Ex-bishop, advocate for poor will take Paraguay's helm (McClatchy Newspapers)

By Tyler Bridges, McClatchy Newspapers Thu Aug 14, 3:29 PM ET SAN PEDRO, Paraguay — The commander had a simple message: Disperse immediately or the riot police would scatter everyone with water cannons, tear gas and truncheons. The man who was leading 10,000 protesters and blocking the dirt roadway didn't flinch, however. "You can do what you want, but you'll have to come through me first," said Fernando Lugo , the local Roman Catholic bishop and the organizer of the unprecedented roadblock, meant to pressure authorities into building a badly needed highway linking rural San Pedro in central Paraguay to Asuncion , the capital. The commander left to call his bosses in Asuncion , and the police withdrew a short time later. Two days after that, Paraguay's Congress , meeting in an extraordinary session, approved the money to... [read full story]