TRADE: U.S., Central American Nations Launch Free Trade Talks

The United States and several Central American countries launched free trade talks on Wednesday as part of the U.S. administration's drive towards a free trade deal for the western hemisphere.

AGRICULTURE-MEXICO: Anti-NAFTA Farmers Hold Talks with Government

Organisations of peasant farmers in Mexico are holding talks with the government of Vicente Fox in search of a national agreement to rescue the country's farm sector, amidst a climate of impatience and division among rural groups.

TRADE-MEXICO: Farmers Take to Streets Over New NAFTA Rules

The New Year in Mexico began with thousands of machete-wielding Zapatistas invading the city of San Cristobal De Las Casas in Chiapas, as hundreds of campesinos blocked border crossings at Juarez-El Paso and elsewhere.

LATIN AMERICA: Anti-FTAA Activists Set to Redouble Efforts

Activists in Latin America and the Caribbean opposed to the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) have pledged to redouble their efforts this year against the initiative, which they see as an attempt by the United States to expand its influence over the region.

LABOUR-ARGENTINA: Crisis Looms Among Work Force

Latest figures on unemployment in Argentina -- now in double figures - make grim reading and threaten to spark a major crisis for the nation, economists say.