Brazil: Squatters' law

BRASILIA — President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has approved a law that could legalize landholdings by some 1 million squatters occupying a Texas-sized chunk of the Amazon rain forest, despite environmentalists' fears it will accelerate deforestation.

The law, approved late Thursday night, affects 260,233 square miles of federally owned land that for decades has been illegally occupied — mostly by small farmers, but also by large property holders and loggers. The government says the law will help it curb deforestation and land conflicts, but environmentalists say it will lure more people into the region and lead to more devastation.

Brazil: Crash search

SAO PAULO — The search for the black boxes of the Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean will likely continue for at least another 16 days, even though their audio beacons are likely fading away, an American officer said Friday.

Brazilian and French searchers have recovered large chunks of debris and 51 bodies from Air France Flight 447, which disappeared with 228 people on board late May 31. Brazil on Friday said it was calling off its search for bodies and debris but that the hunt for the black boxes would continue.

Honduras: Referendum

TEGUCIGALPA — With backing from Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, Honduras' leftist president pushed ahead Friday with a referendum on revamping the constitution, risking his rule in a standoff against Congress, the Supreme Court and the military.

Government supporters began distributing ballots at 15,000 voting stations across the country, defying a Supreme Court ruling declaring Sunday's referendum illegal and ordering all election material confiscated. President Manuel Zelaya had led thousands of supporters to recover the material from an air-force warehouse before it could be confiscated.

Martinique: Sarkozy visits

FORT-DE-FRANCE — French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday that Martinique is free to hold a referendum on greater political autonomy but made clear the island would always belong to France.

Sarkozy traveled to Martinique and Guadeloupe as the islands recover from violent strikes that crippled the economy and shuttered schools and businesses earlier this year. Sarkozy did not say when a referendum might be held, but said he would meet soon with appointed officials.

Mexico: Shootout kills 12