Rebuffing Obama, House votes against bringing Guantanamo Bay detainees into US

WASHINGTON — The House went on record Thursday against allowing detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba to be transferred to the United States, even to face trial or to be jailed in maximum-security prisons.

Venezuela says American pilot sought by US for cocaine smuggling being returned home

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s top security official says an American pilot wanted in the United States on cocaine-smuggling charges has been turned over to representatives of the U.S. State Department to be taken home.

Mexico’s political theater reaches new heights (or lows) with street vendor’s election scheme

MEXICO CITY — An eccentric street vendor known for his Rambo-style headband took charge of Mexico City’s most populous borough Thursday — at least for a few hours.

Bill Clinton cheers turnout by hundreds of international investors at Haiti conference

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Bill Clinton applauded the large turnout at an investor conference in Haiti’s capital Thursday, calling it a sign of hope for economic growth and job creation in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

NY Philharmonic postpones plans for Cuba tour, citing US travel restrictions for patrons

NEW YORK — The New York Philharmonic is postponing a planned trip to Cuba, citing U.S. travel restrictions that prevent patrons from going on the historic journey to the communist country.

Genworth Financial completes $45M sales of Genworth Seguros Mexico to HDI-Gerling

NEW YORK — Genworth Financial Inc. said Thursday that it completed the $45 million sale of Genworth Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V. to HDI-Gerling International Holding AG.

Brazilian lawmakers visit embassy in Honduras, express concern about tear gas episode

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — A Brazilian delegation said Thursday it has received assurances from Honduras’ Supreme Court that the interim government will not attack the embassy where ousted President Manuel Zelaya has holed up since sneaking back into the country on Sept. 21.

US resists disclosure of classified material in resentencing in ‘Cuban Five’ spying case

MIAMI — The U.S. is resisting a judge’s order that could force disclosure of classified documents and other material sought by three men who are seeking reduced prison sentences for their 2001 convictions in a politically charged spying case.

YRC Worldwide unit inks agreement with Minera Chinalco Peru involving copper production

OVERLAND Park, Kan. — A unit of trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. has reached a new three-year service agreement with Minera Chinalco Peru S.A., the company said Thursday.

ATF: Effort in Houston is helping to fight gun trafficking from US to Mexico drug cartels

HOUSTON — Federal agents have vastly reduced a backlog of investigative leads and increased the number of criminal cases in Houston in a four-month effort to stop the flow of firearms from the U.S. to Mexican drug cartels, officials announced Thursday.

UN rights council condemns abuses in Honduras coup, supports restoration of overthrown gov’t

GENEVA — The U.N. top rights body is condemning abuses following the June 28 coup in Honduras.

Bill Clinton joins hundreds of international businessmen at Haiti investment conference

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Bill Clinton headlined an investors’ conference Thursday in Haiti’s capital to promote economic growth and job creation in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Ecuadorean gov’t, Indians trade blame for deadly clash in protest over jungle development

QUITO, Ecuador — The government and Amazon Indians traded blame Thursday for a battle in Ecuador’s southeastern jungle that authorities said killed at least one Indian and wounded 40 police and nine Indians.

Brazilian president borrows from Barack Obama in plugging Rio’s 2016 Olympic bid: ‘Yes We Can’

COPENHAGEN — Brazil’s leader is borrowing President Barack Obama’s “Yes we can” catchphrase to plug Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

From power brokers to priests, crisis-weary Hondurans pushing to resolve dueling presidents

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Catholic Church leaders are weighing in on Honduras’ coup stalemate with a proposal to jump-start negotiations, part of a growing movement by crisis-weary Hondurans to resolve the crisis and end the country’s crippling isolation.

Venezuela students end hunger strikes, say OAS will hear their concerns on alleged persecution

CARACAS, Venezuela — More than 150 Venezuelan university students ended a hunger strike Wednesday after the Organization of American States agreed to hear their concerns over alleged political persecution by President Hugo Chavez’s government, a protest leader said.

Ecuador president says 1 Indian killed, 40 police wounded in protest over water, mining laws

QUITO, Ecuador — Police on Wednesday battled Amazon Indians protesting laws they believe would encourage oil drilling and mining on their lands, leaving one Indian dead and 40 police and nine Indians wounded, officials said. Indians said two civilians were killed.

29 police, 9 Indians wounded in clash during protest over Ecuador water, oil and mining laws

LIMA, Peru — Police clashed with Amazon Indians protesting proposed water, oil and mining laws Wednesday, leaving at least 29 police officers and nine Indians wounded, Ecuadorean officials said. Indians said two civilians were killed.

Gunman on horseback kills town councilman, wounds 11-year-old in southeastern Colombia

BOGOTA — Colombian authorities say a gunman on horseback killed a town councilman and wounded an 11-year-old boy in the country’s southeast.

Kidnap victim’s dad says Mexico should fight other crime as aggressively as drug trafficking

MEXICO CITY — A former Mexican sports commissioner whose daughter was killed by her abductors criticized the government Wednesday for failing to combat crimes like kidnapping as aggressively as it fights drug trafficking.

Dominican Republic legislators debate allowing access to private property to reach beaches

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Legislators in the Dominican Republic are debating whether to allow residents access rights to private property so they can reach beaches, rivers and lakes.

Over 150 join student hunger strike in Venezuela demanding OAS rights investigation

CARACAS, Venezuela — More than 150 university students have joined a hunger strike to demand the Organization of American States investigate allegations that dozens of Venezuelans have been jailed for their opposition to President Hugo Chavez.

Buenos Aires zoo officials say 3 endangered eagles to be released in the wild following rehab

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine zoo plans to release three endangered crowned eagles back into the wild after several months of rehabilitation during captivity.

Jamaica’s government pledges to pay public school teachers $90 million in back wages

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The government of Jamaica has agreed to pay public school teachers more than $90 million in back wages over the next three years.

Family of Americans killed in Air France crash claim in lawsuit that plane had defective parts

HOUSTON — The families of two Americans killed in the crash of an Air France flight off the coast of South America in June filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming the airline and the plane’s various manufacturers knew the aircraft had defective parts that could have caused the accident.

Police in Puerto Rico report 3 teenage boys are found shot to death on basketball court

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Police in Puerto Rico say three teenage boys have been found shot to death on a basketball court in a northern coastal town near the U.S. territory’s capital.

Peruvian ex-President Fujimori sentenced for bribes, wiretaps to 6 years, fined $9 million

LIMA, Peru — A court imposed a six-year prison sentence Wednesday on disgraced ex-President Alberto Fujimori, who already faced the prospect of spending the rest of his life in a cell after three previous convictions. He also was fined $9 million for authorizing wiretaps and bribes.

Dominican soldiers, families to settle along border in bid to oust illegal Haitian migrants

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Authorities plan to relocate soldiers and their families to border communities that are home to thousands of illegal Haitian immigrants and increasingly fewer Dominicans.

Missing US diplomat triggers search of Curacao beaches, seafloor

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao — Rescuers searching for a U.S. diplomat led sniffer dogs over beaches Wednesday as technicians prepared to comb the sea floor with a robotic device for traces of a vice consul who vanished on this Dutch Caribbean island last week.

Argentine team rescues adventure couple from dangerous hike atop Patagonian glaciers

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A British-French couple trying one of the world’s most difficult hikes — more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) of Andean glaciers that straddle the border between Chile and Argentina — had to give up after terrifying wind and snow nearly buried them alive.