Camp Szuts Journal: Training Legionnaires to Fight (and Eat Rodents). The French Foreign Legion operates one of the most grueling courses in jungle warfare and survival, opening it to Special Forces from around the world.

Report Calls for Fresh Approach to Latin America. A new report compiled by prominent former policy-makers recommends Washington overhaul its drug policies at home and pursue a rapprochement with Cuba.

Bush Claims Modest Gains for Agenda in Peru Talks. President Bush concluded his final meeting with Asia Pacific leaders with a collection of modest achievements.

Sandinista Fervor Turns Sour for Former Comrades of Nicaragua’s President. Former supporters of President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua have accused him of rigging elections in an effort to spread his power, and lament the direction he is taking the country.

France: Recount Confirms Aubry To Lead Socialists. A recount of contested ballots for the leadership of the French Socialist Party confirmed that Martine Aubry, 58, the mayor of Lille, narrowly beat the party’s former presidential candidate, Ségolène Royal, 55, party officials said Tuesday.

Venezuelan Opposition Gains in Vote. Opponents of Hugo Chávez won several state and municipal races in another setback for the president.

News Analysis: Once Considered Invincible, Chávez Takes a Blow. Across Venezuela, many of President Hugo Chávez’s supporters deserted him in regional elections.

U.S. Withholds Grants for Nicaragua. The U.S. government said that it would withhold tens of millions of dollars in aid to Nicaragua because of the governing Sandinista party’s role in municipal elections that the opposition contends were rigged.

World Briefing | The Americas: Venezuela: Russian Leader Visits. Russia’s president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, received a red-carpet welcome in Venezuela, where President Hugo Chávez says Russia’s stronger ties in Latin America reflect declining American influence.

World Briefing | The Americas: Nicaragua: U.S. Meddling Alleged. President Daniel Ortega accused the United States of trying to destabilize his government by backing politicians opposed to his left-leaning Sandinista party.

World Briefing | The Americas: Canada: Hawking Takes Post at Physics Institute. Stephen Hawking will become the first distinguished research chair at Canada’s leading scientific trust, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario.

In Mexico, an Ownership Fight Sends an Art Collection Into Hiding. A legal battle is unfolding over the rightful ownership of a collection of 20th-century Mexican art.

Mexico City Journal: Mexico’s Unsuccessful Drug War, Painfully Preserved and Hidden. Run by the Mexican military and open only to graduating cadets and select guests, the Museo de los Enervantes presents the drug war in all its ugliness and complexity.

Canada’s Tories Seek to End Public Financing of Political Parties. All three opposition parties in Parliament said they would vote against the measure, raising the possibility of a new federal election less than two months after the last one.

Venezuela and Russia Sign Accords. While two countries signed accords intended to cooperate on areas like nuclear energy and oil exploration, there are no detailed timetables for bringing the deals to fruition.

Canada’s Conservative Government in Danger of Being Replaced. The prospect that the sitting government could be replaced by a coalition became more likely on Friday following a day of negotiations and agreements between opposition parties.

Vote Creates Unlikely Foe for Leader of Argentina. A vote against higher taxes has put Vice President Julio Cobos of Argentina at odds with his boss.

World Briefing | The Americas: Brazil: Pledge on Rain Forest. Brazil pledged Monday that, to fight global warming, in the next decade it would halve the rate of destruction of its Amazon rain forest. Brazil said it would aim to reduce clearing of the rain forest to 2,260 square miles a year by 2018. Brazil, which had refused to adopt targets until wealthier countries offered more help, hopes the plan will help allay criticism that it has done too little to fight burning and clearing by loggers, farmers and ranchers. Rain forest destruction has made Brazil one of the top greenhouse gas producers because trees release carbon dioxide when they are cut down or burned. Environment Minister Carlos Mins announced the plan, which is to be presented this week at a United Nations climate conference in Poland.

World Briefing | The Americas: Guatemala: The Sport of Kingpins. Mexican and Guatemalan drug traffickers arguing about a horse race in a rural border town began a series of gun battles in which 17 people died, the Guatemalan National Police said Monday. A police spokesman said the traffickers were drinking in the town, Santa Ana Huista, on Sunday when an argument broke out over bets on a horse race, leading to a pursuit in which the gunmen shot at one another from trucks racing down roads.

Acclaimed Colombian Institution Has 4,800 Books and 10 Legs. A whimsical riff on the bookmobile, Luis Soriano’s “Biblioburro” is a small institution: one man and two donkeys.

The Saturday Profile: As a Memoirist, a Chilean Diplomat Takes Off the White Gloves. Heraldo Muñoz overcame his initial reluctance to write about his past when he realized that General Pinochet had affected an entire generation in Chile.

In Trinidad, a Painted Lady in Distress. The rapid disappearance of historic architecture in Trinidad is provoking a sometimes heated debate about the merits of historic preservation.

Chávez Again Seeks to End Term Limits. The move, which would have to be approved by a national referendum, comes a year after voters rejected a constitutional overhaul that included a similar measure.

Brazil Leader Offers Plans for Recovery From Rains. The country’s president plans to help tens of thousands of people rebuild homes and businesses ruined by storms that killed at least 116 people.

Canadian Parties Form Alliance That Could Replace Government. If the pact is successful at dislodging the Conservatives, it will be the first time since 1926 that the federal government has changed hands without a vote.