of Mr Maduro's socialist government and those who oppose it.
Drive for change
Parties opposed to the governing socialist party won overwhelmingly in legislative elections held in December.
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage captionThe opposition won in December's legislative elections and took control of the National Assembly
As a result, in January they took control of the National Assembly for the first time in 17 years.
Nevertheless, the executive branch remains under the control of President Maduro, whose term runs until 2019.
Many of the newly elected opposition lawmakers campaigned on a promise to replace the government before the end of Mr Maduro's term.
For the past weeks, MUD politicians had been discussing which strategy to pursue.
On Tuesday, MUD executive secretary Jesus Torrealba said the coalition would "call on the Venezuelan people to launch the largest popular pressure movement that has ever existed to activate all - I repeat, all - mechanisms for change".
Image copyrightEPAImage captionJulio Guzman (left) and Cesar Acuna (right) appeared second and fourth in opinion polls
Peru's electoral court has banned two leading contenders from taking part in next month's presidential election.
Julio Guzman was rejected due to his party's allegedly failure to follow procedure in nominating its candidate.
The board also rejected wealthy businessman Cesar Acuna for handing out cash to voters during the campaign.
Mr Guzman was running second to front-runner Keiko Fujimori - daughter of jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori - in recent opinion polls.
Polls put Mr Acuna in fourth place. Together the two candidates had nearly a quarter of vote preferences.
Mr Guzman had vowed to call mass protests if the court disqualified him from the 10 April vote, which will elect a new Congress and replacement for President Ollanta Humala.
'Stunned'
A recent opinion poll suggested conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori would secure around 35%, with Mr Guzman taking some 16% and Mr Acuna with more than 3%.
If no candidate gets at least 50% of votes in the first round, a run-off will be held on 5 June.
Image copyrightReutersImage captionKeiko Fujimori of the Popular Force had 35% of the vote in recent polls
The electoral court ruled on Wednesday that Mr Guzman's All for Peru party "seriously and irreparably violated its own rules", by failing to comply with electoral procedure when nominating its candidate.
"We are really stunned by this decision. We consider it totally unjust," said party spokesman Daniel Mora after the ruling.
Brazilian prosecutors have requested the arrest of ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a money laundering inquiry.
Prosecutors in Sao Paulo state said Lula should be placed in "preventive custody".
They earlier filed charges accusing him of failing to declare ownership of a luxury sea-front penthouse in the seaside resort of Guaruja.
Lula denies any wrongdoing and says the claims are politically motivated.
'Media campaign'
Image copyrightAFPImage captionThe probe centres on a luxury penthouse (centre) in the resort of Guaruja
The prosecutors said they were seeking the arrest on charges of money laundering for concealing ownership of the apartment.
They said the request was based on an assumption that Mr Lula might try to obstruct the investigation.
The request still has to be accepted or rejected by a judge.
Lead prosecutor Cassio Conserino said the state inquiry was looking specifically into the ownership of the apartment.
Lula, 70, denies all accusations and says he never owned the flat.
His lawyer Cristiano Zanin Martins said there was a "media campaign" against the former president.
"The owner of a property is the person listed in the registry. It doesn't matter who some people think it belongs to," Mr Martins said.
He added that Lula had invested in the project, had visited the unfinished apartment but later asked for his money back rather than receiving property.
Petrobras
Last week, Lula was briefly detained and questioned in a separate federal probe which is looking into whether extensive refurbishment on the penthouse constitutes favours in exchange for political benefit.
After their meeting, Mr Trudeau said he had learned a lot from "my friend Barack", who he described as "a man of both tremendous heart and tremendous intellect".
Earlier, Mr Obama said the two leaders share "a common outlook" and that Mr Trudeau had brought "new energy and dynamism not only to Canada but to the relationship between our nations".
He added that the US and Canada were "blessed to be neighbours".
The leaders have pledged cooperation on liberalising investment and trade, promoting clean energy and preventing foreign fighters from travelling to the Middle East.
An ongoing trade spat over Canadian softwood lumber exports was discussed and is expected to be resolved soon, Mr Trudeau said.
