Almost 34% of Argentina's urban population was described as poor at the end of 2005, with a 6.4 points drop on a year to year basis, according to the latest numbers from the official Census and Statistics Office.
Ecuadorian security forces began removing roadblocks placed by indigenous groups protesting against talks for a free trade agreement with United States.
Ecuador's main Indian federation claimed Monday that 30 peasants had been hospitalized and over 100 arrested during violent protests against a free trade pact with the United States scheduled to be signed in the coming days
Faced with continuing illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing that is severely depleting the world's oceans of their fish stocks, countries represented at a United Nations meeting on the issue called on Monday for new measures to strengthen a global treaty to manage fishing on the high seas.
Environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. pledged to provide all necessary financial and logistical support to prevent the construction of proposed dam projects in southern Chile.
President George W Bush signed a bill raising the United States national debt ceiling to nearly 9 trillion US dollars. The bill means the government can borrow a further 781 billion and stops what would have been a first ever default of Treasury notes.
There should be no concessions for fishing companies operating in the Falklands and Argentina, argues the province of Buenos Aires Deputy Fisheries Secretary Oscar Fortunato.
Oil and gas companies operating in Argentina must have their reserves annually certified by external auditors, announced the Argentine government.
A sustained provision of Argentine natural gas to Chile tops the bilateral agenda for Chilean president Michele Bachelet who on Tuesday will be travelling to Argentina for her first overseas official visit since taking office just over a week ago.
Picketers voted late Monday night go lift for an indefinite period the blockade of the route leading to the international bridge linking Argentina with Uruguay which had been closed to all traffic for almost two months.