Brazil's leftist Workers' Party nominated its charismatic founder Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for the upcoming presidential contest on Saturday despite him being imprisoned for corruption. In a message from Lula read to the party convention in Sao Paulo, he said, Brazil needs to restore its democracy. Although serving a 12-year sentence for corruption, Lula, 72, remains by far the frontrunner in opinion polls.
Venezuelan officials say that President Nicolás Maduro has escaped an assassination attempt unharmed. Maduro was giving a live televised speech in the capital city of Caracas on Saturday when, a government spokesman said, explosive-carrying drones went off near the president.