Image copyrightAFPImage captionJocelerme Privert is the current head of Haiti's National Assembly
Haiti's parliament has chosen an interim president a week after Michel Martelly stepped down, leaving the country without a head of state.
The new leader, Jocelerme Privert, was elected at a marathon session of the national assembly that continued into the early hours of Sunday morning.
Mr Privert is the current head of the assembly.
He will serve as president for up to four months while Haiti holds a new presidential poll.
A run-off vote in January was cancelled because of violence and instability and earlier this month a man believed to be a former soldier was beaten to death by a mob during continuing anti-government protests.
Image copyrightEPAImage captionRiot police were out in the capital on Sunday
In a speech before he was elected, Mr Privert vowed to "foster confidence" across society, ensure stability and hold the much-delayed run-off vote "as soon as possible".
The election will now be held on 24 April, with a new president due to be sworn in on 14 May.
The last-minute deal aims to prevent the country from plunging into an immediate power vacuum.
Speaking before he stepped down, Mr Martelly said his biggest regret was that January's presidential election had been postponed.
Mr Martelly is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election but has thrown his weight behind Jovenel Moise, a banana exporter who won the first round of the presidential election in November.
But the result was contested by the opposition challenger, Jude Celestin.
He accused the electoral authorities of favouring Mr Moise and threatened to pull out of the run-off vote.
Image copyrightEPAImage captionHaiti has seen violent unrest over the election
Bolivians voted in a referendum on 21 February to decide whether to allow President Evo Morales to seek another term in office.
What were the proposed changes?
Image copyrightAFPImage captionBolivians were asked whether they agreed with a change to Article 168 of the constitution
Bolivians were asked to vote on a change to the country's constitution. Presently, the president and vice-president are limited to two consecutive five-year terms.
Mr Morales, who has been in power since 2006, and his supporters wanted him to be able to run for another term.
What was the outcome?
Image copyrightAPImage captionThose opposed to the changes narrowly won
With almost all the votes counted, the "No" camp had a narrow but irreversible lead over those favouring another term for Mr Morales.
This means the constitutional ban on serving more than two consecutive five-year terms remains in place.
How come Mr Morales is currently serving a third term?
Image copyrightAFPImage captionMr Morales was re-elected in 2014 with 61% of the votes
Despite the constitutional ban on serving more than two consecutive terms, President Evo Morales was allowed to run for a third term in 2014.
The constitutional court argued that the ban did not apply to Mr Morales' initial term because it had taken place before the new constitution came into effect.
What will happen now?
Image copyrightAPImage captionThere is still widespread support for Mr Morales
Mr Morales will now not be able to stand in presidential elections in 2019.
But he is expected to continue serving out the remainder of his term, which ends in 2020.
When provisional results suggested a win for the "No" campaign, Mr Morales said that "the fight will continue" and his administration would follow through with its plans.
Critics within his party hope he will start training up a potential successor, while opposition politicians see it as a chance to challenge the governing parties.
What has been the reaction?
Image copyrightEPAImage captionMr Morales said before the final results were published that "the fight will continue"
Mr Morales said he had "lost a battle, but not the war".
There were celebrations in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, an opposition stronghold.
Many opposition politicians and some within Mr Morales's party said the outcome was a victory for democracy.
Former President Carlos Mesa said it showed that "no one is indispensable".
Samuel Doria Medina, who lost three times to Mr Morales in presidential elections said that Bolivia had won.
"They [the government] called this referendum and the people told them 'no'," he tweeted.
Why did the 'No' vote win?
Image copyrightAFPImage captionAllegations of influence peddling, which Mr Morales rejected, hurt the president's approval ratings
Mr Morales won the presidential election with 61% of the vote last year.
There is still widespread support for Mr Morales and his economic programme but many felt a change to the constitution was a step too far.
Some within the ranks of his own party also felt it was time for new, younger politicians to be given a chance to run.
The president's approval ratings were also hurt by recent allegations that he used his influence to favour a Chinese construction firm which employs his former girlfriend.
Mr Morales rejected the allegations and said he had nothing to hide. He ordered an investigation into how the contracts were awarded.
