Socialism

HAVANA - Cuba's communist leaders mapped out a brave new world of free enterprise on Friday, approving a laundry list of small-time businesses, allowing islanders to take on employees and even promising credit to burgeoning entrepreneurs.

CARACAS - It's President Hugo Chavez's biggest economic battle cry, and it's getting louder as Venezuela suffers a recession: "We're going to bury Venezuelan capitalism." Yet creating a socialist economy is one of Chavez's most elusive goals - a stark example of the disconnect between the president's rhetoric and the reality on the ground.

WASHINGTON - The tumultuous health care debate that brought you death panels and socialism has spun off a catalog of popular myths that will keep growing as President Barack Obama and all sides battle toward the midterm elections this fall.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Wednesday rejected charges that his agenda would lead to socialism and challenged some of the nation's foremost corporate leaders to join him in powering the country to a robust future.

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil - Leftists in Brazil for a week of protests against capitalism denounced corporate greed on the second day of the World Social Forum, saying Tuesday that big companies humbled by the global meltdown must be prevented from controlling natural resources and harming the environment.