Has Bolivia's coca-growing scheme worked?

Has Bolivia's coca-growing scheme worked?
We ask if the president's move to reject US drug eradication policies was the best for his country's coca farmers.

Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, came to power promising to defend the right of Bolivians to produce coca for traditional uses.

Himself a former coca-leaf farmer, Morales proved his commitment to that cause when he kicked out the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2009, and began the country's own system of regulating coca-leaf production.

Hugo Chávez fights for life as supporters pray in Venezuela

The change of mood in Plaza Bolivar could hardly be more dramatic. Less than three months ago, jubilant crowds filled the main square in Caracas to celebrate another election triumph for Hugo Chávez with chants of "Oo, ah, Chávez no se va" – Chávez won't go.

Now, however, supporters wait anxiously for any scrap of news from Havana, Cuba, where their president is fighting for his life after emergency cancer surgery.

"We are all very confused. We have no idea what to expect. I pray for his recovery but I am expecting the worst," said Joaquín Cavarcas, as he scanned the Ciudad CCS newspaper for the latest update.

Next Thursday, Chávez is supposed to be inaugurated for a further six-year term of office at a ceremony at the National Assembly, a short walk from the plaza. But the usually gregarious, publicity-loving president has not been seen or heard since his operation on 11 December, prompting speculation that he will not recover in time.

Brazil struggles to halt murders of Sao Paulo police

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The murder of a female police officer in front of her daughter in Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city and financial capital, has increased pressure on President Dilma Rousseff and local authorities to halt a drug-related crime wave in which dozens of police have died.

Marta Umbelina da Silva, 44, was opening the garage in her home Saturday night when two assailants shot her ten times in the back, throat and abdomen, police said. Her 11-year-old daughter screamed for help and Silva, a mother of three, was taken to a nearby hospital, but she could not be revived.

More than half of the 90 police murders this year in greater Sao Paulo have occurred in similar execution-style fashion.

The root cause is an escalating, eye-for-an-eye battle between police and a notorious organized crime group known as the First Capital Command. The violence appears to have been triggered by a drug bust months ago, and then spiraled out of control due to campaign politics and alleged police brutality, among other factors, security officials told Reuters.

In just the past week, the city has seen a high-speed chase and deadly shootout on the Marginal Pinheiros, the main highway in the financial district; the arson of several buses; and the deaths of more than 50 civilians, including a 63-year-old man who was run over when a bus driver tried to flee attackers.

World Media Considers Life After Chavez

The declining health of Hugo Chavez has made headlines around the world as media commentators speculate on a future without Venezuela's firebrand leader.

Chavez has not been seen in public for three weeks after reportedly suffering complications while undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba.

Venezuela's state media have been airing regular tributes to the president, while the government says he remains in a "stable" but "delicate" condition.

Hugo Chavez: What Happens on 10 January?

On 10 January, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is due to be sworn in after winning a new six-year term in last October's presidential elections.

But as the key date approaches, all the signs suggest that Mr Chavez, who is recovering in Cuba from cancer surgery, will not be fit enough to attend the inauguration at the National Assembly.

The constitution does not state explicitly what happens if the ceremony does not take place on 10 January. And political analysts as well as government and opposition figures have differing interpretations of what that would mean in practice.

Brazil Confident Ahead of Rio 2016

While millions of people around the world simply watched and enjoyed the 2012 Olympics, for Brazilian officials it was a vital opportunity to learn what worked - and what maybe did not.

With the next summer Olympics being held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Brazil's organisers were in London over the past two weeks to observe how the Games were run.

Brazil's Vice Minister for Sport Luis Fernandes told the BBC that while he was generally very impressed, he had spotted some mistakes to avoid.

Coming Out Swinging: Plans to Improve Security and Schools

HE ONLY took office on December 1st, but Mexico’s new president is setting a furious pace. Having laid out sweeping changes to education and set up a new anti-corruption commission, Enrique Peña Nieto went on to unveil potentially far-reaching reforms of public security. He has thus taken aim at two of the country’s most notorious de facto powers: organised crime, and the mighty teachers’ union.

His predecessor, Felipe Calderón, began by declaring war on drug mafias, calling out the army to restore order. The murder rate doubled in five years, though the gangs were weakened. Mr Peña, who has promised to halve the murder rate by 2018, is taking a different approach.