High food prices have particularly hit vulnerable populations in many countries that spend a substantial part of their income on food, according to a report released Thursday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.
The protracted conflict with the farmers and growing inflation demolished in two months the support for Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner according to the latest public opinion poll from the consultants Poliarquía released on Thursday.
While Argentine government officials expressed optimism, following the Thursday meeting with camp representatives to discuss tax policies, farmers said they were let down and feel frustrated by the government's attitude of delaying proposals and discussions.
Headlines: Landings commemorated at Blue Beach; Popular teenager killed in road accident; Governor applies for drug duo's deportation; May Ball tonight; Budget session looms.
Britain's Conservative leader David Cameron says their first by-election gain since 1982 marks the end of New Labour. Mr Cameron told cheering supporters in Crewe and Nantwich that Labour had run a negative, xenophobic and class war campaign that completely backfired.
Argentine farmers said on Wednesday they are willing to discuss the controversial sliding levies on grains and oil seed exports but also cautioned they were looking forward to a grand national celebration in the scheduled Sunday rally at Rosario, and not another occasion of protest and claims.
A South American leaders' summit is scheduled for Friday in Brazil where the visiting heads of government and host President Lula da Silva will be signing the legal framework of the charter for the Union of South American Nations, Unasur.
Paraguay's President elect Fernando Lugo and Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez agreed to work jointly in Mercosur affairs to help improve the bargaining power of the junior partners that have repeatedly complained that the block has become a two member club, Argentina-Brazil.
Argentine farmers and government will most probably resume negotiations on Thursday while tomorrow details of the meeting will be jointly agreed according to sources from the Ministry of Economy and published in the Buenos Aires press.
Chile and Uruguay lead Latinamerican countries in the Global Peace Index, GPI, while Colombia and Venezuela figure as the most violent in the region according to the 2008 GPI released this week in London and which ranks 140 nations according to their relative states of peace.