Latin America Digest: Today’s one-line news briefs

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Mexico City — NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, the U.S.-born son of migrant farmworkers, Tuesday lobbied Mexico to start a space agency and invest more money in science, technology and education.

Caracas, Venezuela — Opposition parties and Jewish community members criticized a visit by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, citing worries over his denial of the Holocaust, human rights violations and Iran’s nuclear program.

La Paz, Bolivia — Bolivian police said Indians in the remote Qaqachaca village held police at bay with dynamite blasts, allowing some to escape, and one officer was wounded in the leg by gunfire last week before authorities busted five cocaine labs.

Brasilia, Brazil — Rio de Janeiro’s posh beach neighborhoods lost power for hours in sweltering summer weather just two weeks after a massive blackout left more than 60 million people in the dark and raised questions about the nation’s ability to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

— Times wire reports