BOGOTA, Colombia

President wins re-election in tightest race in years

Juan Manuel Santos convincingly won re-election Sunday after Colombia’s tightest presidential contest in years, an endorsement of his 18-month-old peace talks to end the Western Hemisphere’s longest-running conflict.

Santos defeated right-wing challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga with 53 percent to 47 percent of valid votes, with 98 percent of precincts reporting less than an hour after polls closed.

Zuluaga was backed by former two-term President Alvaro Uribe, who many considered the true challenger. Zuluaga and Uribe accused Santos of selling Colombia out in the Cuba-based negotiations and insisted Zuluaga would halt the talks unless the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, ceased all hostilities.

The outcome affirmed Santos’ position that he has steered Colombia to a historic crossroads.

CHESHIRE, Conn.

Police: Apparent hoarder found dead under clutter

A 66-year-old woman described by police as an apparent hoarder was found dead under a pile of debris after the first floor of her Connecticut home collapsed into the basement under the weight of all the clutter, authorities said.

Police in Cheshire identified the woman as Beverly Mitchell. Her body was found in her home Saturday, two days after a postal carrier called police to request a welfare check because her mail had been piling up for at least a week.

Police Sgt. Kevin O’Donnell said officers went to the house Thursday, but didn’t find anyone. After realizing on Friday that the floor had collapsed, officials cut a hole in the side of the house and began removing debris with a backhoe.

RIO DE JANEIRO

Police try to block march by World Cup protesters

Police fired stun grenades and tear gas to block a march by about 200 protesters toward Maracana stadium ahead of Sunday’s World Cup match between Argentina and Bosnia.

A standoff ensued, with banner-brandishing demonstrators massing near a police line guarding the route to Maracana.

Outnumbered both by security forces and journalists, the protesters chanted “FIFA, go back to Switzerland,” referring to international soccer’s governing organization. The protesters are angry over the lavish public spending on stadiums for the World Cup while conditions in Brazil’s schools and hospitals remain woeful.

– From news service reports