Bill de Blasio has become New York City’s first Democratic mayor in more than 20 years, running on an unabashed liberal, tax-the-rich platform contrasting sharply with billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s 12 years in office.

President Hugo Chavez won a referendum to eliminate term limits and vowed to remain in power for at least another decade to complete his socialist revolution.

An American soldier who said he left his unit in Iraq in protest at an “oil-driven” war has been sentenced to a year in jail and a bad conduct discharge for desertion.

Former Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is seeking to regain power in elections tomorrow, having recast himself as liberty-loving moderate who seeks normal ties with the United States.